I am a very light sleeper, and thanks to my ADHD, my mind is usually most active after midnight, and this was particularly worse when I was pregnant.
Now, this was fine when I was single and didn’t have to wake up early for work or tend to a family.  Back then, I could easily stay up all night and sleep in till midday the next day.
However, with a family to care for and many household responsibilities to tend to during the day, I do not have the luxury of allowing myself to stay up all night simply because my ADHD brain refuses to shut up, and I have to find a way to calm my racing thoughts, the never-ending mental to-do list, and replay of conversations I have had during the day so that I can get a restful sleep at night in order to be a functional wife and mommy the next day.

For those who struggle with sleeping at night due to racing thoughts, a Catholic approach may involve prayer, specifically focusing on releasing worries and anxieties to God and seeking His peace to calm the mind. Practices like reciting calming Bible verses and using tools like the Rosary or saint prayers can also be helpful. 

Reciting calming Bible verses, like Psalm 4:8 (“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety”) can help center the mind. 

So what else can you do when you can’t sleep as a Catholic?

Whether it is due to anxiety, overthinking, or even pregnancy-induced restlessness, or perhaps a colicky or fussy baby and  child, here are ways to manage insomnia, restlessness, and racing thoughts at bedtime, from a Catholic perspective, based mainly on tried-and-tested methods that worked for me and my family.

 

CALL ON THE SAINTS

St Dymphna can help with anxiety, St Peter Damian is the patron saint of sleep difficulties, and St Joseph as the Sleeping St. Joseph, is widely recognised as the patron saint of a good night’s rest.  Petition or pray to any one of them.

St Peter Damian Prayer

Saint Peter Damian, who sacrificed sleep for the love of God, understand the struggles of sleeplessness. Just as you faced long nights filled with prayer and penance, seeking solace in God’s presence, I ask for your intercession as I seek rest and peace in the quiet of the night.
Help me to surrender my worries and anxieties to the Lord, and to find comfort in His embrace. Grant me the grace to trust in God’s plan, as you did, and to experience the restful sleep my body and soul need. Through your prayers, may I awaken refreshed and renewed, ready to serve God with a peaceful heart, following your example of unwavering faith and dedication.

Saint Peter Damian pray for us

 

St Dymphna Prayer For Insomnia

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Good Saint Dymphna,
Great wonder-worker in every affliction of mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with Jesus through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need.

[Mention Intention]

Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those who suffer with nervous and sleep disorder, beloved child of Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.
Amen
Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.

 

St Joseph Bedtime Prayer

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I offer to you my heart and soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.

 

 

A NOISE MACHINE

A noise machine, especially the ones with various types of sounds that you can switch between, is one of my go-tos. Plus, it also helps drown out my husband’s snoring!! Like, why do men snore so loudly??!  I have to believe that it is because they work so hard physically during the day or something.

Also, I started using a noise machine when the littles were been breastfed as babies.  When they were particularly fussy, breastfeeding sessions would be in the bedroom, with the curtains, holding them as I sat in a rocking chair and the noise machine set to the heartbeat setting.  The rocking of the chair, darkened room and the heartbeat sound reminded them of being back in the womb and helped them settle quickly and latch more easily. The rocking also helps with milk flow and let-down.  When the babies get older, you can keep the noise machine in you and your husband’s bedroom or place the noise machine in the kids bedroom, where it would also help them sleep soundly as it evokes memories of being nursed. 

For the kids and babies, you also can get musical night lights, mobiles, or carousels, which work to soothe them and get them sleeping calmly.

 

HUMIDIFIERS – WITH/WITHOUT ESSENTIAL OILS

Sometimes, I also turn on the humidifier in the bedroom.
It diffuses moisture to the air, which is really helpful, because it can be near impossible to settle into sleep when your throat is uncomfortably dry and itchy. Adding a few drops of calming essential oils, such as chamomile and/or lavender essential oils, to the water so it can waft through the air, really soothes me to sleep.

