I’m so tired I go to sleep! The most obvious help to overcome sleepiness while praying is to not wait until the end of a long, hard day… almost an afterthought somewhere between brushing teeth and shutting off the light. Pick a time of day (even if it’s only five minutes to start with) when you’re awake and aware. Many people feel the morning hours are the best for them. Late risers might try going to bed a bit earlier and setting their alarm half an hour earlier.

Keith Miller says in A Taste of New Wine, “I began to see as I never had, the relationship of my prayer life to my physical and emotional life. A large glass of hot water and a few minutes of regular exercises just before one’s prayer time each morning can change the whole climate of one’s relationship with God and with other people. Because we are to come to Him with our whole lives … not just our ’spirit’.”