How can I defeat my fear of darkness?

[remec]

I know that the room is no different whether it has light or not. It's uncomfortable for me to not be able to see my surroundings, not knowing what is there.Supposedly, you're not suppose to have any light sources on when you go to bed, but turning the lights/TV on had become a bad habit for me. I can tell that this is affecting my sleeping habits. But I can't stand to lay there in the darkness without having an eerie feeling, which isn't going to help my sleeping either.
Any tips are greatly appreciated!

[darrylr]

You can't change your DNA. I believe it is in our DNA to be cautious in the dark, lest there be any predators lurking... After all, our night vision isn't so good, but there are many predators today that have superb night vision, like felines, hyenas, etc. Anatomically and behaviorally modern humans originated in Africa, therefore, you can expect us to still hold some of the genes developed to survive in that environment.

[loiss2]

i used to be so scared of the dark when i was left alone i would hide behind the furniture. now because i have worked at night it has helped me get through that fear. hope you too can get through it.