Prayers Before Sleep: What to Read at Night

Svichka.org · Updated 2026-10-07 · 8 min read

An evening prayer is how the day ends with God: thanks for what it held, a request for forgiveness, and the night handed over to his care. Below are the texts you can read straight off the screen, how to build a rule that fits your week, and what to do when you are too tired for anything long.

In this article: The Our Father · Prayer to the Theotokos · An evening prayer in your own words · When you have no strength left

What People Read Before Sleep

The evening rule is a handful of short prayers. It holds thanks for the day, a request for forgiveness, a request for a quiet night, and a prayer for the people you love. Most nights that means the Our Father, the prayer to the Theotokos, and a few words of your own. You do not need long texts memorised. Three prayers and five minutes are enough. If you are tired, that is still enough. You can say them slowly, or simply read them. The texts below can be read straight off the screen. Nothing here asks you to perform or to prepare. You come as you are, with whatever the day has left in you. Say the words, and let the night take the rest.

The Our Father

The Our Father is the prayer Christ gave his disciples. In the evening rule it comes right after the opening prayers. It asks for daily bread, for forgiveness, and for protection from evil. People read it slowly, some read it three times. The full text is below, word for word as in a prayer book. This prayer holds a central place in the evening rule, following the opening prayers without any other text between them. Its petitions are simple and cover what a person needs most: bread for the day, forgiveness for sins, and safety from evil. Many who pray it do not rush. They read it slowly, letting each word settle, and some read it three times as part of their usual practice. The version given below is the full text, copied word for word as it stands in a prayer book, so nothing is added or left out.

The Prayer to the Theotokos

The prayer to the Theotokos is an ancient address to the Mother of God and one of the best loved in the evening rule. It is short and easy to remember, which is part of why it has stayed so close to the hearts of believers through the centuries. It is read after the Our Father, asking for her protection through the night. At home once is enough. Those who want to, read it three times. This small prayer carries a quiet trust that she will cover the one praying with her care until morning. Many people find that its few words fit easily into tired lips and a tired mind. It asks for nothing complicated, only that she watch over the night ahead.

The Evening Rule: What It Contains

The full evening rule in an Orthodox prayer book takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to read. It begins with opening prayers and includes the Our Father, psalms, and the Creed. Then come troparia, a prayer to the Theotokos, and several prayers for yourself. Many of these texts are long, and it is fine if you do not read all of them at home. A shortened rule is the Our Father, the prayer to the Theotokos, and your own words for yourself and the people close to you. This smaller form keeps the heart of the rule without the weight of the full book. One of the prayers, O Master who loves mankind, is said lying in bed. So the evening rule can end quietly, with the body at rest and the mind still turned to God.

An Evening Prayer in Your Own Words

Praying in your own words is allowed, and for many people it is often easier than reading a set text. Such a prayer usually has three parts. The first part is thanks for the day that has passed, for what was good in it and for the fact that you have come to its end. The second part is a request for forgiveness, for the wrongs of the day and for what you did not do as you should have. The third part is a request for a quiet night, for rest and for protection until morning. Do not hunt for fine phrases. Say it as it is, simply and honestly, the way you would speak to someone close to you. The text below can be read as it stands, or it can be used as a starting point for your own words.

A Prayer for the People You Love

Before sleep, many people turn their hearts to those they love. They remember a husband or wife, parents, children, and those who are far away. It is a quiet moment when the day is ending and the soul is still. You can say the name out loud or silently, whichever feels natural to you. The important thing is not the volume of your voice but the love behind it. Ask for peace, health and protection for the person you are holding in your heart. Do not ask for luck, because luck is not what we truly need. What we need is God's mercy and care over the one we love. A short prayer for loved ones is below, and you can pray it slowly, name by name.

This text is ours, not a Church prayer. Read it as it stands or use it as a starting point.

A Prayer for Children Before Sleep

Children get their own prayer, because a child cannot always pray alone. A short prayer before sleep settles both the child and the parents. Read it aloud by the bed, or silently if the child is already asleep. The text is below. A child may be too small to find words, or too tired to hold a thought, and so the prayer is given to be said with them and for them. It is short on purpose, so that it can be repeated each night without effort and without hurry. When a parent reads it aloud by the bed, the child hears a familiar voice and rests in it. If the child is already asleep, the same words can be read silently, and the room is still quiet. The prayer does not demand anything from the child. It simply places the night, and the child, into God's hands.

