How to sleep (and live) better …

We stress ourselves out so much in just one day, it’s a wonder we ever get any sleep!

Living lives perpetually racked with stress often robs us of a good night of sleep. Here’s one tip for how you can get a better night of sleep and live a little better as well.

Are you ready for this?

Here it is: Laugh!

I have no doubt Jesus laughed a lot while He was here on earth. I can imagine Him laughing with Joseph in the carpenter shop, laughing with His friends as a boy, laughing with His neighbors, and laughing a lot with His disciples. I think God intended for us to have such joy and richness of life that we enjoy laughter.

Laughter benefits us emotionally as well as physically. It lifts our spirits by moving our minds off everything we allow to worry and panic us, and it physically loosens up our bodies that often tense up from our stress which makes us less able to relax when we try to sleep.

So here’s something that I have had clients try, and I enjoy myself. Before turning in for the night, have a season of worshipful prayer — not a time pleading to God, but just worshiping and adoring Him. Then, stretch out in bed and tune in to some comedy for a time of laughter. You can download for free various apps that have comedy programming (Pandora, Slacker, iHeartRadio, and other apps all have comedy programming), or you can usually find an all-comedy channel among your local radio stations. Spend a few minutes enjoying listening to a great comedian, the likes of Jim Gaffigan, and you’ll be laughing ’til you snort!

Making time for some laughter in your life, especially right before going to sleep, helps to lighten your mood, relax your thinking, and loosen up the tenseness of your body. The result is often a more restful night of sleep … and a better attitude!

Life is serious business, but it’s not all serious. Sometimes, we need to laugh or we’ll cry. We need to make time for tears, but we need to make a little time for laughter as well. Try it. Chances are you will sleep, feel, and think better.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength,” Proverbs 17:22.

Scotty