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Becky lives in Texas with her husband and two sons. She is passionate about supporting people in drawing nearer to Christ using Scripture, prayer, and journaling.
Use these 7 prayers for insomnia relief to bring you more peace and hope for the struggles you’ve had in falling and staying asleep.
We all get those nights when we toss and turn, and count sheep until we’ve lost count. But for some, insomnia causes a continual cycle of fatigue, where you constantly feel like you’re running on empty.
Insomnia is a very common sleep disorder that often makes it hard to sleep at night. Some people who struggle with insomnia will often wake up at random times of the night and struggle to fall back asleep, and others still feel tired when they wake up.
It can be hard to manage your schedules, and responsibilities at work, home, family or even relationships when you don’t have enough energy to make it through the day. Many cases of insomnia are linked to poor sleeping habits, lack of exercise, chronic illness, or depression and anxiety, but sometimes the cause is just a mystery, which is even more stressful.
If you struggle with any of these, you may find your sleep improving after implementing or seeking assistance for some of these above-mentioned points. However, it’s important to remember that God cares for us, even in our sleepless nights, filled with tossing and turning, hopelessness, and desparation.
That is where prayer comes into the picture.
The next time you find yourself struggling to fall asleep, remember that while others are sound asleep, we serve a God who never slumbers or sleeps. He can handle it, but we can’t.
We need the rest, and when you feel weak and weary, He welcomes you to come to Him and call on Him. If you’re prone to feeling anxious or overthinking at night, prayer is the best way You can give your burdens to Him and seek His peaceful rest.
Prayers for Insomnia
1. A Prayer For Anxious Thoughts
Lord,
Tonight I am really struggling with anxious thoughts. I don’t know how to get my mind to slow down, and to quiet down. You know the concerns that tug at my heart tonight. You know how it is eating at me, and how uneasy it has made me. In Your Word, You instruct me not to be anxious about anything, but in everything to lift up prayer to You.
I admit it’s not always easy, or my first instinct most times. But even in my anxiety and sleepiness, I know that You are near. Thank You, Lord, that I can come to You in prayer in the dead of the night. Thank You for never having a do-not-disturb sign up, and always being available to me when I need to reach You. Please help me to give to You all the things that are concerning me tonight.
I ask that You would bring my thoughts into perfect peace because they are steadied on You, and not my circumstances. Please guard my heart and mind, that they might find rest in You. Help me to trust You with my situation, and to experience Your peace that passes all understanding.
Amen.
2. A Prayer When Struggling with Pain
Father,
It is one thing to struggle with physical pain, but it feels even more discouraging when I can’t sleep due to the pain. Medication can only do so much, and there are times when it doesn’t feel like it helps at all. You know every bone in my body and every hair on my head like no other doctor could.
You know every ache and every pain that I’m experiencing and You know where it’s coming from and what is causing it. I sometimes forget this, but You, Lord, are the Great Physician. Not only of our hearts but of our bodies as well. Please help me to manage the pain that I’m experiencing. Give me wisdom in how to deal with it. As I try to sleep tonight, I ask that You would allow the pain to subside and give way to a peaceful night.
Please help me to get a full night’s rest so I can feel rested and refreshed in the morning. I pray for Your healing over my pain, that You would take it away and restore me back to health. If there is anything I can do to help, I pray that You will give me the wisdom and guidance to do so. Comfort me in my pain, and grant me a restful night of sleep.
In Jesus’ matchless name, amen.
3. A Prayer for Better Sleeping Habits
Dear God,
When you created me. You not only created me to work but to rest too. Sometimes resting doesn’t come as easy for me. Tonight I’m anticipating another night of tossing and turning, and heavy eyes that just won’t stay shut. Though my body feels physically tired, sometimes my mind simply won’t turn off.
I need rest, Lord. But I know I also need to be wise in how I spend my day. For some people, it may be easier to fall asleep, but I need to truly pay attention to the habits that I have formed. If I have any habits that are affecting my ability to sleep at night, I pray that You would help me to identify them. Help me to be honest with myself, and think about the way I spend my days.
