# Darkness, darkness, be my pillow. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 4, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446 "2007-10-04T00:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/1 "2007-10-04T00:08:04Z")
The darkness has returned! Oh joyous morn, to lie abed, and never see the dawning of the sun! My apartment managers objected to the tin foil covering on my window. I was told to remove it immediately, and that I could only replace it with the original blinds, or White Curtains. Yeah. Like that is gonna keep the sun from waking me up at five in the freakin’ morning. I had gone to a lot of trouble to make the very light tight cover the first time, three years ago. No one seemed to mind, until the Neighborhood Cookout happened in front of my window. All of a sudden, the morning sun, overjoyed with it’s new found vengeance over my undisturbed slumber began assaulting me at undignified hours of the morning. But I am not to be denied. After two weeks of effort, eight sheets of foam board, half a mile of tape, ten feet of foam weather stripping, a quilt, and some persistent stuffing of cracks, the dark beauty of the night has returned! And as an added advantage, the new light blocker is in five inches from the aforementioned blinds, which remain visible from the outside! (forestalling official whining, and letter writing, and also providing extra insulation against the cold!) I had enough foam weather srtipping to do the bedroom door, too, so even the daylight from my living room cannot seep in and awaken me! It is so dark in there that the little green light from my charging cell phone lights up the room. So I put that in a sock, and turn it face down in the chair. I could develop film in there! I am looking forward to tomorrow noon, when I shall arise, and greet the day! I will be rested, and happy! I just love the night. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/2 "2007-10-04T02:11:37Z")
Yes, but will you be able to breathe? ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/3 "2007-10-04T02:14:50Z")
Let him have his moment, **Queen of Town**. ---
**Author:** ![illoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@illoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illoe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/4 "2007-10-04T02:20:10Z")
I’m with you, man. Every morning I mutter the lyrics to that Swan’s song “God Damn the Sun” until I get my coffee. And I curse it lightly thereafter until I get done sneezing. (Does anyone else sneeze when they first go out into the sun?) But for next time, you don’t need eight sheets of foam board, half a mile of tape, ten feet of foam weather stripping, and a quilt: all you need is the tape and some [blackout fabric](http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-drapery-lining-fabric-black-out-br-drapery-lining.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/5 "2007-10-04T03:44:25Z")
[QUOTE=Queen of Town] Yes, but will you be able to breathe? [/QUOTE] Yes, I can breathe in absolute darkness. I can even breathe with my eyes closed! WTF? Tris ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/6 "2007-10-04T04:10:23Z")
I think she means that you appear to have hermetically sealed the windows and your bedroom door, which might impede airflow 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/7 "2007-10-04T04:15:06Z")
Ah. Sorry for the snark. I have both inlet, and outlet forced air heating and air conditioning. Lap of luxury, that’s me! Tris ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/8 "2007-10-04T10:48:26Z")
[QUOTE=Gaudere] I think she means that you appear to have hermetically sealed the windows and your bedroom door, which might impede airflow 🙂 [/QUOTE] Or rapid exit, in the event of fire or home invasion of the spouse/parent/sibling of your latest date. 😃😛 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/9 "2007-10-04T11:02:54Z")
Man, you’d hate my house. I have night lights in all 3 bathrooms (one is in the basement) and the microwave hood has a nightlight on a timer. I did allow the light out front to burn out, unreplaced - it’s on a light-detecting switch, so it used to be on from dusk till dawn, casting beams into both front bedrooms. I like it dark, but not too dark. If I wake up in the wee small hours to, um, wee, I want just enough of a glow that I can make out the black shape of the dog on the floor. Beyond that, my eyelids work pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![TripleTee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@TripleTee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TripleTee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/10 "2007-10-04T11:04:57Z")
[QUOTE=illoe] But for next time, you don’t need eight sheets of foam board, half a mile of tape, ten feet of foam weather stripping, and a quilt: all you need is the tape and some [blackout fabric](http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-drapery-lining-fabric-black-out-br-drapery-lining.aspx). [/QUOTE] Or forego the tape and use a staple gun. I work nights, and thats what I used. Staple gun and blackout cloth. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/11 "2007-10-04T15:06:02Z")
