Flood lights

Could you get some blackout curtains or blinds? They're very good for blocking out lights.

Complain to her - very nicely! Our neighbour complained about our security lights on the drive so we changed the angle of the sensor - everyone is happy.

We have the same problem and it is so annoying. We like to sleep with our curtains open, so blackouts won't work for us. I don't know why people feel the need to have floodlights on all night. Another neighbour has one which comes on only if there is an intruder but that apparently includes the odd cat or dog that wanders past and then the light comes on and shines in on to our bed.

Ask the neighbour nicely to adjust the angle of the sensor there is no need for animosity. If they don't know their light is shining into your bedroom then you need to enlighten them.

I would like to have a security light, one that would come on when I go out of the back door or come in from the garage, but I know that if I did all the blasted cats in the neighbourhood would be forever triggering it, annoying the neighbours.

tanith - you are right of course. I've actually been meaning to do that for ages!

Years ago we had lights put on the corners of our house......we didn’t realise the bats would trigger them so very regularly!

Fortunately our security light doesn’t disturb anybody else,
And in fact we only had it fitted for ourselves, the light is useful for getting out the door key and getting into the house.It probably gives visitors a fright though, as they approach the door, the light is blinding.
At our last house, we did have a word with a neighbour about their light, they didn’t realise it was shining into our window.Most neighbours are reasonable if approached in the right way.

To be honest if you sleep with your curtains open, NotTooOld which is of course your choice, you ll have to accept that there will be lights from others shining into your bedroom I have a street light straight outside my bedroom and live where there is nighttime traffic so blackout curtains are definitely a boon for me as neither the streetlight or the traffic could be ‘talked to’
Have you tried blackouts Watermelon ?

Blackout blinds would be as claustrophobic as the blanket over the curtain rail.
I’ve only seen this neighbour once, she does keep very odd hours so maybe works shifts, but I will tell her when I see her again.

The exhaust from my combi boiler sometimes triggers the security light. Another culprit has been a badger. There aren't very many cats around here as I live on quite a busy road.

The law has changed about this. (Light Pollution)
I complained to the local council about a light from a house on the opposite side of the block with a light so bright it would wake me up.
They sent a very nice man who waited for 55 minutes for the light to come on, and seeing it from my window he said 'Oh, that's horrendous!' He went to them and they did remove it.
Now they have another one with a less bright bulb which doesn't bother me.
One of the problems I think is that these lights are sold with 1000 watt bulbs in!

I think it's a common mistake people make with their security lights. They should be angled so as to light up the wall and of the house they are on so that if someone looks out of their window on hearing a noise, the intruder and his actions are clearly visible. Mostly people tilt them up too much so the wall or doors or windows are in relative shadow, and the light shines in the eyes of anyone trying to look, meaning they can't see a wretched thing! And you don't have to put the sensor facing the same way as the light anyway. We had this problem with a neighbor backing onto our garden. He put up a new light and it was shining straight into our kitchen blinding me even in the daytime. The sensor needed to be exactly where it was, but he repositioned his light to point down his side bit instead of across it at me - this in fact covered his garden a lot better.

We have blackout linings in our bedroom which also protect against heat. Southwest facing window and it is like a sauna in the summer.
It isn't black material - just a cream colour and I hook then on to the rail separately from the curtains.
If people like the curtains open at night but don't like security lights, then how about a full moon coming out from behind a cloud. Surely that would wake you up too.

watermeadow
You say its the landing window that the light is shining through? then hang a blackout curtain up on that window .
If she is leaving her interior lights on all night that is her business and no doubt will be the electricity company shareholders dream.

We have someone who lives across the back gardens, about 300yds away and his light is on all night. I always think any thieves must say thanks as he lights up the back of about 40 houses! Luckily we are far enough away that it's quite dim light but for immediate houses it must be a pain.
As soon as it starts to get dark my immediate neighbour has bathroom light on all night (downstairs) for some reason - kids are of an age to be able to switch a light on and off. It's handy for us though, if you need the loo during the night it's bright enough to light our smallest room lol. But again it lights the whole side pathway of their house, though with the rubbish piled up there any burglar would be put off looking.

As a temporary solution might a sleep-mask be worth considering? I use one quite a lot. Initially I thought I'd hate having something over my eyes, but I don't find it a problem and it's definitely improved my sleep. Sleep masks are available quite cheaply online. Worth a try?

You can get one of those eye masks in the chemists, only a couple of quid.

I find my neighbours' security light very helpful indeed. It trips whenever I go into my back garden and illuminates my path to either my bins or shed. Wonderfully convenient!

Hanging a BLANKET over your window?
Could you not have curtains or a roller blind...possibly even Venetian blinds?
If you prefer bare windows, then might you be able to move your bed so that you're not facing the light? It's important to have good quality sleep so a dark roller blind would be ideal, they're not expensive and are easy to put in place. Good luck.

I think people have been encouraged to install security lights because the police have said that they put burglars off.

There may be something in this as I have heard that burglars deliberately throw stones or use tools to shatter them so they should ideally be positioned where they cannot be got at.

I agree with others that the solution is blackout linings. I've always had them because I prefer to sleep in complete darkness. They do the job and are worth it if you can get a decent night's sleep.

Well it must be a very stupid burglar to make such a noise as throwing a spanner at a security light with sufficient force to break it would. I think it might alert the house owner.

I have black out blinds as well as curtains in the bedrooms. Works a treat.

I have this with a female neighbour who also walks around naked!!

How do you know that?