To Sam, every night I feel scared before going to bed, I feel safe enough when I sleep with my parents but these days after all these bad things happening I always think up varieties of scary theories....deep down I know it's probably not going to happen but what if someone breaks in? Kidnaps me? and one more but I would not like to say it.....my parents give me comforting advice but still my fear never stops
thanks for your time
Sam
Hi there,
Night time can be difficult for some people and having difficulty sleeping can then affect others things like your mood. There's no magic trick that works for everyone, but there are a lot of different techniques you can try to see what works for you.
One of the reasons that bedtime can be so hard is because this when you have the most space to think. For the rest of the day you're usually busy with things - at school, talking to friends, watching TV or playing games. When you're lying in bed your brain has nothing else to think about so it's easy for your imagination to fill in the gaps. One way to solve this is to have something to keep you distracted until you fall asleep. This could be the TV, music or even something like a YouTube video, audiobook or podcast.
Reading before bed can also be a good way to turn your brain onto something else, so that you can think about your book until you fall asleep. It would be important to make sure you are picking the right books of course - nothing too scary.
Another reason why bedtime can be scary for some is because we are the most vulnerable when we sleep. To help you feel more secure you may want to make a few changes to your room. You could have a night light - a very dim lamp which isn't so bright that it keeps you awake, but lets you see that everything is okay. Opening or closing your bedroom door might also help - depending on whether you feel better knowing it's open and your parents can see in, or closed to make you feel more secure.
I hope this helps, but if you'd like to talk more you can always talk to one of our counsellors. We're always here for you.
Take care.
Sam
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