I had a room mate once who’d only sleep with the lights on–and not just normal lights, but the bright overhead flourescent lighting you usually only find in office buildings. Mindblowing. No idea how he did it. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/12 "2007-10-04T15:15:47Z")
I find myself dropping paperbacks over the alarm clock because thee eery green glow which it casts upon my bedroom walls makes me think dawn may be imminent and I have much to do. Of course, knowing the eery green glow comes from a device marking the passage of time in my all but too fleeting life is also grounds for sleeplesness. The curtains moving in the breeze from the fan counts as grounds for insomnia as well. I put the earth’s rotation on that list, too. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/13 "2007-10-04T15:18:39Z")
Couldn’t live in a cave - have to have lots and lots of light in the house. Of course, I could sleep through a direct nuclear blast so a little bit of sunlight isn’t going to hurt at all. ---
**Author:** ![Cattitude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Cattitude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cattitude)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/14 "2007-10-04T15:19:45Z")
[QUOTE=slortar] I had a room mate once who’d only sleep with the lights on–and not just normal lights, but the bright overhead flourescent lighting you usually only find in office buildings. Mindblowing. No idea how he did it. [/QUOTE] This is my sister. She’s afraid of the dark, really afraid. She’s also 18 so she’s not a little kid. She sleeps with bright ligfhts on in her face 😕 . I don’t know how she sleeps like that. She says she’s scared of “the shadowy moving things”. They don’t bother me at all 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/15 "2007-10-04T15:33:12Z")
An odd thing about my room, if the power goes out, there is a light that comes on automatically. It even wakes me up, although it is no more than a flashlight sized light. There are four of them in my one bedroom apartment, so finding my way out in the dark is no problem. And if there was I fire, why, I would be able to see fine, once I got the bedroom door open. The ambient light levels in our neighborhood are part of why I went to this trouble. Spotlights along the building roofs, streetlights everywhere, neighborhood porch lights mostly on. I swear, you could read outdoors in my neighborhood. The dark bedroom has pretty much eliminated my incipient insomnia. (I have been doing this for about ten years. I also put very bright lights on whenever I am up, and keep an artificial circadian rhythm going.) I just ordered the blackout fabric. By far a more elegant solution. ( I had to stuff some more weatherstripping this morning , where it was shrinking.) Tris ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/16 "2007-10-04T15:44:22Z")
[QUOTE=FairyChatMom] Man, you’d hate my house. [/QUOTE] Same here. We have 5 BIG (two of them are floor to ceiling and 4 feet wide) windows in our bedroom. 3 of which don’t even have any type of shades or drapes. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/17 "2007-10-04T15:56:39Z")
[QUOTE=enipla] Same here. We have 5 BIG (two of them are floor to ceiling and 4 feet wide) windows in our bedroom. 3 of which don’t even have any type of shades or drapes. [/QUOTE] Exhibitionist, or claustrophobic? Tris ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/18 "2007-10-04T17:14:07Z")
Hey, **Tris** , do you take in roommates? I hear that [this guy](http://www.movieforum.com/features/festivals/tiff01/images/nosferatu/nosferatu.jpg) is looking for a place to stay. 😉 When I used to work nights I would put cotton balls over my eyes and then wear a sleep mask over them. It kept all the light out. Are you disturbed by the feel of the light on you, too? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/19 "2007-10-04T17:25:25Z")
But how do you stop them from reading your thoughts now? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446/20 "2007-10-04T17:43:06Z")
[QUOTE=Cattitude] This is my sister. She’s afraid of the dark, really afraid. She’s also 18 so she’s not a little kid. She sleeps with bright ligfhts on in her face 😕 . I don’t know how she sleeps like that. She says she’s scared of “the shadowy moving things”. They don’t bother me at all 😛 [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t the case with my roommate. He was the sort of person who made a big show of being all macho and manly but couldn’t handle any sort of pain or blood and was terrified of basically everything. And those were his positive qualities. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darkness-darkness-be-my-pillow/421446.md?page=2)