The Blessing of Sleep
It is useless for you to get up early and to work late, worrying about bread to eat, because God grants sleep to the one he loves. Psalm 127:2 (Evangelical Heritage Version, EHV)
God wants His children to get a good night’s sleep. A solid, restful night’s sleep is one of the blessings of the believer who trusts in God.
You will sleep like a baby, safe and sound— your rest will be sweet and secure. Proverbs 3:24 (The Passion Translation, TPT)
These verses are comforting, but many Christians still suffer with sleeplessness. Why? Because we do not operate according to the Word of God.
An Over-Active, Anxious Mind
Our first scripture reference, Psalm 127:2, said it is useless to worry about getting what we need. Many people go to bed and have too many things on their minds, which interferes with sleep. There are some easy things we can do to remedy this. First of all, before bed, make sure you are reading and thinking on Scriptures. It is a good practice to make the Word the final thing you expose yourself to before bed. This takes our thoughts and refocuses them from the issues of the day to God and His promises. Reading and meditating on the Word is a good way to de-stress and unwind. Even listening to the Word on your phone or on CD or hearing an uplifting Christian teaching before bed are ways to set the tone for a good night of rest. You could also put on some restful, anointed Christian music. One other thing I recommend is that you talk to the Lord right before you fall asleep. Once you lay down, spend a few moments telling Him you love Him, thanking Him for the day, and giving Him all the cares you may have picked up. I like to do this- especially making sure I have cast all cares on Him. Then I thank Him for taking them, and I tell Him that I am going to sleep well because He is carrying the care instead of me. And I purposely put any concerns out of my mind before I shut my eyes.
Practical Tips
Another reason Christians may be having trouble sleeping has to do with failing to operate in wisdom. Most of the tips I am going to mention have probably been covered numerous times, and I’m sure we have all heard many of them. But if we do not follow wisdom, and we do the very things that we know will compromise our ability to sleep, the fault is ours. God gave us wisdom, and He expects us to follow it.
Diet: If we eat and drink things like caffeine and sugar, especially later in the day, our sleep will suffer.
Exposure: If we watch movies or TV shows that expose us to negative concepts like violence, sexual impurity, deception, and other things contrary to God’s Word, our minds will not be able to shut out the images. It will interfere with our ability to get to sleep, and once asleep, the things we have been exposed to often appear in our dreams and disrupt sleep. And on top of that, the blue light from television, computers, tablets, etc. interrupt the body’s ability to produce the chemicals needed to sleep- one of which is melatonin. Like I said before, unwind before bed with the Word of God or some Bible-based teaching, and avoid the high glare and negative themes of the television, phone, or computer.
Routine: Our bodies operate on a cycle and we function best when we establish and keep a consistent routine. It is recommended that we go to bed at the same time each day and get up at the same time. The body gets accustomed to this and we get a better night’s sleep. Also, exercise is good for sleep, but don’t exercise too late or it will interfere with your sleep.
Environment: Do your best to make your bedroom a restful and peaceful environment. Clutter and other things can actually cause our anxiety levels to rise and intefere with sleep. And it has been said that it is best if we use our bedrooms for sleep-related activities and not as a place to watch TV, do work, etc. I realize that some people may have to use the bedroom for more than one purpose because of space constraints, but it is beneficial to avoid it if possible. When the bedroom is associated in our minds with sleep, it makes it easier for us to go to sleep when we are in the bedroom because our minds consider sleep the main purpose of that room.
There are just a few tips and helpful hints to assist you in getting a better night’s sleep. A good night’s rest is a blessing, and if we follow the Word and operate in God’s wisdom, we can experience peaceful slumber.
