When our pain is severe, it can be difficult to sleep. Even if we’re able to doze, we often awaken with pain, and those wee hours can stretch onward, bringing more anxiety and, yes, more pain.

But some of that anxiety can be alleviated if we understand that, even while we are sleeping, God is working. He is watching over us, protecting us, ever aware that we, his beloved children, need our sleep in order to function well and to do his work.

Our bodies, too, are working while we sleep, and the more we focus on quieting our minds and hearts, the more we will enable those vital processes of rejuvenation to occur – and the more refreshed we will feel when we do awaken.

The world continues to move and shape while we sleep, and we can understand that this will occur even without our worrying about it, remaining awake at night fretting over things over which we have little control. This understanding can calm us and help us rest comfortably.

Recognizing our sleep process is important for us to know what we need to allow our bodies to rest. A good physician can help us understand our sleep patterns and whether there are any medical aspects of sleep that we need to be aware of and/or treat. A journal of what we do before we go to bed, and our patterns while snoozing, can help us and our docs assess the medical and, perhaps, psychological parts of our sleeping.  But it is also important to utilize prayer – covering prayer – that accompanies us to our resting state. This prayer lifts up our cares, including those associated with sleep (or lack thereof), to the Lord, and in return, we can invite our worry and tension to dissipate so that, while we are sleeping, we are truly relaxed knowing God is working – and watching over us – all the while!

Peace,

Maureen