sleep and dreams
What prayers or mantras are recited before sleep in Hindu practice?
What the tradition holds
Hindu practice treats the moments before sleep as a time to settle the mind and hand the night over to God. Several paths are common. Some households recite prayers to Shiva, including stotras that praise him as pure and all-pervading. Some devotees of Vishnu recite the Vishnu Sahasranama, the thousand names of Vishnu, either fully or in part. In Shakta households, shlokas from the Devi Bhagavata tradition are sometimes used at this hour. One of the most widespread habits across many traditions is Rama nama japa, simply repeating the name Rama quietly, either aloud or in the mind, until sleep comes. The idea behind all of these is the same: to let the last conscious moments be filled with the divine rather than with worry or scattered thoughts.
What sleep means in this tradition
Hindu thought sees sleep as a state where ordinary awareness withdraws. Some traditions describe it as a small daily return to a deeper self. Because of this, what the mind holds at the edge of sleep is seen as significant. Prayers at bedtime are understood as a way of placing the sleeping self under divine protection and of carrying something good into that quiet inner state.
How it varies
There is no single fixed bedtime prayer that all Hindus share. Practice differs greatly by region, language, family lineage, and which deity a household is devoted to. A Shaiva family may end the day with Shiva stotras. A Vaishnava family may prefer Vishnu's names or a verse from the Gita. A family devoted to the Goddess may use Devi prayers. Many people simply repeat a name of God that feels natural to them. In some households the practice is formal and daily. In others it is occasional or personal.
How people keep it today
For Hindus living far from their home community, bedtime prayer is often one of the easiest practices to keep. It needs no temple, no materials, and no special time. Many families pass a short shloka or a name of God to children as a bedtime habit. Others use recorded recitations. The form changes, but the intention, settling the mind before rest, stays the same.