A gentle bedtime Examen to close the day
A simple Ignatian review for bringing the day to God before rest—without turning prayer into a sleep guarantee or a nightly self-investigation.
The short answer
To pray a bedtime Examen, become aware of God's presence, give thanks for one concrete gift, ask the Holy Spirit for light, review the day's important moments and your responses, ask mercy where needed, and entrust tomorrow to God. Keep it as brief or spacious as attentive prayer requires. The Examen is not a guaranteed sleep technique, a complete examination of conscience, or a substitute for Confession.
At bedtime, the whole day can arrive at once: what went well, what was left undone, the conversation you wish you could repeat, and tomorrow's demands. The Examen offers a way to bring that real day into God's presence and then let it end.
It is not a technique for forcing sleep. It is prayer.
What is a bedtime Examen?
The Daily Examen is an Ignatian prayer for noticing God's presence and your response through the day. Many people pray it in the evening, although there is no universal rule that it must happen immediately before sleep.
The Catechism includes evening prayer among the rhythms that nourish a continual life of prayer. The Jesuit Conference's Examen gives a flexible five-step pattern: gratitude, light, review, response, and looking ahead.
How to pray the Examen before bed
1. Become aware of God's presence
Put down what can wait. Sit, kneel, or lie down in a posture that helps you attend. Make the Sign of the Cross and say, “God, this day is still present to you. Help me see it with you.”
You do not have to create a peaceful mood first.
2. Give thanks for one concrete gift
Recall a person, meal, task, grace, beauty, endurance, or moment of help. Let the gift be specific. Gratitude does not deny suffering; it receives what was genuinely given within the day.
If gratitude feels difficult, begin with something basic: breath, shelter, the ability to ask for help, or the fact that you can bring difficulty to God.
3. Ask for light
Ask the Holy Spirit to show the day truthfully—without self-excusing and without self-condemnation. Memory can exaggerate one failure or protect an uncomfortable choice. This step turns review into prayer rather than solitary analysis.
4. Walk through the important moments
Move gently from morning toward evening, or stay with the two or three moments that carry the most energy. Notice:
- where you received or gave love;
- where you felt free, grateful, afraid, angry, or divided;
- where you acted truthfully and responsibly;
- where you resisted grace or harmed someone; and
- where God seemed present—or where you wished you could find him.
Do not solve every feeling. Notice the direction of your choices and movements.
5. Respond with mercy and truth
Thank God for grace. Where you sinned, admit the concrete wrong and ask forgiveness. Consider whether tomorrow requires an apology, restitution, a boundary, or Confession.
An Examen is broader than an examination of conscience and does not replace the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Avoid extending the review until you achieve perfect certainty.
6. Entrust tomorrow
Look briefly at what awaits you. Ask for one grace: patience, courage, attention, restraint, honesty, or rest. Name one reasonable action that cooperates with that grace.
Then release what cannot be completed tonight. You might end with Psalm 4, the Our Father, or:
Into your hands, Lord, I place this day and the day to come. Keep me in your peace.
A shorter version for a tired night
When energy is low, pray three sentences:
- “Thank you for…”
- “Forgive and guide me in…”
- “Tomorrow, give me grace to…”
Shortness is not failure. The Examen is flexible, and no article can assign the correct number of minutes for every person and day.
What if the review makes you more anxious?
Keep the focus on specific facts and choices. Do not try to explain your whole interior life before sleeping. Use a fixed ending and return unresolved questions to a priest, spiritual director, clinician, or another qualified person the next day.
If you tend toward scrupulosity or compulsive checking, agree on a simple structure and limit with a prudent confessor. Repeating the review until it feels complete can feed the very anxiety prayer is being asked to resolve.
Persistent insomnia, panic, or distress deserves appropriate professional assessment. Prayer and medical or mental-health care answer different needs and can accompany one another.
Is this different from evening reflection questions?
The movements overlap. A list of evening reflection questions can help when you need a starting point. The Examen is the underlying prayer: becoming present to God, receiving the day, noticing your response, and asking for grace.
Choose the structure that keeps you attentive. Then let the day be finished.
Where Soulv fits
Explore one moment if useful, then let the day end.
After the Examen, Soulv can help you reflect on one moment or save a takeaway to revisit. It does not perform the prayer for you, guarantee sleep, declare God's meaning, or replace Confession and human support. One text reflection is free each rolling month, with no account required.
Common questions
Will a bedtime Examen help me fall asleep?
It may help some people place the day before God, but it is not a clinical sleep treatment or a guarantee of sleep. If insomnia is persistent or affects daily functioning, seek appropriate medical guidance rather than making prayer carry that responsibility.
How long should a bedtime Examen take?
There is no required number of minutes. On a tired evening, one gratitude, one honest review, and one request may be enough. On another night, a significant moment may deserve more attention.
What if I remember a serious sin at bedtime?
Ask God for mercy, make an honest resolution to change, and plan to seek sacramental Confession. The Examen can lead toward Confession but does not replace it or give absolution.
Should I use my phone for the Examen?
You do not need a phone or app. If a device makes you more distracted or keeps you from sleep, use a memorized structure or a paper card. The prayer matters more than the tool.
Sources and review
Reviewed by Karen Minasyan on Sep 3, 2026.
- The Ignatian Examen — Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. The flexible five-step Examen structure of gratitude, asking for light, reviewing the day, noticing responses, and looking toward tomorrow.
- The Daily Examen — IgnatianSpirituality.com by Loyola Press. The Examen as prayerful review of God's presence and one's response throughout the day.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Life of Prayer — The Holy See. Daily rhythms of prayer, including evening prayer, as nourishment for a continual life of prayer.
- Psalm 4 — United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Prayer that brings distress, trust, examination, and lying down in peace before God.
- Soulv: Catholic Reflection — Soulv on the Apple App Store. Soulv's current reflection features, intended uses, and stated limits.