Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

READER: The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end...

CHANTED

CANTOR: Keep me as the apple of an eye.

CHOIR: Hide me under the shadow of thy wings.

CANTOR: Preserve us, O Lord,

CHOIR: While waking, and guard us while sleeping, 

that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we rest in peace.

I listened to an articulate physician on CBC radio not too long ago as she spoke about the challenges of sleeping well in today's society. In the lead-up to the segment three of the on-air folk admitted that they had challenges sleeping well, tossing and turning and obsessing over what had not been done in the day or what would need to be accomplished in the next. So many of us get caught in the vicious cycles of anxiety and sleeplessness. We were reminded that studies show that not getting sufficient sleep can lead to heart disease and strokes, so now we'll be awake worrying about these possibilities!

The doc invited listeners to consider what helps in breaking the patterns which keep us from deep, restorative sleep. Ruth is inclined to get up, perhaps have hot milk or tea, read a little, then return to bed. Through the years when I felt a lot of pressure from work I would repeat, mantra-like, the simple opening words of the children's hymn:

Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the bible tells me so...

Or I would -- and still do -- offer as many phrases as I could recall from Philippians 4. 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 

Do not worry about anything, 

but in everything by prayer and supplication 

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

These brought comfort and often kept me from catastrophizing on my way back to slumber. When our children were young Ruth taught them all a night-time prayer and one of them was the highlighted words from the service of Compline, or evening prayer,  from the Book of Common Prayer. I had no idea that this was the source, and I wonder if they did.

There really is no ready solution to staring at the ceiling and sleep deprivation but the faith stuff has helped along the way.Perhaps we should all be saying our evening prayers before lights out, rather than fiddling with our cell phones. 

What works for you?