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When you sleep, is your bedroom door...

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Do you sleep with bedroom door open?

10K views 98 replies 87 participants last post by  shane1 
#1 ·
Ever since I was young, my families bedroom doors all remained open while we slept. When I moved out on my own I kept the same habbits and now that my GF and I live togeather our door is still open at night.

I was reading the "false alarm at 3am" thread and it started me thinking. As it was brought up in that thread, our SA is limited as we are awoke from a deep sleep. I've always thought the bedroom door being open was good b/c I would be woken up by the sounds of an intruder. But what if I'm not woken up? Would the bedroom door being closed be a 2nd chance for me to wake up before a BG could get to us?

I'm very interested to hear how others feel about this? I know there are pro's and con's to either having it open or closed, but how do you sleep?
 
#19 ·
bingo!
me too, that and I can more clearly hear glass break, or door/window open, etc, plus the smoke alarms sounding will be easier to hear
 
#6 ·
If your on the couch, it doesn't matter if the bedroom door is open or not. :rofl:

Seriously, with a 6 year old I want to be able to hear if something is going on with him. I don't sleep very soundly and do spend as much time on the couch as in my bed, so it really doesn't matter if the bedroom door is open or not.

If you will fix the entrances in your home where they are not easily breached you should hear if someone comes in. Also with the alarm system as soon as a door is opened I get a loud constant beep out of the alarm speaker which is only 10 ft from my bed.
 
#8 ·
I live in a 2 story apartment, so there is no option of fortifying doors or adding alarm system. My dad spent 29 years on the Columbus Fire Dept, until he retired as Captain last year, so his number one concern was fire safety. Open doors = quicker evac. I'm not too heavy of a sleeper so I cant imagine anyone getting into my home forcefully without me waking up.

My worry comes from the fact that with a basic lock picking set i can open my front deadbolt in 30-45 seconds.... and I'm no expert lock picker. So I figure if I can do it, whats to say a BG couldnt do it. I might not be a heavy sleeper but I dont think I would wake up if someone got in without using force. Again, its a rental so there is no changing the locks.
 
#9 ·
First of all unless you live in an apartment or condo, your security starts at your property line.

Outside we have two big dogs, and while they are not vicious, they will bark at strangers.

All exteriors doors have had the screws replaced with long screws, and the deadbolts replaced with long through deadbolts. We don’t use the front door much, so on the front door I installed top and bottom bar locks that go into the concrete and wood above the door. The idea is that it will take multi kicks or several hits of a sledge hammer to knock it in.

Then inside the house, we have a small toy size dog and while she is nothing a BG should fear, her barking will wake the dead.

So to answer your question, unless we have guest staying with us we always leave the bedroom door open; I want to hear everything that goes on in the house.
 
#10 ·
we posted at same time, see above... I live in an apt.
 
#21 ·
Ice cream, eh? I'll remember that, next time I'm still wise awake at 2:00AM:yup:
 
#13 ·
Open: mostly b/c of the 130lb Saint Bernard who sometimes needs to go out in the middle of the night. Also b/c all the entry points are on the other end of the house, with only 1 path to get back to the bedrooms. If someone's inside who shouldn't be, i know exactly where they'll appear...if they make that mistake.
 
#16 ·
I keep all bedroom doors closed in my home at night. The family and all relatives know that after the lights go out we are in lockdown mode and anyone entering the house will be assumed to be an invader and shot on sight.

Since we dont have dogs (have cats) we have no good way to get advanced warning of an intruder other than buying more time by creating additional obsticles that would confuse and slow the speed of an invader. The exterior doors are fortified, lit and alarmed. All windows cannot be opened and would have to be shattered to get through them. The most feasible scenario where I would need the interrior doors to serve as concealment and additional points where I could hear the noise and awaken would be if someone was able to break through a window in a stealth manner or come through the roof/attic.

At that point closed interrior doors allow me to have more knowledge than an intruder about the layout of the house and contents of each room (wife, children as possible targets). When I put the house in lockdown each night there are certain interrior doors that will be locked forcing an intruder to follow my fatal funnel trap or make extremely loud noises trying to breach them. My plan is to shoot through concealment at whatever is on the other side attempting to breach.
 
#17 ·
My door stays open.

There are several reasons. I don't have room mates and I really never close any of the doors in the house. I have animals, a cat that might want to hit the litter box in the middle of the night for instance. My dog gets up and investigates every noise in the night, which helps me sleep.

I can see both sides though, and this is literally a "whatever helps you sleep at night" personal preference I think.

Oh yeah, growing up and when I had room mates, the bedroom doors were always closed at night.
 
#23 ·
Even if that is a plan you have gone through with your whole family, it seems VERY unsafe to me. ALWAYS get positive ID on your target before firing. EVERY TIME
If someone is breaching a door in my home during the middle of the night, they are getting shot
 
#25 ·
Mines open all the time. My little Rattie will alert me when someones in the house. She's a good little watch dog. Between her and the alarm system on my house, I sleep pretty good.
 
#27 ·
I keep mine closed. Not paranoia per say, but rather just one extra thing for a BG to have to fiddle with. If the dog didn't hear them getting into the house, it most certainly will hear them trying to get into the bedroom, and then it's on like donkey kong. It will hopefully give me enough time to load up and fortify while whomever is being eaten alive by the dog(rescued pit bull) because they foolishly barged through a choke point that the dog guards religiously.:yup: She sleeps facing the door every time.
 
#28 ·
My firefighter relatives would never forgive me if I did not keep my bedroom door shut while sleeping, and insist that my children do the same. Anyone who leaves their bedroom doors open is probably unaware of how a fire usually moves through a home.

Oh, as regards firearms, I not only shut but also lock my bedroom door at night, because I leave a firearm where I can get it in a hurry. Can't have the kids wandering in without knocking in those circumstances!

pax
 
#29 ·
Mine have been closed and locked pretty much as long as I remember. If there is a fire and I really need to get out, I'll go through the interior door if I can't remember to open it. But I have no pets, and no kids, so I guess it could change in the future.
 
#31 ·
First of all I work rotating shift work. When I'm on nightshift I sleep with the bedroom doors closed because of noise from wife and children. When I'm on dayshift I sleep with the bedroom door open because of my child and I want to hear if someone tries to enter my home. With all that said, when I'm away the wife sleeps with the door closed. I voted door open but it is actually open about 18" to 2'. Go figure.
 
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