A well-stocked nightstand could save your life
I’ve got a question for you. When you wake up out of a sound sleep, are you pretty groggy for a few minutes, or are you immediately wide awake and alert?
A vast majority of us are groggy, but some of us are completely alert right away. Your individual answer might be a factor in determining whether you keep a certain item on your nightstand. I’ll get back to this in a few minutes.
Whether it’s a strange sound that wakes you up, or the dog is barking for some reason, or you smell something unusual, or you just have a feeling something isn’t quite right…
The items you keep on your nightstand are more easily and quickly reached than anything you place anywhere else in your home. So, it’s important to keep items there that will help you best in an emergency.
Defense weapons for your nightstand
Most nightstands are not very large, so you don’t want to clutter yours up with a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Focus on the items you would want to grab quickly – and maybe in the dark – if there is a potential problem in your home that you have to deal with.
Among the defense weapons you could keep on your nightstand are…
- Pepper spray. You can cause serious and sometimes permanent eye damage with this stuff, so make 100 percent certain who you are aiming at.
- Wasp spray. Same thing here. Make sure there is a serious threat before using it.
- Stun gun. This requires direct contact with an assailant.
- This shoots an electrode at your attacker.
- Baseball bat. Generally not lethal, but it could disable an attacker.
- Survival knife.
- 1k lumen tactical flashlight. These are extremely powerful and can be found on Amazon in addition to many stores.
Other items you may need to use in a hurry include…
- Your glasses. You just may need them to see what you’re grabbing.
- A fully-charged cellphone.
- Alarm. There are some very loud ones available that could be heard outside your home.
- Panic button. If you are connected to an alarm company, help could be on the way quickly.
- Flashlight. You definitely want to be able to see who might be in your home uninvited.
Next to your nightstand you should always keep a set of clothes you can put on in a rush, as well as socks and shoes. Another “must” item that won’t fit on a nightstand is a fully-functional fire extinguisher.
If your concern is more about your health than a possible intruder, you might want to consider these items. Of course, your selections will be based on your individual physical condition, but here are a few you might want to consider.
- Epipen
- Inhaler
- Heart medication
- Chewable aspirin.
And, of course, as we’ve been saying for years, you should always have a fully stocked bug-out bag for each person in the home, ready and waiting near your front door.
Considering a firearm
Earlier I asked if you are groggy when you wake up out of a sound sleep like most of us, or whether you are immediately wide awake in that situation.
If you are quickly wide awake, alert and coordinated, this might be where you want to keep your firearm.
But if like the majority of us you are somewhat groggy and need a few minutes to have control of all your physical and mental faculties, a gun might not be the safest item to keep there.
And, of course, if you have any young children or grandchildren in the home and there is even a one in a million chance they could come in your room without waking you up, do not leave a gun out.
Actually I was in a situation in a hotel room when an intruder (I was asleep) was interrupted by my husband. Dean, armed, called out “are you awake?”. I grabbed my 357 and nude jumped,out of bed jumped below the mattress. “Yes.” There was never such a terrified burglar. However this was partially sheer luck (good on my side, bad on the burgular’s). If you can’t handle this…here are some of the things that can happen with a fire arm, you shoot your big toe off, put a bullet through the wall and kill your big screen, kill a child, or nothing at all. Think about the problem before it is real. Know yourself. Can you handle spontaneous stress? Think on your feet (Hyper-Reality is real). Think, always think especially in the middle of a crisis. Sorry I get on a box and think I have a platform.
I keep our dogs halter and leash on the door knob so they can safely evacuate with me.
Great idea! Thanks for that.
I am a veteran, as is my husband & our children are grown and live out of town. I never go to bed without my loaded gun in the nightstand and a full can of Wasp Spray sitting on the floor next to my bed! A policeman told me about this spray because it shoots some 30 feet and that’s as close as I want to be to any intruder!! And if I use it, I will identify first, then aim to inflict maximum damage!! I think all women should have this Can next to their bed at all times! Better that I mess up the look of my bedroom, than put my life at risk!! I was raped once when I was in my 20’s and I was so traumatized, I said, “Never, Ever Again!”
Your list of other things includes glasses, cellphone, then “there are some very loud ones available.” Loud WHAT? And the last one, “you definitely want to be able to see…” What item are you referring to? And one more thing: an earlier list includes wasp spray. In that paragraph, “series ” is not the word you want. Thank you,
I keep a bee-bee gun that looks exactly like a real revolver (steel made and all) It also shoots hard and makes a good loud sound. It’s always inside the drawer of my little dresser next to my bed. Thank goodness, I’ve never had to use it.
I like to keep my car keys with the handy key fob. In case of a trouble you can always hit the car alarm which flashes all the lights and blows the horn to get neighbors attention.
I guess I spent that one out too fast! What I meant to say was I sleep with a 1911 9 mm pistol under my pillow.
Lots of good advice but I don’t have to reach for my nightstand I sleep with a 1911 9 mm rotor and he’s my pillow all I have to do is flip the safety off & am at my target then fire.
Wasp spray. Same thing here. Make sure there is a series threat before using it.
Series or Serious?
I would suggest a good emergency radio.
Good ideas
I think you folks pray on people,s fears and do everything to make then even more afraid. A lot of what you preach has been preached for many many years.