If you dream the dream again, I would try to open the door to see who is out there. Recurring dreams recur because we aren't doing anything about the problem. When I use to have trouble sleeping because my husband was away, I'd get scared there were robbers, murderers, rapists out there trying to get in and hear noises; didn't help that we were in a two-story house with an easy entrance and windows in the walk-out basement level and two front doors, a screened porch and door there in the back, etc. I got disgusted with my fear and made myself open the basement door and go down there (there was a light) and walk through the entire house (all in the middle of the night, when I was sure there was a prowler about). I wanted to get the suspense over more than I wanted to keep feeling afraid of something I didn't know if it was there or not.

I finally realized that it was easier for me to have the fears I did when my husband was away than face my feelings about being alone and without my husband. I set up the house so it was like when my husband was home (he would come to bed after I had and be in the living room, lights on, reading or in the next room, working on his computer -- so, I turned on those lights so it "looked"/felt like he was home and had an easier time comforting myself and getting to sleep.

Getting back to sleep is harder for me though, too. I get up and have a bowl of cereal (the milk and having a full belly might help me sleep, just like it does a baby :-) and come here or work elsewhere on the Internet and get my head full of "interesting" things to think about and when I try to sleep again, about an hour later, I consider some question or problem I've read here or an answer I gave, etc. and just let my thoughts start wandering where they will along non-personal lines and they eventually wind down and I'm asleep again.