Ep. 15: How to Sleep Better | Habits To Win Here and Hereafter

One of the most important parts of having a productive, fulfilling day is having a good night's rest. The Qur'an and Sunnah recognize the benefits of rest and prescribe the best steps to sleep better.

For many people today, having the time to sleep and get a full night's rest is a luxury. So when you do have the time to sleep, you need to get it right.

Modern society needs more sleep

A good night's rest can impact your drive, focus and all-around energy levels when it comes to being productive or incorporating consistent habits. But people today, are in desperate need for a good night's rest. Our minds are constantly working; anxieties are high; and we are unable to turn off our racing thoughts.

In the past few years alone, the internet has exploded with services and apps offering a new form of meditation. Some people are willing to do and pay whatever it takes to get some sleep. Like all the tips that have been explored so far, Islam offers a bounty of ways to get a good night's rest.

Wind down with evening adhkar

The Prophet ﷺ would recite a set of evening adhkar or remembrances in the form of Qur'anic verses and du'a. When you take a few minutes every evening to sit down and recite these with mindfulness, you train your brain to slow down. The long list of prophetic dhikr that you can recite at night can keep you busy and work alone to get your mind in the sleep zone.

What Islam says about the night

Allah made the night for us to find that peace and serenity.

"He is the One Who made the night for you to rest in (peace)." [Qur'an, 10:67]

The night is not a time for us to lapse into bad habits prevalent in our society today.

What the Prophet ﷺ did before sleeping

The Prophet ﷺ actually delayed praying Isha' before going to sleep, and once he was done with salah, he disliked speaking after it.

Imagine having just spent a few minutes quietly doing your adhkar. Then when you're ready to call it a night, you spend your time in quiet prayer. You actively avoid talking afterward when your mind, having been able to meditate for several minutes, has stopped racing. On that note, you slip into bed reciting a few short verses from the Qur'an before falling asleep.

This gets you in the zone to sleep, and you also fall asleep with the most important thing on your mind - remembering God. At the same time, you remember your purpose for that day, and the next day to follow.

Put your phone on airplane mode

As a final practical tip, put your phone on airplane mode at least 30 minutes before you sleep. Or do it before you pray or recite your adhkar. This is one very easy way to protect yourself from the stresses and hypnotizing things that are on our phones. Similarly, when you're up early and preparing for fajr salah, you won't be tempted to check all of your messages that came in while you were asleep.

Download the Habits to Win Here and Hereafter Workbook as you follow along with this series!