Sleep. It’s at the top of my self-care checklist, right along with silent prayer.
Am I getting a good 7–8 hours of sleep each night? Do I sleep all the way through the night? Am I going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day? These are all questions I ask myself when I begin to notice I’m anxious or depressed, or not quite myself.
So what happens when my sleep quality or schedule isn’t in good shape? How do I get it back on track?
As I continue on my journey of getting closer to God, I find incorporating prayer into all things, including my self-care, is extremely effective in restoring my peace of mind and mental health.
Here are just a few practical ways I incorporate prayer to restore my sleep quality and schedule to where they need to be after a night (or a few) where my sleep schedule went off kilter.
- Decide on my bedtime. In general, my body winds down on its own. I begin to feel tired naturally when it gets around 8:30 p.m., as my body is indicating to me it’s time to get ready for bed. However, when my sleep schedule is off due to a couple of late nights or a sleepless one, my body stops naturally telling me it’s to get ready for bed. So I have to intentionally focus on the clock to ensure I start to get ready for bed at my normal time, even though I don’t “feel” tired.
It’s easy to just stay up and get lost in a TV show or lose time scanning social media on my iPhone. It can really take a concerted effort to force myself to do my normal bedtime activities. I have to continually remind myself that I’ll thank myself later.
Here’s a prayer I might pray in the day to help me do this:
Jesus, help me to stay focused on what’s best for me tonight. I know it will be easy to lose track of time and I won’t feel like doing what I need to. I surrender my bedtime to You. I trust You will help me remember to focus on my health tonight and do what I need to do to restore my sleep so I can be refreshed and restored to do Your will perfectly tomorrow.
- Be aware of my diet. I do my best to avoid or minimize (especially before bedtime) caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods that have refined sugar or gluten when I’m trying to get my sleep back on schedule. All of these naturally inflame and stimulate my body (and mind) to stay awake.
I pray for help:
Jesus, each time I reach for food or drink, bring to my awareness the need to be conscious of what I should put in my body to promote quality sleep for myself tonight. I desire to do Your will, which is to restore my health in all the ways You have created for me. You know my desires and weaknesses for certain foods and drinks. I offer those desires up to You and thank you for the peace You fill me with as I trust in You that I will soon receive the rest I need.
- Ask my loved ones for help. It’s important that we ask for the help of our loved ones when we know we’re struggling. So when I know it will be helpful to have the support of my husband, John, to get an area of my self-care back on track, I ask him to help remind me when it’s time to get ready for bed. Or when I do remember but just don’t feel like doing it, I ask him to lovingly remind me why I need to.
This loving reminder not only helps me in getting my sleep back on track, but it also helps our relationship. You see, John generally goes to bed later than me, and I’m sure there’s a part of him that wouldn’t mind if I stayed up later so we could watch a TV show together. However, I see in his support of me that he desires my mental health more. In return, I love him all the more and want to support him more in areas where he needs or asks me to.
In gratitude, I pray:
Jesus, thank You so much for the gift of my loved ones, especially John, who gives so much of himself to me, sacrifices for me, and supports me when I need it most. I offer up my struggle to get back to my normal sleep schedule for those who have no one to support them. Help me to offer myself to John and support him in all the ways he needs it. May our relationship be one that gives all glory to You.
- Turn down the lights. If I lie down to sleep at my normal time and I’m not tired, it’s easy for me to start experiencing some anxiety. What if I just lie here for hours before I fall to sleep? Or even worse, what if I can’t fall asleep at all! The more I lie there, the more I get anxious and the more I can’t sleep.
It helps to adjust my body to the natural setting that I have when I am on my normal sleep schedule. So I make sure to turn down all the lights, turn off the TV, and perhaps pick up a book I know will put me to sleep.
- Pray myself to sleep. When I’m most anxious, though, I pick up my rosary and I pray. Slowly.
I’m comforted most by Mary when I pray. She is our heavenly mother, and like the best mother, she will always come running to us when we call to her. My favorite prayer from Mother Teresa, “Mary, my Mother, please be a mother to me now,” is one I often pray.
I imagine Mary sitting beside me as I lie in bed. Her one hand gently rubs my back while her other hand holds the same hand in which I slowly move the beads of the rosary as I pray.
And when I say I pray slowly, I mean slowly.
Hail Mary (pause one second and take a slow, deep breath)
full of grace (pause one second and take a slow, deep breath)
the Lord is with thee (pause one second and take a slow, deep breath)
And I continue on in this way throughout the rest of the prayer.
I’ll be honest that many times I have to refocus my mind as it may begin to wander, and I have to start praying and meditating in this way again and again. Ultimately, however, it is this particular meditation that always puts me to sleep.
When I’ve had more than one “off” night of sleep, it may take a few days of repeating all the above before my sleep schedule gets back to normal. However, I’m thankful to God that He’s helped me become aware of these effective, prayerful ways to restore my mental health and that they all lead me closer to Him!
I pray some of what I’ve shared is helpful to you or someone you know. Please feel free to share and support others by leaving your suggestions in the comments below.
May you rest in the Heart of Jesus and the loving arms of Mary now and always!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or licensed therapist. I am speaking from my perspective and human experience and as someone that has struggled with anxiety and depression since childhood.
God is good and has given us the gift of medical and therapeutic treatment options when basic self-care isn’t enough to help us overcome our struggles with anxiety and depression. Don’t hesitate to reach out for this support when you need it. It’s a gift from God that will to help you to recover so you can live your life to the fullest — which is God’s desire for you!