Heavy sleepers?

[TMM]

I'm guessing atleast some of our fellow THR'ers are heavy sleepers like myself. Personally, it takes a while for me to go to sleep, and sometimes i wake often, but when i sleep, i really sleep. according to my parents i've slept though thunderstorms and the cats running through the house at breakneck speed and thus making a racket. while we're probably never going to be robbed in this area, i'm wondering for perhaps other places, hotels, whatever. What do you guys suggest for people like me, if a two-legged critter decides to help himself to our house?

~TMM

 

[Gundenstern]

I am not really a heavy sleeper, but I am on medication to help me sleep. A big fear of mine is needing a gun sometime during the night and not being able to fight back very well because of it. Luckily, I live in a nice area and the chances are rare (wether or not my paranoid mind finds comfort in that at any given moment).

 

[shooter503]

Get yourself a border collie. That way you can sleep all the way through the night with the dog on guard. The problem with my border collie is that she can't do a single pawed grip. Pretty good two pawed though.

 

[el44vaquero]

Had one of these fellas once upon a time. He wouldn't make any noise as the bg was crawling through the window, but would wait for the bg to get on his turf. They also work well if you have more then one.

 

[Zach S]

I grew up in a house of five kids, me being one of them. Having four younger siblings, and being a night person, I'm a heavy sleeper, its the only way I could sleep.

Several years ago, in my teens, my little brother decided to climb on top of the house to get a frisbee or something that landed on top of it. I was "dead to the world" asleep. In the middle of climbing on top of the house, he fell off the oil barrel. The "thud" woke me up. Mom was startled when I darted out of my bedroom and made a run for the back door, but halfway there she heard Vic start crying and was right behind me.

A few years later, the same little brother wrecked his bike to avoid a car, I think the car was going a little too fast, and since this is Vic we're talking about, I know he was. He wound up going over the handlebars onto the asphalt, knocked out several teeth, had road rash on his face, shoulder, palms and forearms, I think he landed on his face and shoulder, and while sliding he tried to push his face up out of the asphalt (I've done it myself, I was about the same age too). I was asleep that day and woke up.

I could sit here and tell stories all day about times I was dead asleep, but woke up, on my own, when needed. About half of them would involve my accident-prone brother Vic, with the other half about my three other little brother and my little sis, along with people sneaking around the house.

Due to past experainces, I'm pretty sure I'll wake up in the event that a loved one is injured or someone tries to break in.

One thing I've learned is that if you ever wake up, and you're wide awake for no reason, take a look around. There might be something wrong. If you're luck is anything mine, there probably is.

 

[MDMadrid]

a train could go through my house, and I still wouldn't wake up. The only way to wake me up is to say my name. I don't know why that is. My wife is a light sleeper...she could hear a dust bunny trip on some lint and she would wake up. So I depend on her to let me know if someone is in the house that is not to be there. (one good thing for me is that as soon as I wake up...I am awake!)

 

[Geronimo45]

I sleep like a saltshaker. You can't wake a saltshaker unless it's up high on the richter scale, and the same goes for me. Got an alarm setup that sounds like the end of the world, both outside-entry doors are double-deadbolted, and the two doors leading to the bedroom are locked. If I don't wake up to the breaking in of one of those doors or at least the alarm, I deserve whatever I get.
Have tried to keep a gun under the pillow. Stick it in the pillowcase and it seems to work, unless you have tendency to move the pillow at all when trying to sleep (I do). Usually keep it between the bedframe and mattress, and a paracord lanyard runs from their to the shoulder. I just follow the line and get the gun, if I need it. A knife is on my leg already (the FS Pattern 1 - a real beauty), and there's a big flashlight on the nightstand. When I wake up, I'm pretty well ready for any normal intruders.

 

[Fosbery]

Burglar alarm?

 

[shooter503]

TMM

I suppose one of the factors is how brazen intruders seem to be these days. You would have thought that, having made a noise trying to enter, an intruder would get away as soon as possible to avoid an irate homeowner, but judging from break-in reports it seems as though the intruder continues regardless of the amount of noise they are making. Of course, the problem may be that any intruder who continues with an entry after making a load noise is quite likely to be high on something and therefore not thinking straight. If they just smash their way into a house regardless of noise there may not be much time for the resident to react.

You need more time. A dog would be great because you get a burgler alarm and a defender at the same time. You should, at least, be able to fit one of the radio link alarms to the most vulnerable entrances to the house. That way you can have the actual alarm buzzer in your room. There are probably two schools of thought. One would say let the intruder hear the alarm and hope he is frightened away. The other would say set the alarm so that you wake up, he does not hear it, then spring the ambush. No comment.

