Bensons for beds presents Fearless Fables: Courageous Stories For The Sleepless!

To help adults combat their fear of things that go bump in the night this Halloween 

• Sleep experts Bensons for Beds launches a new digital storybook series Fearless Fables: Courageous Stories For The Sleepless inspired by the UK’s favourite classic bedtime stories
• Campaign follows research which reveals 47% of Brits are afraid of the dark, with men MORE afraid of ghosts and monsters
• Searches for ‘fear of the dark’ have gone up by 100% to 1300 per month over the last month ahead of Halloween
• Hearing strange noises, being plagued by nightmares and thoughts of burglars / intruders are top things which spook Brits in the dark
• The Fearless Fables series aim to soothe Brits to sleep, as 22% admit reverting back to childhood bedtime routines or reading a classic bedtime story to help cope with their fear of the dark

It’s official – men are MORE scared of things that go bump in the night than women, as 6 in 10 worry about ghosts and monsters, according to a study released today by Bensons for Beds.

The survey of 1,000 adults revealed that almost half (47%) are still afraid of the dark – with just under a third claiming they don’t feel completely safe at night and half (46%) still sleeping with the light on or keeping the door open (32%) to help cope with their fear.

For a fifth of the nation, their phobia is so bad that it is affecting their sleep, with millions searching for advice online – searches for ‘how to sleep better’ have gone up 35% to 2900 searches per month ahead of Halloween.

A fifth of men blame spooky season for giving them the heebie-jeebies and making their phobia and inability to sleep worse.

Surprisingly, men are more likely to revert to childhood bedtime routines such as checking under the bed for monsters and reading a classic bedtime story (49% vs 30%).  Whilst 1 in 4 also admit to sleeping with their heads under a pillow to avoid hearing strange spooky noises during the night.

With 28% of adults feeling ‘silly’ for still having a fear of the dark, and a further 24% worrying the phobia will rub off on their children, Bensons has created the Fearless Fables series.

The bedtime series includes three tales inspired by the nation’s top three most popular classic fairy tales – Sleeping Beauty (22%), Cinderella (22%) and Snow White (17%); each story has been re-imaged for the modern world using ChatGPT.

The top 10 things that give Brits the spooks

1. Unexpected noises
2. Bad dreams / nightmares
3. Burglars / intruders
4. Horror films / TV crime dramas
5. Ghosts and monsters
6. Shadows
7. Traumatic events / childhood memories
8. Being home alone
9. Reading scary books
10. Halloween / spooky season.

Bensons’ advice on how to overcome a fear of the dark and get more sleep

1. Journaling – the first step is to acknowledge the fear and take some initial steps to process / explore it which could be for example through journaling.
2. Avoid screens before bed: Phones and tablets before bed can distract us and keep us awake for longer. Instead, try reading. No scary movies!
3. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugary foods before bedtime: All three can impact our sleep quality and quantity.
4. Gentle mindfulness: gentle relaxation / deep breathing / mindfulness techniques can help to calm and sooth the mind and prepare it for sleep
5. Make your bedroom cool, dark and quiet: Keep your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible to avoid disruptions. Sleeping in a cool room can help to promote better quality sleep.
6. De-sensitisation: gradually increase the time you spend in the dark over several months. Increments can be as little as 1 minute.
7. Emotive imagery: this involves imagining scenarios of yourself being exposed to the dark, but with your personal hero next to you, whether that’s a relative or a celebrity.
8. Stick to a routine: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will help your body maintain a natural sleep cycle…

SLEEPING BEAUTY AND THE QUEST FOR REST

In this reimagining, Sleeping Beauty isn’t cursed to sleep for 100 years, she’s just desperately trying to get a decent night’s rest. She suffers from insomnia, and after a particularly stressful week of sleepless nights, she takes a power nap and accidentally sleeps through… her next 300 alarms. The kingdom is thrown into panic, thinking she’s been cursed, but actually she’s having the best and most restorative sleep of her life. When she finally awakens, she finds that everyone has been scrambling to wake her up, including a flustered prince with zero bedside manners. This is about Sleeping Beauty and her kingdom realising that prioritising rest and sleep doesn’t make you lazy, it makes you human!

CINDERELLA AND THE COURAGE TO SHINE

In this modern-day re-telling, Cinderella is constantly running on empty and managing a never-ending workload from her overbearing family, but that isn’t her only struggle; she’s TERRIFIED of the dark. Every night, she’s up late cleaning all while keeping the light on, because shadows make her anxious. When the invitation to the Royal Ball arrives, she’s excited but nervous that it’s a night-time event. Her Not-So-Scary Godmother lends a hand by offering her comfy slippers (instead of blister-inducing glass ones) that light up with every step… but when midnight approaches, the glow fades, and Cinderella needs to confront her fear of the dark head-on. In the end, she learns that facing her fears diminishes them, and when her Prince joins her, she learns that his fear of the dark is even more intense than hers! She uses her newfound confidence to teach him how to face his fears too. 

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN BURN OUTS

In this new version, Snow White is facing the chaos of living with seven needy housemates (aka the Dwarves) who show a complete lack of respect for boundaries and make life chaotic. Their shared home is anything but restful. It’s not until Snow White learns to ask for space that she can finally get a good night’s sleep.

Eloise Skinner, psychotherapist and author comments: “Our fear of the dark can relate to primal instincts, and the factual reality that we’re more at risk in the dark and more vulnerable when we can’t see our full surroundings. Other factors might include a feeling of uncertainty, loneliness or isolation, and darkness can also provide a large space in which our imagination can envisage frightening situations.

“It’s interesting to see from the research that men are more afraid of the supernatural than women.  This could possibly be due to the fact that men feel a need to be protectors, or to take care of others – whereas women might feel safe in the knowledge that their partner is present, men might feel an additional obligation to be alert on behalf of others.

“Focusing on a fun bedtime routine such as reading a bedtime story could help people cope with this fear.  Choosing a story where the main character overcomes a fear of the dark could help reduce anxiety and soothe people to sleep.”

The research by Bensons for Beds also found 28% hold off going to the loo rather than getting up in the middle of the night. And almost 3 in 10 ask their partner to deal with children, pets or unexplained noises rather than get up themselves to see what is wrong.

It seems we’re not helping ourselves however, with Bensons revealing that 37% believe their fear of the dark comes from watching horror films or TV crime dramas. Thoughts of ghosts make a fear of the dark worse for a quarter of people.

Skinner continues: “Over stimulation from TV (particularly horror or crime dramas) can cause our imagination to run wild at night. For many, there is a thrill of experiencing the ‘fight or flight’ response without being in immediate danger – we can experience a physical, emotional and mental shift of emotions without having to experience the actual situation ourselves.”

Rachel Marshall, Bensons for Beds Brand Manager comments: “We were surprised to find out just how many adults are suffering with a fear of the dark, and how this is impacting their sleep. Thousands of us are experiencing disturbed sleep because of this and are hiding under pillows, or leaving lamps on, for example, just to get through the night.  With Halloween approaching, our Fearless Fables bedtime story series aims to help soothe Brits with a proper wind down routine and give them time to relax before bed, which we know is so important for helping people drift off to sleep, but also in getting a better quality of sleep all through the night.” 

To access the series visit Bensons Fearless Fables: Courageous Stories For The Sleepless

Image by Pixabay