I'm pretty much afraid of the dark too. Probably because I have an overactive imagination and psych myself out on the weirdest thing. The fact I tend to be sleep-deprived at night likely figures into it as well, but not entirely.
I remember a few years ago when I was driving about... 45 minutes to another town to hang out with friends and would drive home at night... I'd read this story about a phantom highway trooper that would appear and run cars down and kill people. And I was legitimately convinced, in spite of all rationality, that this thing existed and was going to get me. And I would feel super nervous whenever I saw headlights behind me.
Had a bedroom with ground level windows. No blinds, just curtains. Can't stand to have the curtains open even a bit at night. Once the corner was askew so there was a triangle showing out the window. Pitch black, but if someone had walked up and peered in, you'd see their face. And I was CONVINCED this would happen if I didn't readjust them.
Other times I might look out the window where it's just barely lit by nearby street lights and expect to see... something.
And generally feel freaked out about going around the house at night. Mind you, this is at a time I'm still living with my parents, so they were both asleep upstairs, as was the dog.
My girlfriend lives alone in the country with just a cat, and during the winter she'd have to down to the basement to restart the furnace like once a night. I would probably die living in that situation.
