The darkness of night tends to help thieves move with greater secrecy and more confidence - and if you don't take the right precautions, your home could become a target for criminal activity. This underscores the need for a nightly checklist that ensures your home is secure.

While many of these nightly checklist items should be common sense and routine, there are also more advanced measures that you may choose to enact.

Keep Doors and Windows Closed and Locked

It seems simple, but various studies suggest that around 30 percent of all home break-ins involve a burglar entering an unlocked door. Your home's doors and windows are its primary line of defense against intruders, who often look for easy targets when they choose homes to invade. With an unlocked door or window, you make it a lot easier. If you do one thing before you go to bed, it should be ensuring the security of all your exterior doors and windows.

Adjust Your Blinds

Closing blinds at night is an ideal way to maintain privacy and prevent anyone from peering into your home. After dark, the interior of your home becomes more visible, so it's important to maximize safety and security by blocking any views of your personal space.

Lock Your Vehicles

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, about 1 million vehicles are stolen each year. Thieves often steal cars quite easily, usually because the vehicle is unlocked and/or the keys are left inside of it. Before you hit the sheets each night, find any key fobs of vehicles that are parked outdoors and hit the "lock" button to make sure your doors are locked.

Turn on any Exterior Lights

Outdoor lighting does more than just look good; it serves as a theft deterrent and may help reduce the likelihood of a nighttime break-in. There are many different types of outdoor lighting to consider. One of the most popular options is motion lighting; the lights turn on whenever movement is detected. Another common solution is to use day/night bulbs, which automatically turn off at dawn and illuminate at dusk.

Check to Make Sure Your Garage Is Closed

If you have a garage, especially an attached garage with an interior entrance to your home, you'll want to make sure it's closed before you retire for the night. A closed door will do more than just deter theft. It will also keep pests from entering your property and protect belongings from weather damage.

Activate Your Home Security System

Lastly, activate any security system that protects your home. This is typically accomplished using a central control panel or a mobile app that works with your security equipment.

Aside from a home security system, other security measures that optimize home security include:

• Doorbell cameras, which detect motion and record any activity near your front door.
• Security cameras that you can install at the top of your garage or in an area that overlooks your property.