Sweet Dreams Giveaway
If you haven’t read my Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotion that is running today, click here to get caught up with the rest of us. Don’t forget to come back for the giveaway!!
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Well, little did I know two months ago when I turned in this devotion what this week would hold for me! The flu has hit here hard, robbing me not only of health, but of oodles of sleep! With both boys and mom contracting it, our home has been a continual coughing, sneezing symphony!!!
Tired isn’t a strong enough adjective to describe this gal.
But I do feel I’ve turned a slight corner (thanks in GREAT part to the prayers and well-wishes of many of you!) and I am hopeful I’ll be able to head Sunday to Charlotte to appear on next Monday night’s Made to Crave webcast and spend two days with my daughter Kenna and the Proverbs 31 office gals. (I’ve been on the P31 speaking team for nearly 5 years and writing for the magazine for over 8 and I’ve still never seen our office!)
My exhaustion this week is not a foreign concept to many of you, I know.
Everywhere I go I encounter worn-out women.
Married gals.
Single sisters.
Moms who work away from home.
Women who have a home office.
Moms whose whole life is work for their family.
Twenty-something waitresses.
Thirty-something business women.
Forty-something retail workers.
Fifty-something grandmas.
All trying to balance home, church, community, family, life and love.
While sleep may be high on their list of needs…
It is often last on their roster of realities.
What’s a slumber-deprived gal to do?
I have struggled with this issue for over 20 years.
You heard me right! The last time I slept consistently through the night on a regular basis was in 1990 when I became pregnant for our oldest child.
Three difficult pregnancies; two kids who would not sleep through the night until the next child was born.
Then, the third child slept through the night at 5 weeks!!!! Yay!!!!
Not so fast…..at 6 weeks, his dad was put on the night shift.
He returned home to our 900 square foot home at 3:00 am each morning.
I’m such a light sleeper that I heard his keys in the door every night.
Again, my sleep was interrupted continually. And although I usually can fall asleep at the beginning of the night after 20 minutes or so, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I toss and turn for AT LEAST 45 minutes til I can drift off again.
It stinks!!!
Todd no longer works that night shift. No ma’am.
Now he works first shift and gets UP at 3:30 am!!!!!!
Well, fellow short-on-slumber sisters, besides my suggestions in the devotion, here are some sleepy-time tips for you to try:
~ Utilize a notebook to not only list worries and prayer requests but to jot down “to do” items as well. Somehow listing “Pay electric bill” or “Transfer bank funds” can take the task off your mind and allow you to sleep soundly knowing you won’t forget to do it the next day.
~ Try not to eat for the last few hours before bed. It can mess with your sleep.
~ Do drink a toasty mug of chamomile tea with a touch of honey. Zzzzzzzzz……
~ Try some pillow mist spray in lavender or other soothing scent.
~ A microwavable cloth bag filled with buck wheat and lavender works well too. I have a homemade one from my best friend from college but I have seen them online as well. The warmth and lavender scent is very sleep-inducing.
~ Employ a white noise or nature sounds machine to drown out distractions
~ Have some memory verses nearby and a tiny reading light. (I have a clip on one) Spend a few minutes going over your verses when you can’t sleep.
~ Also have a Bible or devotional book on your night stand to read during your awake times as well.
Now, to help out one gal who comments this weekend, I’ll be giving away the following Sweet Dreams package:
~ A box of Sleepytime tea
~ A Hope mug with the verse Jeremiah 29:11 on it ” For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord”
~ Some Bath & Bodyworks lavender vanilla lotion
~ A Bath & Bodyworks lavender vanilla candle (be sure to blow it out before you sleep!)
~ Some Bath & Bodyworks pillow mist in warm milk & honey scent
~ A RingDex card system for you to record favorite verses on
Simply leave a comment anytime this weekend here on this post.
Do you have any tips?
Any struggles in this area?
Any favorite verses or coping methods for inducing sleep?
Or as always, if time is tight, just say “I’m in!” Drawing is random and winner will be announced Monday. The Monday I pray I am safely in Charlotte and on Lysa’s webcast.
Prayers appreciated!
Now, leave your comment. :-)
Sweet Dreams,
When I can’t get to sleep, I simply, pray. I say something like, “Dear God, please allow my mind to rest so that I can go to sleep.” In Jesus Name, Amen! Sometimes, before I am even finished praying, I am asleep. Other times, it takes me a bit longer, but I am going to start doing what you do, making a list and pray over the list that God will work on it, and help me to not worry/toil anxiously..because I am known to worry a lot about nothing.
Thank you!
Erin
How timely your devotion was for me today…so appreciated! “Not only was my body tired, but my brain raced as well.” That sentence describes many of my days & nights perfectly. Thank you for your writing and practical tips on this subject… now I know I am not the only one who struggles in this area.
What a wonderful website, I feel I am already a winner !! ;) well here is my post to say I AM IN, for the SWEET DREAMS PACKAGE GIVEAWAY,
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESSING TO YOU ;)
with 3 kids 5,3, and 8 months a good nights sleep is something I just dream about. I loved your devotion.
I’m In!!
Hi I’m in……..
I get up 2 or 3 times a night to use the bathroom and sometimes I can’t go back to sleep right away. My mind is thinking about work or what I need to do at home or praying that our resident kitty and new kitty will eventually get along – anything to keep me awake!
