15 "Sleep Affirmations" That'll Help You Finally Chill Out & Go To Sleep

Your bedroom is screen-free, dark, and cool. You've followed your nighttime routine to a T. Your white noise machine is chugging away and your sleep-friendly crystals are fully charged. And yet, as hard as you may try, you simply cannot fall asleep. A good night's sleep looks slightly different for every person — but we've all had those nights where stress, a sudden sound, or just our dumb bodies throw off our best laid plans for a peaceful slumber.

In theory, we just need to find something that will quiet our minds, but such a thing isn't easily found when our thoughts are loud enough to keep us up into the wee hours. That's why a copy of Jennifer Williamson's book, Sleep Affirmations: 200 Phrases for a Deep and Peaceful Sleep, deserves a place on your nightstand.

Williamson's sleep affirmations are straightforward and can fit into anyone's pre-sleep routine. They aren't flowery, long, or heavy-handed — they're simply brief, soothing statements meant to be read before bedtime.

Williamson says you can read (or, once you have it committed to memory, recite) the same affirmation every night or choose one at random by opening to a new page every night. There isn't a right or wrong way to use her book, she says. The effect should remain the same. "By focusing on the calming messages and the imagery they elicit, you successfully interrupt negative or stressful thought patterns from the day," Williamson explains.

Ahead, we've selected some of our favorite affirmations from Williams' book, in stores today. Each one is unique, but they're all intended to make you feel relaxed and comfortable, without being too touchy-feely. We've broken them down into three categories based on specific sleeping woes: stress, worries, and restlessness.

Read on to discover what you should repeat to yourself in order to catch some ZZZs — and no, it's not a list of your enemies.