Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

Many people look forward to going to bed at the end of the day. It can be a time of relaxation and restoration. But for others, bed time can be filled with restless periods of trying to fall asleep but not being able to. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, each night millions of people in the U.S. struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep. About 10% of U.S. adults have a chronic insomnia disorder, which occurs at least three times a week for at least three months. Here are some ways that will hopefully help you fall fast asleep.

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2

Pray before you go to sleep. Instead of worrying about all of the things that need to get done, turn to God and ask Him to give you His peace for the situation. Sometimes it can help to write down your prayers. Make prayer part of your bedtime routine. God wants to talk to us throughout the day. As you wind down your day, take time to thank Him for all the things that happened that day. Pray and ask Him to give you wisdom on decisions that you need to make and direction for things that He has entrusted you with. If you live with a roommate, spouse or family ask them if they would like to pray with you before bedtime.

Read a book. Whether it is the Bible or your favorite book, take time before bed to read. It can even be reading to your children or grandchildren. Go to Sleep Sheep is a fun book for little ones to read together as a family and get ready for bed. Sometimes it can be helpful to read the same book a couple nights in a row to help the family get into a bedtime routine. Children can mimic what the characters are doing in the book as they get ready for bed too. In Go to Sleep Sheep, the sheep have many of the same requests that most kids have before bedtime, from wanting a snack to not being tired, families will be able to relate to the mama sheep’s replies.

Get active. It might seem like an oxymoron. But often times getting out and being active can actually help with sleep. Take a walk around the park while the kids have sports practice. Ride bikes together as a family. Play a game of soccer as a small group. Pick something that you enjoy doing and try to do it on a consistent basis. It can be fun to incorporate your friends, family and small group into your activity as well. Try to be active in the morning or afternoon and avoid doing an activity right before your desired bed time.

Take a step back. From activities and sports practices to church functions, we often cram as much as we can into our schedules. Instead of saying, “No.” We try to fit things in or are late so we can do multiple things. Sometimes in order to get rest, we need to step back. It can mean saying, “No,” to some things for a period of time. It doesn’t mean you have to completely stop everything. But it is a great opportunity to weigh out what your priorities are. Pray and ask God to show you if there are things that you need to focus on or things that you need to step away from. It can be hard to step away, but remember God might be calling you to do something different and if you don’t have any margin, it will be hard to do.

Have a night in. While weekend activities, sleep overs and date nights can be fun, sometimes it can be good to take a night off. Rather than going out and doing an activity, spend time with your spouse, family or a friend at home. Play a board game, watch a movie, read a book, or just catch up with one another. The goal is to have a low-key evening that doesn’t require anyone being anywhere. That way when everyone gets tired, they are able to turn in for the evening.

Win a copy of Go to Sleep Sheep here:  https://www.blessedfreebies.com/gotosleepsheep.html

We were given a copy of Go to Sleep Sheep by Frontgate Media, all of our thoughts and opinions are our own.