Do you wake up to pee every night?
I do, and it’s annoying.
I envy folks with bladders so large they can hold it for eight straight hours, but, since I can’t, each night I must confront the conundrum that’s puzzled mankind for thousands of years.
What should I do when I wake up in the middle of the night?
A tiny bladder is my downfall, but what’s yours?
Are you a light sleeper who can’t sleep through more than the softest sounds? Maybe you suffer from chronic pain that wakes you every hour. Perhaps you’re terrified that your wife’s cancer will take her from you way too soon.
Regardless of the reason, whether serious or merely annoying, waking up in the middle of the night can stink, particularly when you’re unable to fall back asleep quickly.
Over my forty-plus years of life, I’ve developed strategies to get back to sleep promptly while cherishing the time I’m up and I hope at least a couple of these tips resonate with you,
4 Strategies Catholics Use When They Can’t Fall Back To Sleep At Night
STRATEGY ONE – DARKNESS IS YOUR FRIEND
Keep the lights off!
Do everything you can to fight the temptation to flip the light on. Light, even a small amount, will flip on a switch inside your brain—a switch that’ll be a challenge to turn back off. You’ll instantly feel more awake.
I use the moonlight to see during my midnight journey to the bathroom, but you may not be lucky enough to have windows on your route. If you still need to see, plug in a dim nightlight, preferably the bulb-less LED variety, that won’t wake you more than you already are.
STRATEGY TWO – NO PHONE!
While the light generated by your mobile phone isn’t good, it’s not the primary reason to keep your screen off.
Reading texts, searching the web, or scrolling through videos will stimulate your mind, waking it up when it should instead be settling right back down.
Resist the urge to check your social media, and leave your screen alone.
STRATEGY THREE – STEP AWAY FROM THE CLOCK
Okay, fine. You can glance at your clock once…when you first wake up. It’ll let you know if it’s close to morning or if you should go back to sleep.
But that’s it!
I know you’ll be tempted to check the time periodically, especially if you’re up for a while. I know I am. But doing so will only cause you to worry that you won’t be able to fall back asleep, and you’ll get more and more anxious each hour that you can’t.
If you need to, turn the clock face away from your bed or turn your clock off altogether. You need your sleep, and wondering what time it is won’t help you get it.
STRATEGY FOUR – DON’T SPEAK
This one applies to folks who share a bedroom with someone, whether it’s a spouse, a sibling, or a roommate.
Once you’ve emptied your bladder—if necessary—and returned to bed, try not to speak to anyone unless necessary.
First, you definitely don’t want to wake anyone else. If anyone’s ever woken you in the middle of the night, you know how it feels to be jolted awake from a deep slumber. It’s no fun, and it’s often difficult to fall back asleep.
Second, talking will wake you more than you already are.
STRATEGY FIVE – PULL OUT YOUR FAVORITE PRAYERS
After I return to bed from the bathroom, I pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary. I may fall asleep immediately after, but I rarely fall asleep without doing so.
It’s important to put the night and our lives in our Heavenly Father’s hands—both directly and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. How better to do so than by praying the prayers that Jesus and Mary gave us?
We may be awfully tired, but we’re never too tired to repeat the words we know so well.
STRATEGY SIX – REVEAL YOUR HEART
If you’re awake enough, take a moment to consider the deepest longings of your heart.
I find that when I’m in that in-between-awake-and-asleep state, I can often feel feelings that I couldn’t otherwise feel. Sometimes, I really need forgiveness. Other times, life’s burdens have got me down.
I often need to express thankfulness for joy that I absolutely don’t deserve.
Whatever the case, that dreamlike awake time is often the best time to feel and to share those raw feelings with the only One who will ever truly understand…Jesus.
Pray to Him. Tell Him what you feel and why you feel that way. Trust Him to listen.
“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
STRATEGY SEVEN – SHARE THE LOVE BY PRAYING FOR OTHER
Think about the needs of those you love. Think about the needs of those you don’t love. And pray for them both. Consider that the reason you are laying awake is a prompting from the Holy Spirit to intercede for others. Use this time wisely.
Praying for others doesn’t only help them, however. It also opens your heart to feel their needs. There’s nothing like a little empathy to bring your soul into closer alignment with Jesus’ heart.
BONUS STRATEGY – LISTEN TO WORSHIP MUSIC OR HYMNS
Sometimes, as we’re lying in bed attempting to fall back asleep, we get to thinking about things. We worry. We stress. We feel guilty or sad or angry.
When such emotions overwhelm us, it can be challenging to fall asleep. Peaceful music that helps your mind and heart to focus on God will guide you into a time of prayer.
DREAM BIG
Night can be a spiritually fruitful time, but only if you know how to handle it.
Be ready when you wake up. Know your strategy. Learn what works for you. Remember to share your night with God.
For a God powerful enough to defeat sin and death, helping you survive the middle of the night and fall back to sleep is nothing. After all, He’s the One who created night in the first place!
