Saying prayers before bed isn’t just for kids. In fact, doing so can actually support a more restful night’s sleep, and making a daily habit of it can increase the overall quality of your sleep. With so many Americans suffering from a lack of sleep or quality of sleep, it’s never been more important to make sure you have a good sleep routine. Prayer can support restful sleep.
How can prayer support restful sleep? Why do we pray? Let’s take a closer look at how prayer affects our daily lives and how it can become an important part of any sleep routine.
Table of Contents
Calming The Mind
If you’re like many of us, you probably go to bed with a thousand things on your mind. There’s a bill due next week; you just had a breakup, your son is sick—life can throw a million different curve balls our way at any given time. Going to bed stressed out can be a help or a hindrance, depending on the stress’s kind and intensity. Stress is something we all experience, and it’s actually an important part of life. But too much stress can leave you tossing and turning at night.
When you kneel or sit down to pray, you’re actively making time to listen to and speak with God. Make quiet time for yourself. Go to a room that’s both quiet and has a door that you can shut if outside noise threatens to interfere. This time is all about connecting with God in a peaceful environment.
Prayer can help calm your mind in several ways. To begin with, it helps you focus on something other than your stressors. Some people will pray for relief from their stress, and while this focuses on the stress, it’s still more helpful than just stewing on it all night. You’re actively acknowledging that there’s an issue and that you need help.
Prayer can also bring you peace when you unload your problems. Sometimes, we just need to vent, and God will listen to all of our grievances without passing judgment. It’s nice to know that someone is listening and not thinking, “What an idiot” or “Why would you do that?”
Getting Closer To God
Getting closer to God just before bed can leave you feeling a very unique sense of peace and calm. Sometimes, peace can only come from the spirit. Nothing we do for our physical bodies or mental health can satiate the spiritual needs. You just need to connect with a higher power when things become overwhelming.
Prayer is the ultimate connection to God. He is always listening, and no prayer goes unanswered. Just remember that not every prayer is answered in the way you want it to be because God has a plan for everyone. Praying lets him know you’re there, you’re asking for something, and you’ll humbly respect his decisions.
Use prayer for sleep at night, whether you’re sleeping well at night. Even if you get a full, restful sleep every night, it can’t hurt to increase your spiritual well-being just before bed.
Part Of Spiritual Health
Prayer is a huge part of spiritual health. We must make time to pray, even if it’s only 5-10 minutes out of our entire bed. We know that prayer allows us to connect with God, but it also helps us become more self-aware, more forgiving, and more empathetic toward other people. Forgiveness and empathy are two of the most powerful emotions that a person can feel, and the world certainly could use more of both—don’t you think?
Don’t neglect your spiritual health by skipping prayer. You don’t have to be anywhere special or even kneeling down to pray properly. You can pray anywhere, at any time, for any reason. That’s the beauty of prayer!
Using Bible Meditations
The Bible is full of mysteries and lessons that you can use to ease your mind before bed. After you pray, try meditating on some of the Bible’s most important passages for a better spiritual compass. The Bible is God’s word on Earth, so read, absorb, and meditate on the lessons therein.
Put yourself into the story and ask questions once you’re finished reading. What did you learn? What lessons will you remember in times of strife? How did the characters in the story keep their faith? How did God test that faith?
An Alternative To Browsing The Internet Before Bed
Did you know that using electronics before bed is actually keeping you awake? Blue light emitted from smartphones, tablets, and TVs actually signals the brain that it’s time to be awake, which can seriously interrupt and confuse your body’s natural sleep rhythms. Praying and/or meditating on the Bible before bed is a good alternative to using a smartphone for two reasons: you’ll get a more restful night’s sleep, and you’ll increase your spirituality.
Conclusion
Prayer is an excellent tool for getting better sleep. You can pray right before bed or set aside some quiet time in the evening to meditate on the Bible. Remember that there aren’t any hard rules for prayer, and God is always listening. All you have to do is ask, and your prayers will be answered in whatever way God sees fit. You will discover how prayer can support restful sleep.
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