What To Do When You Can't Sleep - II

I'm finally able to get back to this post I promised you on what you can do to improve your sleep. If you are one of those people who sometimes have to take a sleep aid to fall asleep - and I think we all do occasionally - I hope you will try my remedy. It costs you nothing, it works and benefits you in more ways than one. Prayer is one of the best things you can do for yourself physically as well as spiritually.

Okay, so what's the other thing? It is meditation. Now when I speak of meditation I'm not referring to the Eastern practice where you sit cross-legged and chant. The meditation I'm referring to is the type spoken of in the Bible.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1: 8

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.  Psalm 119: 97

 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. v 148

God's word instructs us to meditate on it "day and night." With our busy lifestyle, we may not be able to  meditate during the day, but what's to stop us from meditating on God's word during a few sleepless hours? Just reflecting on God's love and greatness is enough to erase our worrying thoughts and help us get back to sleep.

I have taken meditation to a different level. I have learned to say my ABC. Not the kind your child learns in pre-K, but the kind that focuses on the attributes of God. So A is for amazing, B is for bountiful, C is for compassionate and so on. I usually fall asleep before I've got half-way through. This works for me. You may come up with your own form of meditation that you will find effective.

Unless you have a medical condition that is robbing you of sleep, I  think you would find these suggestions helpful. Sleep deprivation is not something God wants us to struggle with. He wants us to be well rested so we can impact the world for Him. But in addition to getting a good night's sleep, your spiritual life will improve and you will find yourself having a deeper and more satisfying relationship with God.

This is by no means to be taken as medical advice. Please follow your  physician's advice in addition to consulting the Great Physician.
See my other post on this topic here

What To Do When You Can't Fall Asleep

Browse through any magazine, newspaper, or the internet and you are bound to come across articles about sleep and/or advertisements for sleep aids. With our busy lifestyle, people are forcing themselves to get by on less and less sleep. Could that be one reason we are so irritable and angry?

Age-related hormonal changes can also contribute to sleep deprivation, and this is why I have found that as I grow older, I have to make a conscious effort to get enough sleep. Since I hate swallowing pills, I searched for and found the perfect solutions.

The first one is PRAYER. Yes, prayer.

When you have difficulty falling asleep and the ticking of the clock seems to reverberate in your ears, PRAY.

When your mind regurgitates all the stressful incidents of the day, PRAY.

Instead of counting sheep, PRAY.

Instead of heading to the refrigerator for a glass of milk - you might end up grabbing a few cookies as well and then wonder why you are putting on weight - PRAY.

Instead of waking up your husband, who is snoring peacefully, so he could share in your misery, PRAY.

I mean seriously, PRAY! Don't lie there and think some prayers in your mind. Get up in the quiet of the night or early morning, kneel, sit up in bed or go into the living-room so as not to wake your husband and PRAY. Talk to God. Ask Him if there's anything He wants you to learn or do. Bring that nagging work, family, health problem or whatever and lay it at His feet. Maybe He needs you to pray for a loved one, or about a situation you never thought about before. Or maybe you need to forgive someone. Maybe there's something taking place in the heavenly realm, and God wants to reveal it to you. Prayer is a two-way street. It's not just you talking to God. You need to be still and have Him talk to you as well.

I have found that when I have trouble falling asleep and I pray out loud, not silently, I go back to sleep almost immediately and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. Try it!

In my next post I will tell you what the other solution is. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and on social media and leave a comment. God bless you.

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