Sleep On It

What thoughts do you think before you go to sleep?  Does it really matter?  Actually, what you think about before you drift off into dream land could be very beneficial and profitable to your life.

While your conscious mind takes a much needed break as you sleep, your subconscious mind actually stays very active. Because of this, the thoughts that you think about shortly before you fall asleep are vitally important.

Many people end their day by watching the news, which is usually negative and often depressing. When they go to sleep after pouring all that junk into their minds, they are basically saying, “Okay subconscious mind, work on all that stuff.”  And then people wonder why they wake up depressed, negative, and with no ambition for the new day ahead?

Your subconscious mind is at work day and night, including throughout your slumber. Maybe you have heard someone say, “I’m going to sleep on it?”  I remember watching a movie and when faced with a problem, the main character said, “I’ll sort it out in the morning.”  Many times after, “sleeping on it,” a person wakes up with a solution, or at least, a new direction in which to proceed.

Perhaps you have heard the story about a man who had diligently worked for many hours towards a solution to a problem, yet still knew that there was something missing. He went to sleep, still trying to grasp that missing piece. His thoughts before he fell asleep were focused on unearthing the solution.

He said the next morning he suddenly woke up feeling “the greatest excitement.”  In a short amount of time thereafter, Albert Einstein wrote his first draft of a new article – a full thirty pages. It was the start to his theory of relativity.

There are a lot of people who wake up right before their alarm goes off. Does that happen to you?  Is it just a habit, or, before falling asleep, do you consciously think about what time you want to get up?  I think it is the latter.

Personally, the only time I use an alarm clock is when I need to get up much earlier than usual.  However, every time I set the alarm clock, it seems like I still wake up before it goes off.  I really believe that is because before falling asleep, I am very aware that I need to get up early.  I am very conscious of setting the alarm for a specific time.  And the next morning, my subconscious mind steps in, telling me it is 4:30.

There are those who suggest deliberately putting specific information into your mind before you fall asleep.  Having noted many examples of people going to sleep with a problem or dilemma, and then waking up with a solution, they suggest doing it on purpose, intentionally.

There are many programs that suggest doing your affirmations right before you go to sleep.  Some recommend reviewing your goals at that time. The Bible talks about not going to sleep angry.  Why?  Because the Creator designed the brain, and He knows that anger, resentment and bitterness is not something you want to give your subconscious to work on while you sleep.

So before you fall asleep, take note of your emotions.  If you are angry, stop for a few minutes and figure out why.  Our emotions are simply indicators of the thoughts in our hearts and minds.  If you need to forgive someone, then do it before you go to sleep and release that anger from your mind.

The point is, don’t allow yourself to fall asleep in a doubtful mood, or in a depressed mood, or in an angry mood.  If you fall asleep in a negative mood, you are impeding the work that your subconscious mind could be doing for you while you sleep.  Deal with the cause of the emotions.  Release the anger and replace it with forgiveness.  Release the depressed feeling with anticipation of God’s help in your life.  Release the doubt and replace it with confidence that God has a solution for you.

Once you release the negative emotions and replace them with something you do want to see in your life, then, deliberately give you subconscious mind something to work on.  Whether it is your affirmations, or goals, or something you are working to solve, be specific and deliberate about your thoughts right before you fall asleep.  Your subconscious mind is going to be working all night on something anyway, so why not give it something profitable?

Successful people develop successful habits; it doesn’t just happen automatically.  You can take charge of your life by doing many little, seemingly insignificant things.  However, those “little” things will reap enormously profitable dividends in your life.

So have a sweet, peaceful, and productive sleep!