(July 22, 2023) Mama Lava caringly seeks to help sleepless readers…

Hi precious readers!

If I were to give you a cushy reclining chair, a pillow, and a soft blanket, would you be likely to fall asleep?

As much as I’d love to provide a nap for you, I’d rather talk to you about why you could not be having satisfying sleep .

I’ve had some sleep issues myself and in working to resolve them, I’ve discovered a few tricks. But first things first…

Peace – a must!
This is the most important ingredient for relaxing rest and satisfying sleep. It’s my belief that if this one thing is missing, even if the rest of the recipe is flawless, satisfying sleep will elude you. Peace is a must for relaxing rest, satisfying sleep.

Do you struggle to sleep because you feel…

• Angry?
• Anxious?
• Conflicted?
• Confused?
• Helpless?
• Hopeless?
• Vulnerable?

Are you subject to every whim of the media, politicians, bosses, teachers, and other voices who can’t agree with each other, let alone impart understanding to you?

Well none of ‘those voices’ created the universe. Not one knows what tomorrow will bring! None, even less all of them, will ever bring you peace! Without peace, we remain on high alert.

One greatly troubled man honestly confessed: ‘I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil’ (Job 3:26).

The only way to have true inner peace, is to be indwelt with the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 foretold about Him – ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

Beware of shams
Other suggestions are shams. Call me simple-minded, or whatever you like. I won’t lose any sleep, because Jesus is my peace. And I’d love nothing more than to see you relaxed, able to sleep, and resting in His peace too.

There are many counterfeit means of peace being touted out there –

• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Notoriety
• Relationships
• Wealth.
• What else can you think of?

People hope that when they achieve what they’re striving for, they’ll have peace and be able to relax and rest. I’ve heard people say they’ll sleep when they die. But even that is unrealistic… Hebrews 9:27 points out that ‘… it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…’

Shams fail to mention that it is almost impossible to achieve our high hopes and gallant goals if we can’t sleep. Without rest, we lack the energy we need to reach for our dreams, let alone succeed in them. So many people are running on empty and jumping from disappointment to disappointment.

Is that you? Would you like a complete reset?

Jesus – source of peace!
Friend, how can anyone sleep without peace? How can one have peace without forgiveness? Is there a way to forgiveness without confession and repentance? Yes!

Jesus wants to wipe your slate clean. He would love to set your feet on His path to purpose. A reset from Him is the only way to have relaxing rest and satisfying sleep. And the amazing news is that He died to give it to you! Colossians 1:19-20 declares: ‘For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.’

If you haven’t accepted the salvation that Jesus freely gives, none of the other tricks I’ve learned will solve your sleep problems. There can be no true rest or enduring satisfaction of any kind apart from Him. I believe that to the depths of my soul.

Jesus promised, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27).

No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.

If you don’t know this peace, but would like to – or even if only your curiosity is piqued, check out this post. It contains more detailed information on the gospel of peace.

Five great habits
But… with all of that said, even some Christians can have trouble sleeping. Now we know Jesus, possess inner peace, have confidence in God’s plans and the brightest hope for the future. So why are we lying awake at 2am?

I’d been asking myself this question and praying for wisdom about it, even tried some things which didn’t make much difference.

But there are five habits I’ve worked to hone that seem to really be working. First, a great  scripture –

‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace’ (Numbers 6:24-26).

1. Tune out
Life is hectic! My brain doesn’t have time to take a break. Or so it likes to think! (Pun intended). After all, if I stopped controlling things, it would all come crashing down, right? Not even close to right! In fact, if I don’t stop trying to control things, and let my mind rest, I’m much more likely to make mistakes that will cause everything to come crashing down!

So, I need to tune out. Shut down. Let go. I do this nightly by watching a (good) Hallmark movie or something equivalent. There is science to show that the brain slows significantly when we watch TV, and I’m pretty sure that such movies require the least mindfulness of anything out there. Completely predictable with idyllic settings and… I’m getting sleepy just talking about it.

Some people tell me to pray before bed – to give it all to Jesus and walk away. I would never tell anyone not to do this – it’s a tried-and-true method for many. But it doesn’t work for me because praying engages my mind and emotions. I say my ‘bedtime prayers’ before I tune out. My goal is to not be thinking about anything important when my head hits the pillow.