I like so many of you have had difficulty staying asleep. No trouble falling asleep. For about 2 months I would consistently wake up throughout the night and at 5 be wide awake. I finally thought, maybe God is waking me up so I can slow down and start my day with him………..so I began doing my devotions with him, while the house was quiet and nothing going on and with a little time, I was sleeping much better! :)
Hi! Just discovered this blog! I was convicted as I read your blog. I too have trouble either falling asleep or staying asleep. Instead of soothing tea and talking to the Shepherd Who made the sheep I was taught to count,I am too quick to reach for the Excedrin PM. Thanks be to God for using your words in my life. How I pray for the Lord to renew your strength for His purposes!
The Sleepytime Tea works! One of my favorite ways to fall asleep, is unknowingly, in the midst of prayer!
Taking a warm bath may help induce sleep. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I think of the scripture ” he gives his Beloved sleep”. I thank God that by the Blood of Jesus, I’m going to sleep peacefully! Usually, it’s satan filling my mind with his thoughts, so I turn them over to God and pray for a peaceful, restful sleep. Thanks karen for all you do!
Waking up at 2:30 in the morning is no stranger to me. Sometimes I think the Lord wakes me up so I will spend some quality time with Him.
You’re right on the money, sister! When I was pregnant I would wake up with night frights every night, and I have note cards with scripture right there to read and meditate on when my mind wanted to focus on the craziest things! I love your other ideas as well, especially the tea!
I am always in need of a good tip or two on how I can get some more sleep ! For some reason, the past year I only get anywhere from 1 to 4 hours a sleep per night. I am then miserable the next day and especially CRABBY ! Can you imagine!? I am sure you can ! :) Reading in bed always makes me tired though. I actually usually end up falling asleep with my book open and then losing my page. LOL.
Because I’m going through menopause, empty nest & lots of things on my mind… I cant sleep either grrr. I run the fan or open a window to cool down, spray some lavendar, take melatonin etc & I’m still AWAKE. HELP!
Wow…I needed to read this!! So much fills my head by the time it hits the pillow. I can feel totally at peace, but once in bed my head seems to be flooded with anxiety, worries, concerns, and things of the past that I shouldn’t even be thinking of. I love your idea of writing things down and then praying about it. Here’s to a good night’s sleep!
Karen, thank you for your devotional. I appreciate your thoughts very much. When I pray when I am unable to sleep,I think sometimes I end up going to because Satan wants me to quit talking to God. This usually is not a real restful sleep. I do try some of your methods and God does give good rest.
God bless each and every one with sweet restful sleep.
Fannie
I have 4 kids 21, 19, 17, 15. THey were pretty good sleepers so I’ve had good nights sleeps. But now that they’re older, I don’t fully sleep until they are all home safely. 2 in college 1 now graduated from college but moved back home. Need to learn to give my worries over to the Lord. The verse idea is great. thanks
I just try to remember that all is in the Lord’s hands. Get well soon.
Please please please tell me where I can purchase that mug! Now that I got that out…
I’m devastated for you Karen that you have so long without good consistent sleep. Really?
Noooo I have no suggestions. I don’t know what in the world I would do if I wasn’t getting a night’s sleep without interruption. I have been blessed so far I see even though I am a mom of a preschooler. I work full time, in financial crisis, about to have baby #2!!!!…. but I don’t normally get 8 hours of sleep, maybe more then I will wake up. I watch some tv and then fall back asleep. Ohhhhh not sure I could do it without tv. That is my sleep inducer.
Today’s verse and your sharing comforted my deprived sleep state. I woke up this morning feeling more tired than I went to bed last night. Throughout the night a string of thoughts interfered my mind consciously and subconsciously. Oh yes, I can’t remember when was the last time I slept through and well since I mother 3 kids who didn’t sleep through the night; and now 1 more toddler who is also the same. And today I have to get a sermon prepared…perhaps that’s another nagging thought at night. To combat restlessness, I normally use that time to pray and intercede and when my energy is high, it always turn out to be an awesome moment. However, last night was pathethic. It was just plain tiredness from every sense! So thanks for the devo today which assures me God will restore rest.
I haven’t slept in what feels like years!! My husband battled cancer, I had a large mass and then a sudden complete abdominal hysterectomy which has kept my body mixed up, and my oldest daughter experienced a tragedy.
I don’t know WHY I think all of my tossing and turning (while praying!!) will help, but it is so difficult o stop!
Loved this message!
When I can’t sleep I alphabetically think of all who I would like to lift before Our Lord.
Oh my. I struggle with constantly waking up, too. My son has had stomach issues and still has not slept the whole night through (he’s over a year now). A typical night is waking up every 2 hours. Some nights it’s waking up every 30-45 minutes! I wake up even if he’s still asleep at that point! But it’s all slowly getting better. And when I think I don’t have the strength or energy to get up and take care of him, God provides. I think of what a blessing it is to even have this son to take care of in the middle of the night and pray for strength, patience, and energy. Sometimes my heart stays grumpy for a bit, but then I have to renew my mind and heart again.
thank you so much karen for your faithfulness and encouraging words! Thank you for sharing your heart and insight from the word of God. i pray you are encouraged in this moment and remember the word of God stands forever! be blessed!