# Do you sleep with your bedroom door closed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640 "2013-08-31T06:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/81 "2013-09-04T00:38:07Z")
Door closed most of my life due to smoking parents/privacy. Wasn’t until I moved into my own place that door was finally left open. > [@KRC](#): > > I don’t, though I probably should because if I don’t, cockatiels come in and get in bed with me. It’s weird to wake up and find cockatiels all over me. This has happened to me many times. Apparently my half of the pillow is the left half. I recently moved though, and have to keep my bedroom door shut cause it’s too bright with it open. All of a sudden the merest hint of light wakes me up. I hope my tiel doesn’t take it personally. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/82 "2013-09-04T00:50:56Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I had always been taught to sleep with the door closed for fire safety: [http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/tips-fire-safety](http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/tips-fire-safety) Closed, b/c of this. My cousin had two cats; I cat-sat when she went away with _explicit_ instrux that they were not allowed in her bedroom, ever. (She had a waterbed.) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/83 "2013-09-04T01:46:13Z")
Just wanted to pop back in and say thanks to everyone who’s responded thus far; it’s been interesting reading to see the what and why of everyone’s responses. Oh, and the notion of waking up covered in cockatiels really made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/84 "2013-09-04T02:38:11Z")
Open (I live alone). If I do have visitors staying in the spare bedroom, then I do close my door to keep out the light and noise. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/85 "2013-09-05T01:28:31Z")
Used to be closed when I had 3 cats because then they’d bother me all night and I’d never sleep. With just one cat now, I leave it open, because she’s not so bothersome. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/86 "2013-09-05T20:18:19Z")
I too have cats. There’s no such thing as closed doors in my house.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/87 "2013-09-05T21:34:17Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > A law of nature. (Like the toilet paper going over the roll…) Obviously a sensible person! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/88 "2013-09-05T23:44:16Z")
I sleep with the bedroom door closed. I like my room cooler than the rest of the house, so there’s a window unit for the summer and a cracked open window in the winter. Also, if I leave my bedroom door open, every single one of the cats (there’s three) would be in my bed. No thank you. ---
**Author:** ![IMfez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/89 "2013-09-06T00:00:08Z")
Seems many people leave the door open when they sleep. How do you guys prevent the ax murderers from getting to you? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/90 "2013-09-06T00:20:17Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > Our door has to be open, because we have an electric fan running all the time and we don’t want to suffocate. Are you Korean? Fan death only works if you are. Everyone else is immune! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/91 "2013-09-06T00:55:31Z")
Open. The cats have to be free to come and go, and if I have to fumble with a doorknob while trying to grab a tea from the fridge at 2am, things are going to get ugly. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/92 "2013-09-06T03:24:06Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Closed! because growing up my parents always made me sleep with the door open and I hated it and swore I would close my door when on my own. Open for the same reason – my parents would close my door and I would be left alone and scared. Their door would be closed and I couldn’t bother them when I was scared; I am jealous of kids who can run into their parents’ room and be comforted. I live with my father now and he closes his door at night but I never do. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/93 "2013-09-06T03:31:31Z")
Only when it’s winter, and I want to keep the heat in (and not have to leave the heater in the living room on). Otherwise, open. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/94 "2013-09-06T03:51:44Z")
> [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](#): > > I sleep with the door open because otherwise my cat would sit outside and scream until I let her in. Unfortunately I no longer have my cart “Joey” as my wife it’s very allergic. But, when I was single and it was just me and Joey I always slept with the door closed. Well, this caused a problem because his liter box was in another room, plus he would sometimes like to wander the house at night. I have always closed the door and to solve the problem I put a cat door on my bedroom door. It worked well, but got me a few strange looks by guest. Sigh, I miss Joey the cat. Thankfully my wife’s sister took Joey in so I get to visit him every now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliothecarius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bibliothecarius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliothecarius)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/95 "2013-09-24T05:40:34Z")
Whenever I live with other people, I close my bedroom door to sleep. When I live alone, I never bother, unless maybe to shut out a street light, neighborhood noise or keep the heat in the room when the heater is on. Actually, my current roommates can’t do the same because they don’t actually have a bedroom door. We live in a multi-level apartment and they have the room on the top level, which has no door. You just walk upstairs and it opens right into the room. Not a big deal though because I’m on the middle level and I actually have a door. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/96 "2013-09-24T10:18:48Z")
I have the door wide open if I’m in the house by myself, the cats come and go during the night so the door is never fully closed anyway. If there’s anyone else around, I will leave the door ajar so the mogs can find me, but I don’t want to be too much disturbed by someone going up and down the stairs or putting the upstairs lights on. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/97 "2013-09-24T12:04:35Z")
I always sleep with the closet door closed, so the Things can’t get out. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/98 "2013-09-24T12:13:21Z")
No, otherwise that cat would wake me up when he goes for a snack in the middle of the night. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/99 "2013-09-24T13:25:08Z")
There is no door for my bedroom. When I first moved in, I thought I could switch one of the doors from the other two bedrooms, but they are all different sizes, and the door frame for my room is a weird non-standard size so I couldn’t even buy a cheap door. I do have a heavy curtain that I pull across, but only on super hot summer nights when the a/c window unit is running. Otherwise, the door is unobstructed so the dogs and the cat can wander in and out and come up on the bed for snuggles as they so desire. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640/100 "2013-09-24T19:11:40Z")
I broke the tie! 😃 I live alone, and sleep with the bedroom door open. I only sleep with the BR door closed if there’s someone else in the house, or if I’m sick and trying to sleep during the day (I have room-darkening curtains, and will close the door to keep out the light from the other windows). My dog sleeps on the bed with me, but she’s not the reason: I’ve just never felt compelled to sleep with the door closed when I’m alone. (Oh, and my BR closet doesn’t even have doors…BOO!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-sleep-with-your-bedroom-door-closed/667640.md?page=4)