You also have a decision to make. For example, if you sleep upstairs and the intruder seems to be remaining downstairs are you going to simply take up a defensive position in case he comes upstairs to bother you, letting him take what he wants downstairs? Or are you going to "defend your property" ? Very tricky.

 

[torpid]

Those little adhesive door/window alarms are very inexpensive now, and loud enough to wake a heavy sleeper.

.

 

[Geronimo45]

I've got an apartment, and the alarm sounds like a squad car siren if a window or door comes open. Got no choice about where it'll sound.
I keep a desktop in the outside room, with what seems like a hundred wires running to and from it. Nothing in the living room/atrium/whatever that can be quickly stolen. If I hear the alarm, it means something major is happening. I'll take the gun off safe and dial 911, and make sure I describe myself to the dispatcher. The movable valuable stuff is in the bedroom, behind that second set of locked doors. Carbon steel and copper jacketed lead await anyone wishing to come through.
The alarm would alert the four neighbors who have doors nearby, which would make an instant retreat the smartest thing to do for a criminal. Can't trust on them being smart, so I'll trust Browning's Brainchild to 'learn em respect' until the police get here.

 

[pete f]

get a dog. or a kid. Don't know anyone who is a sound sleeper with kids in hte house.

 

[Geronimo45]

"get a dog. or a kid"
Extra fee for dogs, and I can't find any kids on ebay.

 

[Billy_H]

I'm a heavy sleeper but wake up very fast if I happen to hear something out of the ordinary. I've been this way for as long as I can remember, even when camping. I get some of the best sleep when camping but will wake up very fast if something approaches my tent. In either case I seem to wake up pretty alert and ready to respond to what is going on.

My wife is a lighter sleeper then I am, but will wake up sluggish and having to work at getting alert.

It makes for a good balance. She can wake up during the night for the little things that I don't want to worry about (like the dog and cat fighting in the night). I don't mind waking up for the big stuff.

 

[Geno]

Yeah, right...check the time

It's 1:55:26 a.m. and I'm WIDE awake. If an ant walks across the floor in sneakers I'd kill it for awakening me. I have to use earplugs and I still wake up easily. The dogs don't help any either, but I'd rather be awaken by a false alarm than the alternate.

Wha...wha...what was that?!?!?! There...there it is again!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! It's a boogie man!



Doc2005

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

Those little adhesive door/window alarms are very inexpensive now, and loud enough to wake a heavy sleeper.

Right on the money!

These are the best. Always, always, always lock your bedroom door. That gives you the precious seconds needed to react to the alarm. Put these alarms on entrance doors - they are loud as hell. I'm a heavy sleeper, real bad in fact - and this will wake up the dead! Your locked door will prevent someone who's entered from getting to you before you can grab your firearm.

If the alarm and noise doesn't scare off the home invader..you at least have time to jump out of bed and grab the HD weapon(s) - point them towards the door in anticipation of an entry or to respond to incoming gun fire through the door.

This is of course if you know that NO one is suppose to be coming over - like you live alone and it's 3am.

The only negative is, they are so loud that you won't be able to hear what's happening. You won't know if they ran out or if they are still inside. Doesn't matter. Stay down - keep that muzzle on the door and call the police.

If that door gets hit hard, or kicked open - FIRE! God blessed men like JMB to perfect autoloaders and repeaters for a reason. Don't stop at one shot.

 

[trueblue1776]

I'm sad to say, I'm a really heavy sleeper too. Two dogs will buy me atleast a very loud thirty seconds to come too.

 

[Gord]

I wear a cochlear implant: http://www.cochlear.com

What this means is, besides being a heavy sleeper - at night, when I take the external unit off, I'm also deaf. Alarms and dogs don't help me. I've often worried about my ability to keep my family safe in the event of a break-in.

Any suggestions?

 

[Car Knocker]

Alarm system hooked up to a bedroom strobe light or two.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

On the dog thing:

Not inexpensive on time or money if done right.

But IF done right, nothing better.

 

[Sheldon J]

I use to wake up if a mosquito entered the room, but since I caught 'Epstein Bohr" I shut down when I go Horizontal, but I still can go full tactical in less than 3 seconds, it's the adrenaline.

 

[gezzer]

My wife is a very light sleeper and she is brutally mean when awakened. She has a Glock 17 and for sure she will awaken me. I am scared of her at this point.