References
1. Perform Wudhu before Sleep
- Al-Bara’ bin ‘Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) directed me thus: “Whenever you go to bed, perform Wudu’ as you do for Salat, then (before sleeping) recite: ‘O Allah! I have submitted myself to You, I have turned myself to You, committed my affairs to You, and sought Your refuge for protection out of desire for You and fear of You (expecting Your reward and fearing Your punishment). There is no refuge and no place of safety from You but with You. I believe in the Book You have revealed and in the Prophet (ﷺ) You have sent.”‘ Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) added: “If anyone recites these words and dies during the night, he will die on the true Deen, and if he remains alive till the morning, he will obtain good. And make this supplication your last words (before sleeping).”
Riyad as-Salihin 814: Book 4, Hadith 2
Research Studies:
- In a study, it was found that after bathing, young people reported “warmth” in their hands and/or legs, while the elderly more often reported “good sleep” or “quickness of falling asleep”. The report also suggested that during the first few hours of sleep, body movements were less frequent after bathing for both the young and the elderly subjects. The results suggest that a bath before sleep enhances the quality of sleep, particularly in the elderly.
Reference: Kanda, K., Tochihara, Y. & Ohnaka, T. Bathing before sleep in the young and in the elderly. Eur J Appl Physiol 80, 71–75 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004210050560
2. Recite Three Surahs (Mouzatain) before Sleep
- Narrated Aisha:
“Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq, and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face, and front of his body. He used to do that three times.”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 5017: Book 66, Hadith 39
3. Supplications before Sleep
اللَّهُمَّ أَسْلَمْتُ نَفْسِي إِلَيْكَ، وَوَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِي إِلَيْكَ، وَفَوَّضْتُ أَمْرِي إِلَيْكَ، وَأَلْجَأْتُ ظَهْرِي إِلَيْكَ، رَغْبَةً وَرَهْبَةً إِلَيْكَ، لاَ مَلْجَأَ وَلاَ مَنْجَا مِنْكَ إِلاَّ إِلَيْكَ، آمَنْتُ بِكِتَابِكَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلْتَ، وَنَبِيِّكَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتَ
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whoever recites these words (before going to bed) and dies the same night, he will die in the Islamic religion (as a Muslim).”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 6315: Book 80, Hadith 12
4. Dusting the bed before Sleep
- Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
“When any one of you goes to bed, he should take hold of the hem of his lower garment and then should clean (his bed) with the help of that and then should recite the name of Allah for he does not know what he left behind him on his bed.”
Reference: Sahih Muslim 2714a: Book 48, Hadith 85
Research Studies
- The bed is the most important habitat and source of mite allergens to which we are exposed for many hours during nocturnal sleep. The study suggests covering the mattress, pillow, and duvets with mite-allergen impermeable covers. Considering the ways to avoid mite allergens, during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), such developments did not exist, and so, he suggested dusting the bed. In hindsight, it should be equally as effective as using the mite allergen-impermeable covers.
Reference: Rijssenbeek-Nouwens LH, Oosting AJ, de Bruin-Weller MS, Bregman I, de Monchy JG, Postma DS. Clinical evaluation of the effect of anti-allergic mattress covers in patients with moderate to severe asthma and house dust mite allergy: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Thorax. 2002 Sep;57(9):784-90. doi: 10.1136/thorax.57.9.784. PMID: 12200523; PMCID: PMC1746424.
5. Recite Ayat-ul-Kursi before Sleep
- “…Whenever you go to bed, recite ‘Ayat-al-Kursi’ — ‘Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-l-Haiy-ul Qaiyum’ till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no Satan will come near you till morning…”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 2311: Book 40, Hadith 11
6. Sleep on the right side
- Narrated Al-Bara’ bin `Azib:
“When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) went to bed, he used to sleep on his right side.”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 6315: Book 80, Hadith 12
Research Studies
- The sleeping position had a significant influence on apneic events, and the Right Supine Sleeping Position (RSSP) decreased the frequency of obstructive respiratory events in patients with moderate and severe disease.
Reference: Ozeke, O., Erturk, O., Gungor, M. et al. Influence of the right- versus left-sided sleeping position on the apnea-hypopnea index in patients with sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 16, 617–620 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-011-0547-4
7. Avoid Sleeping on the Stomach
- It was narrated from Qais bin Tihfah Al-Ghifari that his father said:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) found me sleeping in the masjid on my stomach. He nudged me with his foot and said: ‘Why are you sleeping like this? This is a kind of sleep that Allah dislikes,’ or ‘that Allah hates.'”
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah 3723: Book 33, Hadith 67
- It was narrated that Abu Umamah said:
“The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by a man who was sleeping in the masjid, lying on his face. He struck him with his foot and said: ‘Get up’ or; ‘Sit up, for this is a hellish kind of sleep.'”
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah 3725: Book 33, Hadith 69
Research Studies:
- There is a significant association between prone position and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which suggests that prone position is a major risk factor for SUDEP, particularly in patients aged 40 years and younger.
Reference: Liebenthal JA, Wu S, Rose S, Ebersole JS, Tao JX. Association of prone position with a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. Neurology. 2015 Feb 17;84(7):703-9. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001260. Epub 2015 Jan 21. PMID: 25609764
8. Make tomorrow’s to-do list before Sleep
Research Studies:
Writing a to-do list before bedtime has been scientifically shown to measurably improve sleep and next-day performance. In a controlled laboratory study at Baylor University (2018) involving 57 adults aged 18–30, participants who spent five minutes writing down specific tasks they needed to complete in the next few days fell asleep on average nine minutes faster than those who wrote about tasks they had already completed. Moreover, the more detailed and itemized their to-do lists were, the faster they fell asleep, showing a direct relationship between task specificity and sleep-onset speed. Researchers explained that this effect comes from “cognitive off-loading”—the act of transferring unfinished tasks from mind to paper—which reduces mental rumination and allows for quicker relaxation. This simple 5-minute bedtime habit not only helps people fall asleep faster but also provides a structured mental plan for the next day, improving focus, reducing decision fatigue, and making success easier to achieve.
Reference: Scullin, M. K., & Krueger, M. L. (2018). The effects of writing about testing worries or to-do lists on sleep-onset latency. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139–146. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000374