If you don’t have a humidifier, you can simply get some dried lavender and chamomile flowers, place them in a little sachet, add a few drops of lavender and/or chamomile essential oils, and place them under your pillow. I have even made little sachets for the kids when they were teething or a little fussy. These herbs are very safe for babies and children.

HERBAL TEA 

Here is a tip for teething, colicky, or fussy babies…….or teens. I make some herbal infusion with chamomile flowers, dilute the tea (1 part tea mixed with 2 parts of milk or juice), and give it to them – perfectly safe for babies over 6 months. Sometimes I make a large batch of the tea and freeze it into little ice cubes, so it is always ready whenever I need it.

I add this tea to the babies’ milk bottles, warm it up, and give it to them. Now they are older, they still like having a warm drink before bedtime—usually hot chocolate, apple juice, or blackcurrant juice, and if they are struggling to sleep, I add a slightly stronger concentration of the chamomile tea to their juice or drink, and warm it up.  They fall asleep so quickly and peacefully afterwards.

My personal go-to nightcap is usually a hot chocolate drink, and on nights when I can’t sleep, adding some chamomile infusion to the hot cocoa is just so yummy.

 

WEIGHTED BLANKET

A weighted blanket is another particularly useful sleep aid. It was recommended in one of the mommy forum groups when I was searching for tips to help the littles sleep soundly. 

It worked so well that it got me curious to know what the hype is all about, and I got an adult-sized version, and OH WOW – I totally get it!

If you struggle with sleeping, you should definitely get a weighted blanket. My husband doesn’t like it, though, and he would kick it off during the night because he says it makes him too hot.
So as a compromise, I sometimes get him to act as my weighted blanket ie placing his body weight – such as his legs across me when we sleep.  For some reason, it kinda works – the pressure and weight of his muscles is similar to having a weighted blanket draped across me.  Lol.

 

SLEEP MASKS

Now, because I am a light sleeper, and more so during the Spring/Summer months when the sun rises super early and the morning light will jolt me awake at 4am, I also wear a sleep mask to bed.

When choosing a sleep mask, don’t just go for one that looks cute.  Try to get one that is made from silk and satin, as these will help your skin retain moisture, prevent dryness, and reduce the formation of lines and wrinkles –  basically adding the beauty in beauty sleep. Even my husband comments on how soft my face feels and looks in the morning.

My eldest is starting to copy me and turn into quite the little madam – lol – and she too has started wearing a kiddie sleep mask to bed. I think she does it mainly because it looks cute and grown-up to her. It does help her sleep better, and as we know, growing kids need their sleep.

 

VALERIAN

On nights when my insomnia and racing thoughts were really so bad that I needed something stronger than chamomile tea, I would take valerian herb capsules. Valerian is a natural sedative that is just as effective as and yet safer than prescription sleeping pills. It gently sends you off into a deep, restful sleep, and you wake up refreshed, without the heavy, groggy feeling that sleeping pills leave you with. Just avoid this if you are pregnant, and do not give it to children under 14 years old.

Some people use melatonin, but it can be a hormone-disrupter, so I prefer to use Valerian  

 

THE ROSARY

Finally, praying the rosary, a meditative form of prayer, is really great for racing thoughts.  It slows down the mind and soothes you to sleep. Go through all the decades and you should feel sleepy by the end.

It even works with the kids too. Just climb into their bed with them and pray the Rosary – the repetitive prayer in a hushed, gentle tone will be like a lullaby that lulls them to sleep before you even complete the entire Rosary because, after all, praying the Rosary at night is like holding on to Momma Mary’s hand as you whisper, “Mamma, Mamma,” while she soothes you to sleep. It works on babies and adults alike.

 

So, I hope you found this article useful for ideas on how to soothe restlessness, insomnia and racing thoughts when trying to sleep. 

Have you tried any of these?  What other methods have you tried?  Feel free to share in the comments.

Our Lady, Mother of The Word Incarnate, pray for us

 ad Jesum per Mariam

🌹🙏🌹