High Quality Sleep

Restful Sleep

Sleep is really important  for healthy brain function and emotional well being. Sleep is when our bodies repair itself physically. It helps your immune system function properly, think of all the colds you get when your sleep is messed up. Sleeping better helps you to be more effective the next day. Just knowing sleep is important does not always leave us with sufficient high quality though.  This is an area where just trying harder, it seems to make things worse.  We really need Him. He tells us, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”(Exodus 33:14). His presence is what gives us rest and restores us. He is our foundation and what we can trust in at every moment. “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 61:1-2). We find rest in His presence. In Him, our souls can rest.

I know there are many times that when I lay down to go to bed, and I just keep thinking about everything. I get a rush of thoughts about what I did, things I should have done, what I need to do and would like to do tomorrow. I think about the future, people I need to talk to. I am not in His presence, I am going against His Word, and His plan for my life. I need to look at James 4:13-17, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

Reflecting on this verse has helped me to re-frame my mindset and see the importance of God planing my life, from day to day activities to the distant future .It is not for me to figure out. He makes the plans, I just follow Him. I also tend to make very ambitious plans and tend to be a burn the candle from both ends type of person, but He is the one who sustains and keeps me whole and protected. I am typically just rest in this truth, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3) I will no burn out, I will not break. I am not alone in this. In fact He invites us all to, “Come to me[Jesus], all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”(Matthew 11:28-29) I have been allowing Him to plan my day and prioritize what is important to Him from finances to working to exercise to community, and I invite you to do the same. It is amazing how much more productive and better I feel when I do things His way at His pace. I am not even close to 100%, but I am working on it. As you lay in bed pondering your life and your future. I invite you to "cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22) You can cast your worries and anxiety on Him “because he cares for you.”(1 Peter 5:7). Please, take it all to Jesus. Go to Him, picture Him and put all your burdens in a bag and give it to Him. Watch what he does as you hand it over. Remember His word, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25) Ask Him what He wants to give you in return for the burdens you gave Him. Just talk, and listen to Him. He wants to talk to you! He wants you to find rest, feel His love, His joy and His peace. He invites us to live life in the fullest, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). Having a full life combines being worry free, getting full of His love, His peace and His joy and getting high quality restful sleep!

We are complicated people with different layers, and there are physical things that we can do that really help. I wanted to give you some additional tips to help you get high quality restful sleep, because saying just go to bed earlier never helped me:

• Stretch - I love winding down my day with stretching!
  
• Make your room dark- Get rid of extra lights (turn alarm clocks) Blackout windows - Make it dark! It does not have to cost much money get creative (I have used towels and it works!)
• Pray - Pray in Thanksgiving, and praise. Give Him your worries, let Him plan your next day and direct Your steps,
  
• Limit or stop screen time 30 minutes before bed - the blue light stimulates our brains, keeping us from falling asleep and can interfere with the quality of sleep
  
• Read God’s word- Ideally not on  your phone
  
• Try to avoid eating 2 hours before sleep - if you cannot, try to eat foods higher in proteins and fats
  
• Put a couple things for the next day laid out or packed (lunch, clothes, papers)
• Have a routine - It can be anything, it helps signal to your body it is time to go to sleep
  

Get some high quality rest and live your life to the fullest!
<3 Jessica
#GIGAC