Yeah, I do get this.
I started by getting extra security, something that would absolutely alert me to a stranger. I'm a light sleeper, so motion-activated lights works, as well as training my service dog to bark if someone enters my yard.
My cockatiel is a rescue, and she suffers from nightfrights. She is healing well, but my hypervigilance put her on edge, so I was conditioned slowly into appearing calm. Acting it was convincing to my brain. I began to sleep better.
I keep nightlights everywhere. Any movement will be detected by my eyes. Human eyes in low light can only see in black and white -- because you are seeing with a different set of cells than the ones that can see color. But, these cells are excellent at picking up movement, even before your conscious knows (as in, your subconscious will alert you). This can unfortunately trigger hyperventilance in some cases. But if you trust what's around you, it gets easier.
If I'm worried, I close off the room I'm sleeping in, and lock windows and doors. I will keep it perfectly silent if I'm terrified, afraid of even white noise -- but I've learned that white noise actually does help reduce the fear over time. I now keep a fan on. This helps my brain not focus on every tiny noise -- this is an instinct that ALL humans have, PTSD or not, so adding a layer of background noise is actually essential.
If I want to seem menacing? I turn on all lights and let intruders know I'm home. When a lose gunman looking for hostages was being tracked by helicopter, all my neighbors who had guns turned in every light. It's threatening, abd deterred the dangerous intruder. If they aren't afraid, it'll be that much harder to get them. Also, it shows that they have a plan of attack.
I hope that helps
