Now, as a kiddo, I used to believe monsters could and would get you when you're sleeping at night. But I also believed they couldn't get you if two things happened:
1. You were covered up and they couldn't see any limbs peeking out.
2. You weren't alone.
So when bedtime rolled around, I would keep my toes covered, keep my back to the wall, and have several rag dolls around me. So when the "monsters" did roll around, they saw the dolls staring at them, and it was a sign going "oh, I can't eat this kid -- they're not alone."
Kinda goofy then, but even now, old habits die hard. If I've seen a horror movie or read something and it's scared me wicked bad, I immediately switch to "don't be exposed" and cover myself at night.