Please help me to prioritize my health by getting a consistent workout in, by drinking plenty of water, and eating nutritious foods. Help me to discipline myself in the areas where I am slacking. Please grant me the willpower to turn off my devices a while before bed, and simply take some time to prepare my body and mind for bedtime.
In Jesus’ name, amen
4. A Prayer When Making A Decision
Father,
I can’t seem to turn off my mind tonight. All I can think of is this big decision before me. I keep thinking of what will happen, and whether I might make the wrong decision. If I do one thing, it will bring a certain outcome. But if I choose to do a different thing, that outcome will be different, too.
It’s hard to know which way to go, and it’s even harder when all you can think of is making the right decision. I don’t want to regret my decision. But the more I think of it, the more it keeps me up and keeps me feeling paralyzed. Please forgive me for how much I have been thinking and fretting over this decision. I have allowed it to consume my thoughts more than I have laid it down before You.
Please help me to surrender this decision to You. Though I may not know the future and the outcome. You do. And I can trust You. Help me to trust You, Lord. Right at this moment, I give this decision to You. I pray that You would bring peace over my thoughts and guide me in Your will. Please bless me with a peaceful mind, and a restful night. And may You be glorified by the decision that I will make.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
5. A Prayer Before Bedtime
Lord,
As I lay my head down to rest tonight, I thank You for a new day that has come and gone. No matter what happens throughout my day, whether I have a blue day or a beautiful day. You remain the same and Your mercies are new every morning. In the same way. Your comfort is new every night.
As I prepare to sleep tonight, I acknowledge that I often find it hard to fall asleep. Even on nights when I get in bed early, it can feel as though hours are passing while I lie awake. I know those moments can be an opportunity for my flesh or the enemy to distract me, to cause me to overthink, or to plant seeds in my mind that are not of You.
I ask that You will help me to fill my mind with Your word instead. When I go to bed, help me to make it a habit to pray to You and to ask for Your comfort and presence to enfold me as I try to sleep. Please help me to turn off any troubling thoughts and to give them up to You. May I sleep soundly, and rest peacefully, knowing that You are looking after me.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
6. A Prayer For Peace
Lord in Heaven,
There is nothing that can be hidden from You. Though You are on Your throne. You are also right here beside me and inside of me. You know, the very thoughts that are on my mind and every emotion that I go through. Tonight, I’m desperately in need of Your peace as I prepare my body and mind for sleep. You know more than anyone what is distributing my peace, and causing me to be divided and filled with turmoil.
Tonight I pray for Your peace that overflows into the areas where I am feeling anxiety. Please rid me of any uneasiness that is causing trouble with sleeping. Help me to be reminded of Your truth, that You are with me, that I am forgiven, and that I have a new life in Christ. May my mind be steadied on these truths. Grant me the peace of mind that You are looking after and protecting me and my loved ones as we sleep and as we wake.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
7. A Prayer For Wisdom And Answers When You Don’t Know Why You Can’t Sleep
God,
Please help me. Hear my cry of desperation. I’ve tried everything I can think to do to sleep and my body just isn’t responding. My body needs rest. I can barely think or go through the normal activities of my day. My patience is short, my focus is blurred, and I’ve reached the end of my rope.
I need Your wisdom, Lord. Will you please show me what is going on in my mind and body right now? I know this insomnia is a sign that something isn’t functioning the way You designed my body to work, but I have no clue where to turn next. Reveal the answers to me, Lord, whether it’s directly to me or through a doctor or specialist – anybody who can give me hope and help right now.
And, in the meantime, please cover me with Your peace that passes all understanding in the midst of this struggle. When I can’t fall asleep despite being utterly exhausted, lift the fear from my heart. When I feel like all hope is lost for me, remind me that my hope is in You and You alone. When I’ve spent yet another sleepless night tossing and turning for no apparent reason, ease my frustration with Your divine comfort.
I love You, Lord, and I trust You with my insomnia. I lift it up to You, pleading for answers and relief and rest.
In Your Son‘s holy name, I pray. Amen.
Looking For More Prayers?
6 Encouraging Prayers For Hope
6 Comforting Prayers For Peace