If your brain refuses to shut off, give it a constructive task rather than fighting for sleep.
If the family blending occurred after a traumatic event (divorce, death of a parent, relocation), night terrors and hypervigilance are common side effects. Your stepsister isn't trying to annoy you. She is trying to survive the night. When she says, "I can't rest alone," she isn't being dramatic. She is describing a physiological inability to relax her nervous system. My stepsister can-t rest alone and decides to s...
, the intrusion is often a precursor to a darker revelation. The Diary Motif If your brain refuses to shut off, give
Sleep anxiety: why you get anxious at night (and what to do) — Calm Blog She is trying to survive the night
My stepsister can’t rest alone and decides to sleep in the hallway outside my door. The Post: It started as a joke, but now it’s every night. I’ll wake up to the sound of breathing right on the other side of the wood. She says the shadows in her room "move" when she's by herself. I didn't believe her until I saw her door drift open on its own last night. Now, neither of us is resting.
Let’s validate your frustration. You are allowed to be annoyed. It doesn't make you a bad step-sibling. It makes you human.