Christian Insomnia
First, I'd like to say I am not a Pastor, a doctor, nurse, therapist, or nutritionist. I'm only a humble servant of The Most High and Holy God. I only write this to help others who are in the same predicament, that I was in going on three years ago.
The only way out of it was progressive deliverance by the hand of The Almighty God. Period. And The deliverance is still going on today.
Christian Insomnia? Is there such a thing?
Yes, there is. The bible tells us that we ( Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ As Our Personal Savior ) are IN the World, but not OF the world. We are here INCOGNITO and there are two forces which recognize our existence. The Kingdom of Light ( God's Kingdom ) and the Kingdom of Darkness ( Satan's Kingdom ). The world as a whole does not see us because they are so bombarded ( blinded ) by Satan by the cares of this world. They only see and hear us if God has prepared hearts to see and hear before we met them and witness to them.
Back to our presence in the world. Satan takes great exception to the fact that we are in the world. Why? Because this is HIS territory! He wants to reign unholy terror on this world, and as he sees The Day Of Christ draw closer, he is pulling out all stops against you as a Christian. The is called WARFARE!
As a young believer I used to think of “warfare” as physical battle with guns and bombs. And yes there is warfare like that in some Christian lives ( ex: persecuted Christians overseas ). However, Satan is much more subtle in some areas. The Bible says: Satan seeks to “wear out” the saints. . . . . .
To wear you down with worries and cares. Like water dripping on a rock. The water is small and insignificant but after years of persistent dripping, the water gets through.
But, the Bible tells us to: Cast every care upon HIM, for He careth for you. . . . . . . The Bible also says: "Trust in the Lord in everything and lean NOT to thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." There are so many other scriptures in the Bible which tell us that we as God's Children should TRUST OUR HEAVENLY FATHER!
What does this have to do with insomnia? You as a believer may say, “I've given these problems to God and He will take care of them.” But, have you really? You may say: “I'm not going to worry about my problems.” but then you are unable to sleep. Why? Even though your body is tired and you are in bed, your unconscious mind is hyper active, figuring out ways to manipulate things to your favor, how to get people back for what they did to you, etc. In other words, your body is lying down, you've got your eyes closed, but your mind is a Cement Mixer!
Did you know that the unconscious mind, never sleeps? While your conscious mind sleep, your unconscious mind remains alert and on guard like a night sentry in the military. When danger approaches it challenges: “Halt! Who goes there!”
This is the reason why a mother of a newborn baby can be dead asleep but hear her baby cry in the next room.
As a believer, when we have insomnia we need to go through a Spiritual Checklist in order to find out what is the cause of it.
- How is your fellowship with the Lord? Are you confessed up and prayed up to date? If not, you need to “Stop and Drop” right where you are. Stop what you are doing and Drop to your knees, approach the throne of God, and pour out to Your Heavenly Father who knows and loves you!
- Did you pray FOR your sleep? This may sound ridiculous but didn't the Bible say “In everything acknowledge Him?” Yes, it's alright to go to Your Father in Heaven and say: “Father, I'm tired, may I please go to sleep?”
- God may want to speak to you about something. Yes, God can speak to you, the way He did back in the Old Testament with little Samuel (1Sam 3:3-10). God kept waking Samuel up by calling his name, and Samuel thought it was Eli. Eli told Samuel it was God calling him and to go back answer and listen to and obey what God had to say. God still does that to His children today. Praise be. . . .
- Have you REALLY cast all of your cares before HIM who cares for you? Or did you just say that to keep a brave face before men? Perhaps you may need to go to God with a Care and Worry list and honestly go through it with HIM. You may come out realizing you really didn't trust God at all. You may find you were packing worries like a squirrel with his face full of nuts! Lay that all at God's feet, and leave it there!
