Lying awake doing the maths on how few hours are left before the alarm is one of the loneliest kinds of tired there is. Insomnia isn't just a bad night — it's a pattern: trouble falling asleep, waking repeatedly through the night, or waking too early and not being able to drop back off, regularly enough that it's wearing you down.
The night prayer has always had a special place in this ummah's relationship with the dark hours — but that's a choice made in wakefulness, not the same thing as lying there exhausted, wishing you could switch off and simply can't.
What it can look like
Physical
- Daytime tiredness or low energy
- Headaches or muscle tension from poor sleep
Mental & emotional
- Irritability or a low mood that tracks with how badly you slept
- Difficulty concentrating, or feeling foggy through the day
- Worry about sleep itself, which makes falling asleep even harder
Changes in behaviour
- Taking a long time to fall asleep, most nights
- Waking often during the night, or far too early
- Relying on naps or caffeine to get through the day
Why it happens
Short-term insomnia (under about three months) is usually tied to something specific — stress, a change in routine, noise, an uncomfortable room, or a stimulant like caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol too late in the day. Longer-term insomnia is more often linked to ongoing stress, anxiety, or low mood, or to an underlying condition like restless legs or a thyroid issue. Either way, it isn't something you're doing wrong at bedtime — it's usually something that needs addressing earlier in the day.
From the Quran
وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًا
“And made your sleep for rest.”
78:9
A dua for this
بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا
Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya
“In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6324
Things you can try
Do
- Keep the same wake-up time every day, even after a bad night — it resets your body clock faster than a lie-in does
- Wind down before bed: dim lights, no screens, something calm
- Keep the room dark, quiet, and on the cooler side
- Get natural light and movement during the day — it makes a real difference to night sleep
- If you can't sleep after 20 minutes or so, get up and do something calm until you feel drowsy, rather than lying there frustrated
Don't
- Don't nap for long periods in the day, or too late — it steals from the night
- Don't drink caffeine within about 6 hours of bed, and go easy on alcohol — it disrupts sleep even if it helps you drop off initially
- Don't check the clock repeatedly through the night — it usually makes the anxiety about not sleeping worse
What does this bring up for you today?