How to Pray Before Sleep If You Rarely Do It

Find a quiet corner where nobody will interrupt you. A kitchen, a balcony, or a room with the light off can all work. You do not have to stand, and you do not have to speak aloud. Sitting is fine, and lying down is fine if your back hurts. Put the phone away and turn off the sound so nothing pulls at you. Five honest minutes are worth more than an hour of going through the motions. Starting matters more than doing it perfectly. If you rarely pray before sleep, this small beginning is enough. God is not waiting for a performance. He is waiting for you.

When You Have No Strength Left

When you are worn out, there is simply no strength left for long texts, and that is not a problem at all. The Church has always known short prayers for exactly such moments, like Lord, have mercy, or Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. You can say them lying down, you can say them in a whisper, and you can even say them with your lips only, without any sound at all. Prayer is not a job and it is not a report you have to hand in. A tired person prays as they can, and that is enough. God does not demand long speeches from someone who is barely holding on. Short words for the night are below, and you can take them one at a time.

This text is ours, not a Church prayer. Read it as it stands or use it as a starting point.

What to Do If You Fall Asleep During Prayer

Falling asleep during the evening prayer happens to many people, and it is not a disaster. It is not carelessness and not a sin, because the body is simply tired, and prayer is not a competition. When morning comes, do not scold yourself for what happened the night before. Instead, say a few words of thanks for the night that has passed. Then read the evening rule in full some other time, when you are more rested and able to give it your attention. If you notice that you fall asleep every evening, you may make the rule shorter. You can also read it earlier in the evening, before tiredness takes over. What matters is not the length of the words, but the honesty of the heart that turns to God.

Why Evening Prayer Calms You Down

Evening prayer helps you gather your thoughts before sleep. You name the day that has passed, you give thanks for what was good, and you hand over what worries you. Because of this, you stop replaying the same scene in your mind and you fall asleep sooner. There is nothing magic here. What works is silence, the steady rhythm of the words, and the simple fact that your thoughts are no longer alone with themselves. Prayer does not replace a doctor, but it does quiet the noise before sleep. When the day is named and the worry is handed over, the mind is no longer left to circle the same anxious thoughts. The words carry you, and the silence holds you, and sleep comes more gently.

An Evening Candle in Church: the Photo Comes to You

When you ask, we light a candle in a church for your name and your prayer, and then we send you the photo on Telegram or WhatsApp. If your request arrives before 6 pm Kyiv time, the candle burns that same day and the photo comes to you that evening. If it arrives later, the candle is lit the next day. We are not priests, and we do not pretend to be. The evening rule is read by everyone at home, alone or with family, each in their own place. Our part is simple and small: the visible candle and the prayer beside you. This costs nothing, and there is nothing to pay. You only send your name and your request, and we do the rest. The photo is a quiet sign that your name was spoken before the icons.

📷 Photos from the church: what your candle looks like

Candles in the church: this is the photo you receive

We do not send stock images. Every photo is a candle we actually placed in the church, taken the same day. That is why you see the date and time in the message.

If your request arrives before 6 pm Kyiv time, the candle burns the same day and the photo comes that evening. Later requests are lit the next morning.

Common questions

Which prayers should I read before sleep?

The shortest version is the Our Father, the prayer to the Theotokos, and a few words of your own for yourself and the people you love. If you have the strength, add psalms, the Creed, and troparia from a prayer book.

Can I pray in my own words?

Yes. Church texts give you an order to follow, but your own words are always allowed. God hears plain speech just as well.

How long does the evening rule take?

The shortened rule takes three to five minutes. The full rule from a prayer book takes fifteen to twenty. Take what you can read every day, not once.

Can I pray sitting or lying down?

Yes, when illness or exhaustion makes standing hard. Praying in bed is allowed, especially before sleep. Attention matters more than the position of your body.

What if I fall asleep during the prayer?

Nothing bad has happened. Read it the next evening, or add a few words of thanks in the morning. Falling asleep during prayer is not a sin.

Do I need a candle or a lamp at home?

No. You can pray without a candle. If you have a lamp or a candle, people light it and pray by the flame, but that is a custom, not a condition.

Can I pray for other people before sleep?

Yes, and it is a good thing to do. Name the person and ask for peace, health and protection for them. For someone who was not baptised, people pray at home, not at the Liturgy.

When will the photo of the candle arrive?

If the request arrives before 6 pm Kyiv time we light the candle the same day and send the photo that evening. Later requests are lit the next morning.

Read next: Morning prayer · The Our Father · Prayer to the Theotokos · A prayer of thanks · Prayers of protection · Prayers for health · All prayers