Alone in the forest at night: coping with fear of the dark and night sounds

Our brain relies mainly on the eyes. When the picture is missing, it fills the gaps with guesses – and under stress these guesses are almost always threatening. That made sense for our ancestors: those who were careful at every rustle were more likely to survive. Today this old protective mechanism means that a mouse in the leaves sounds like a large animal.

On top of that, it is much quieter at night. Without the traffic, voices and birdsong of the day, single sounds stand out more. Dry leaves greatly amplify the steps of small animals. Trees make noises too: trunks creak in the wind, branches and cones fall, cooling wood can crack.

Fear sets off a stress reaction in the body: the heart beats faster, breathing becomes shallow, muscles tense up. Slow, long exhaling counteracts this reaction and signals to the body that it can calm down. Tasks and naming sounds steer thinking away from horror images towards what you can actually influence.

The most important time is the last hour of daylight. If you only start looking for wood and leaves when it is dark, you stumble around, use up lamp power and get nervous. Gather far more wood than you think you need, and build the ground layer thick – a hand's width of compressed leaves insulates much better than a few twigs. Fixed places for lamp, whistle and water give security.

Light is precious. A headlamp on a low setting or with red light disturbs your eyes' adjustment to the dark less. This adjustment takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and bright light partly undoes it. If you switch the lamp on only when needed, you will see surprisingly much over time and still have battery for signals in the morning.

With noises a fixed sequence helps: brief light, breathe out slowly, name the sound, lie down again. Typical night sounds in a Central European forest are owl calls, the barking alarm call of roe deer, grunting wild boar, shrill fox calls, rustling mice, hedgehogs and birds, as well as wind and falling branches. If you are unsure, make yourself noticed: wild animals almost always avoid people.

The greatest danger is setting off out of fear. Anyone who walks off at night easily falls, gets hurt, loses direction and moves away from searchers. Stay where you are until it is light. The second big danger is cold: you can chill even on summer nights, especially in wet clothing and directly on the ground. Severe shivering, confusion or shivering that suddenly stops are alarm signs – then warmth and an emergency call to 112.

Never camp under dead branches or dead trees; they can fall without warning. A fire in the forest is generally prohibited in Germany and Austria and only justifiable in genuine need: then small, on open ground, away from trees and the emergency blanket, never when there is a wildfire risk, and completely put out at the end. Wild boar are usually shy, but a sow with piglets may defend them – never get between mother and young, calmly gain distance.

These steps help on any unplanned night outdoors: after getting lost, with an injury, when darkness came faster than expected. They also help on a first deliberately planned night alone outdoors or for children who are afraid of the dark forest. If you have practised them calmly once, for example on a night in the garden or at a campsite, you can call them up more easily in an emergency.

They are not suitable when there is a real, acute danger: wildfire, flooding, rockfall or severe hypothermia. Then the point is to get to safety and call for help. In regions with bears or other large predators, the local authorities' own rules of behaviour also apply and take precedence.

The US Army survival manual describes fear as a normal reaction that cannot be switched off but can be managed through knowledge, preparation and action. Many people find that fear is greatest on the first night and noticeably smaller on the second – because the mind has learned that the sounds were harmless.

It also helps to be aware of the time until morning. If you know roughly when it gets light, you can count the hours down. Dozing is allowed and welcome – you do not have to keep watch all night. Every hour of rest saves strength for the next day.