- Have you been obedient to God's calling on your life? The Bible says: “Jesus came to do the Will Of His Father. . . . . .” That is the reason we as believers are on the Earth today! To do the will of Our Father, nothing else matters! Being disobedient to God's calling brings consequences. With Moses, he could not go into the Promised Land because he disobeyed God and struck the rock twice when he was to SPEAK to it. Jonah, was tossed over the side of the very ship he used to escape, and he was swallowed by a whale. Samson had his hair shaved off and eyes poked out. For us, it may be sleeplessness. Only YOU know if this is happening in YOUR life, and I urge YOU to go before your Heavenly Father and settle up accounts with HIM.
If you've noticed, I've only mentioned the spiritual reasons why a person may not be sleeping first instead of the medical reasons. Why is that? Because I have LEARNED to trust God in all matters, even medical, especially in this day and age of licensed pill pushers.
I am NOT saying that all doctors are bad. There are some very corrupt and crooked ones out there who need their licenses taken away and banned from practicing ever again. On the good side, God has blessed me with some very good ones.
However, GOD is the GREAT PHYSISIAN! He MADE us so HE KNOWS EVERY MOLICULE IN OUR BODIES! So, it make perfect sense to go to OUR CREATOR to find out what HE has to say FIRST! After all, we say we are Christian, don't we? Then it's time to put our money where our mouth is. . . . . . .
Once you do your Spiritual Checklist, and you still have problems, You may need expert medical advise. Pray, pray, pray and again I say PRAY and ask God to send you to the right doctor.
What does the Bible say? In everything acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. . . . . . . .” God knows you, loves you, and has prepared someone in advance to take care of you. He just wants you to come and ask where she or he is.
Though I am not a medical professional, I can still give you a few hints and pointers on what may be causing your Insomnia.
Medical Reasons for Insomnia: For young women, one reason could be it's “that time of month”. For some strange reason, some women become hyper around that time. The only way to know for sure is to mark your “Red Days” on an old fashioned calender every month, and notice whether or not your insomnia falls into that pattern. If it does, at least you can be prepared for it when it comes.
For older women it also can be “Change of Life”. After age fifty means Menopause, and along with that comes the unpleasentness of night sweats, hot flashes, and everything else. Insomnia, unfortunately, is one of them.
Mental, emotional and physiological illnesses can also help impede sleep. If you suspect such, please with much prayer and God's guidance, seek professional help.
Exercise: Is there enough physical activity in your daily routine? By this I mean putting yourself on a strict regime of getting out and either hiking, power walking, biking, running, jogging, at least five times a week on a regular basis. This is a must, even when you get older. Exercise is like copper wire for electricity. It is a excellent conductor.
Eating: What are your eating habits like? Do you consume a lot of junk food? If so, they are loaded with nitrates, sugars and fat, things which will cause hypertension, diabetics, and obesity which also can impede sleep.
God did not create us to consume all kinds of crap. To be victimized by food conglomerates which push chemically laden foods at us and our children, at our expense. Our bodies are far too sensitive to these things and that is why we suffer so much in this area.
This is just a suggestion but, you may need to strip down your diet, removing junk, and chemically filled and processed foods, and switch to more fresh fruit and veggies. It may call for investing in a good wok and some cook books and learning how to prepare healthy and nutritious meals for yourself and your family. Which is far cheaper Micky-De's by the way.
Drinking: What do you drink before sleeping? A hot cup of coffee, iced tea, hot chocolate, a Coke or Pepsi? How hear this! ANYTHING WHICH CONTAINS CAFFEINE CONSUMED BEFORE SLEEPING IS A NO-NO!
Caffeine is a STIMULANT and will wake you up instead of relaxing you. This ban also includes alcoholic beverages ( though WE are not supposed to partake ) and unfortunately CHOCOLATE for those who like to nibble on chocolate before sleep. Limit your intake of caffeine products to early morning when you first awaken, up until and a little past mid day. Afternoon and evening is too late to drink or consume it without it having an affect on your sleep.
