Having Trouble Getting to Sleep?

Sleep is vital for life.  In fact, I happen to think that sleep is a necessity to help us be happy, healthy, and prosperous!  Obviously, sleep can help us to be happy.  You can actually see the effects more in reverse—when you don’t get sleep you get unhappy!  A sleep deficit can have a definite negative impact on our emotions.

We also need sleep to keep us healthy.  Our bodies restore and repair at night as we’re sleeping.  A lack of sleep can weaken our immune system and increase our chances of getting sick.  Lastly, a lack of sleep can hurt our finances too.  Our prosperity can be influenced by the state of our emotional well-being and our health.  If our happiness and our health are suffering, it can lead to a loss of prosperity.  If we’re not happy and healthy, we’re less creative, miss work, have poor decision-making abilities, and thus make less money.  In fact, it can actually cost us money and time if we have health and/or emotional problems.

Sleepy momma

When my daughter was a baby she refused to go to sleep.  She fought sleep like crazy.  This actually lasted until she was a toddler.  At one point we even had to put duct tape on her light switches so she would quit getting up in the middle of the night to turn the light on and play!  This didn’t work either…she then just got up and played in the dark. 🙁 So her refusal to sleep on top of a bit of colic as a baby made us made pretty sleep deprived.  I was one worn out momma!  Saying I was sleep-deprived was an understatement.  That’s when I decided to try to find a scripture to pray and confess over her (and me) to help us go to sleep and get a good night’s rest.

I’ve since found these verses and others I’ve discovered to be extremely useful even after my daughter’s sleep boycott years.  Sometimes getting enough sleep and/or going to sleep is an ongoing battle for me, and boy does it show!  I’m super cranky when I’m tired.

I’ve had to lean on and confess these verses over myself on a number of occasions…

• Nights where I didn’t feel well
• Times when I was anxious about something coming up the next day
• Nights when I was dealing with conflict with someone that was eating me up (I can sit awake for hours at night having imaginary conversations and clenching my jaw so much that it hurts the next morning! I think there’s a reason the bible says don’t go to bed angry–Ephesians 4:26.)
• Nights when I couldn’t quiet my mind from all the busyness and to-do lists
• Sometimes nights when I brought sleep difficulty on myself due to drinking coffee after 5pm (I’ve gotta stick to decaf or herbal tea at night!)
• Nights when I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep

Here are some of the bible verses I’ve found and used to help me with sleep:

“I sleep and wake up refreshed because you, Lord, protect me.” Psalms 3:5 (CEVDCUS06) 

“and when they sleep, they will wake up refreshed.” Jeremiah 31:26 (CEVDCUS06) 

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Proverbs 3:24 (NIV) 

“… The Lord gives sleep to those he loves.” Psalms 127:2 (NCV)

Moses said this about the people of Benjamin: “The Lord’s loved ones will lie down in safety, because he protects them all day long. The ones he loves rest with him.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NCV)

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.” Psalm 4:8 (NLT)

“Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7 (NIV)

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

A lot of times before I go to bed, especially if I’m not feeling tired or have a lot on my mind, I will say “My sleep will be sweet.  The Lord gives his beloved rest, and I am his beloved.  I will go to sleep and wake up refreshed.”  I’ve also found it to be helpful to write one or more of these verses down on an index card and put them on my nightstand to look at just before going to sleep.  I’ve been thinking I might also like to have them framed to hang on the wall right beside my bed.

Take Some Practical Steps When You Have Trouble With Sleep:

• First, write these “sleep” verses down somewhere.

Write them on index cards, frame them by your bedside, write them on a dry erase board in your room, etc.  Put them somewhere where you will see them just before going to bed.

• Then, memorize one or more of the “sleep” verses.

Find a verse or two that resonates with you and memorize it.

• Next, use these verses as a prayer request to God, and recite them to yourself (or turn them into a positive affirmation) when you lay down to go to sleep.  

For example, “Lord, your word says that you give sleep to those you love.  I know you love me, and I’m asking you to help me get to sleep and stay asleep tonight.  Your Word also says that I can go to sleep and wake up refreshed because you protect me.  You also say that my sleep will be sweet.  Please help me to have a good night’s rest and to wake up refreshed and well-rested.  Thank you.”  You can also see my example above of how I’ve turned these verses into a positive affirmation to help me sleep.

• Finally, you can also use these verses to pray and confess over your children or grandchildren.

You can intercede for others on their behalf to help them have better sleep too (especially if their lack of sleep is affecting your sleep!). 

Start using these verses and see if your sleep doesn’t improve!  I know mine has. 🙂  We’ll talk more in future posts about additional tips for getting a good night’s rest and the importance sleep has on various facets of our life.

Do you have verses that help you sleep?  Share them with us by leaving a comment below. 

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If you have benefited from this post or if you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward and share this post with them via the sharing links below! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) 

Update: Originally posted 8/18/2015