2. Exercise
My biggest hurdle is getting my mind to rest. When I have tuned out and my head hits the pillow, it needs to have things neatly wrapped and tucked away. One of those things is the knowledge that my body is tired.

I sit quite a bit at work daily and writing doesn’t get me ‘moving.’ I need to be intentional about exercise. This is a habit I must commit to early in the day.

If I’m not physically tired at night, my mind will be at ease about my body’s cooperation to sleep. Early exercise is always worth it – not just for sleep but for overall health as well.

3. Food
This one has taken some experimentation. I’ve discovered carbohydrates at night do not agree with me… make me feel bloated, uncomfortable and are not conducive to a good night’s sleep. I’ve basically cut out all carbs, even healthy ones, after 4pm and lightened up on my protein in the evening. Don’t worry – I eat plenty of both, earlier in the day.

Dinner for me is comprised of mostly vegetables and healthy fats (and kale salad right). I eat early so I can go to bed early because I get up early. Eating foods agreeing with my digestive system, and timing them so those processes have time to work before I lay down, has been game-changing for me.

And I stopped consuming caffeine late in the day. Caffeine used to hamper my ability to fall back to sleep if I awoke in the middle of the night. Indeed any beverage consumed late increases the chances of needing to get up in the middle of the night.

4. Conscience
When I tune out, work out, and cut out, but still wake up at 2am unable to go back to sleep, it can be due to a guilty conscience. Sometimes it’s legit and other times it’s not. I’ve tried to just ignore it and go back to sleep – but it doesn’t work. My only way around this conscience obstacle is to engage with the Lord, especially if He is speaking, even in the middle of the night. I want to listen!

It seems counterintuitive to purposely start my mind thinking, but remember – the one most important ingregant of relaxing and satisfying sleep is a clear conscience! There is no peace in a guilty conscience. If the conviction I feel is legitimate, I need to confess to God and repent. I need His forgiveness, and resolve to make it right with anyone whom I may owe restitution. Then, my peace returns! When I feel that harmony with God, I can sleep again.

But if the shame I feel is not legit, I need to preach truth to myself and let it go! A good dose of truth brings a rush of peace. ‘Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love’ (2 John 2:3) becomes a reality!

5. Prayer
I know some of you are wondering why a Christian would leave prayer for the last bullet point. Is prayer a last resort for me? Not at all! I rely on constant communication with God to guide my steps and steer my decisions.

Prayer gets its own section here because there are still times, when I’ve done everything I’ve learned to do for relaxing rest and satisfying sleep, I still wake up.

^{(Photo: Pixabay on Pexels.com)}
Sometimes I’m supposed to be awake at 2am. In these instances, I know God has purposed that I should be awake to pray. I have a list of people who get prayed for every time I am awake in the middle of the night. Maybe one of them is in trouble and I’ve been awakened specifically to pray for them.

Prayer releases the power of heaven and if sacrificing a few minutes of sleep will send that assistance to a loved one who needs it, I’m for it!

If I go through my usual list of people and I’m still awake, I start praying for anyone whose name or face pops into my head. Eventually, I figure I’ve covered everyone whom I was tasked to pray… because I fall back to sleep.

Even if nobody needed my prayers at 2am, my efforts have covered them with God’s presence and that’s never a bad thing. And I honestly believe it’s a ministry. The Holy Spirit knows I’m available and willing to serve in this capacity in the middle of the night.

Ironically, my habit of intentionally clearing my mind so I can fall asleep and stay asleep makes me a ripe prayer warrior to call on in the wee hours. And there’s a reward. The sleep that comes after being awoken for this purpose and fulfilling it is the most satisfying of all sleeps! Sleep induced by prayer for others is oh-so sweet!

You, dear reader?
Come on, now… does the above help? Do you want, need, relaxing rest and satisfying sleep?

The above are good habits to hone for relaxing rest, satisfying sleep. At least, they are the tricks that have been most beneficial for me.

I trust they’ll bless you too and you’ll be able to echo David’s Psalm 4:8 declaration – ‘In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.’

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Mama Lava believes in making the big world a bit smaller through connection. Believing that everybody deserves to be wrapped in maternal love when they need it, she regularly shares encouragements… telling life experiences from an unapologetically Christian viewpoint the way she sees it, just as a mother does. Link: Mama Lava’s Back Porch (A Dose of Maternal Love).
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