If you can’t sleep, pray the gradual Psalms
It's tough to stay awake while praying at night—even for monks!
Insomnia. Truly no fun at all: the mind runs while the body lies paralyzed worrying about the bills, the kids, the new catalytic converter for the car, and the sad state of human affairs—the whole lot of human misery. And the “cures” for insomnia are sometimes worse than the disease: Ambien can cause stomach upset and sleepwalking; benzodiazipines can be habit-forming; acetaminophen “P.M.” is tough on the liver; Benadryl may bring on tachycardia or even high-blood pressure.