Time: Do you have a regular block of time set aside in your daily routine to sleep? If not, you must schedule one. Why? Because our body works in cycles. We have to train it when to start shutting down and getting ready to sleep and stay asleep. Like like a newborn has to be trained to stay awake during the day and sleep at night. When he or she is born, having been in the womb for 9 months, they don't know day from night, they just slept when they want to. The same goes you. You must have a set time where you start shutting things down and get ready to sleep.
Being a “Shift Worker” I had to do the same. I set aside a certain time during the day which is exclusively dedicated to sleep. I also politely cautioned all of my friends, business associates, etc. I made them aware that I sleep during the day and the best time to contact me was after a particular hour or to either, email, text, or FaceBook me. Yes, it works.
Sleep Habits: What do you do before you go to sleep? Have you ever watched your pet dog or cat before they go to sleep? They each have a little ritual before they finally bed down. A dog will climb onto his pillow and circle, and circle, and circle, and only then he will drop and go to sleep. A cat might either find a hide out or a high place to sleep in, and groom him or herself till sleepy.
It's called “nesting”. Humans for all of our sophistication do the same thing. As Christians, our first ritual before we close our eyes is to Thank Our Heavenly Father for sparing us to complete another day ( or night, in my case because I WORK nights ). This should be a spontaneous action and never just a ritual!
What else do we do before we go to sleep? According to most Insomnia Medical Reports actions like watching television, reading, being on the computer, video gaming, and eating, are a no no! Why? Because they over stimulate and wake up and hype up the brain instead of relaxing and lulling it to sleep.
Some reports even go so far as to advise people to remove computers and televisions from our bedrooms. Why? Because the emit electronic fields with interrupt and or interfere with sleep.
Also: A very silly question: WHAT SLEEPS WITH YOU IN BED?
If it isn't your spouse, get it outta there! Yea, that goes for piles of books, papers, the laptop, the cellphones. The e-readers, the dog, the cat, and what ever else you have in your bed that is not conducive to sleep. No, your Binky ( Teddy Bear ) can stay. . . . .
Creating the right atmosphere, for sleep: I realize I'm talking ancient things here but, a CD player and CDs ( or an I-pod with a table top I-Pod player ) of the Bible can come in very handy. Before going to sleep, chose a CD, pop it into the player and play it at a soft level.
You can also do this with what is called “White Noise”. Most cellphones have the “Sleep Noise”, or “Dream Noise” app you can down load and play. It's not only white noise, but Urban Traffic ( car horns and police sirens ), Island Paradise. All according to your taste.
If you are diagnosed as suffering from insomnia by a medical doctor, please stay girded in prayer before God about the “Medication” they will prescribe!
Every single one of the medications prescribed for insomnia are ADDICTIVE! They are all derivative of cocaine or some other illicit drug. Of course, the doctors will not tell you this. They will simply hand out the prescriptions like they are giving out candy to children.
Thus, these meds are not meant to be taken for months on end in order to get relief. I know this, unfortunately, from personal experience! You can also confirm it by doing the research for yourself.
With “Ambien” or any other kind of sleep medication, you are supposed to be on a one week ON and a one week OFF regime. Continuous use will cause a serious addiction problem, even if you are on a "supposed" very low dose ( like I was ).
God does not want His Children to be zoned out in LALA-LOOLOO LAND! The Bible says: "Know ye not, that ye are the temple of the Living God?" Therefore we as believers must be circumspect about what we consume. The so-called medication may help you to sleep, but of the consequences?
My suggestion, I repeat, this is just a suggestion. I've found that this “alternative” product really works. The Vitamin Shoppe has a product named “Snooze Right”, which contains all natural ingredients, and will ease you into sleep. Please follow the directions and take it about an hour before you want go to sleep.
I pray God was glorified in all that was shared and that it helped someone. According to HIS leading, I may write a second part to this blog.
Sister Solder
In HIS Service . . . . . . .
On the Battlefield For My Lord
