I find meditation very difficult; somehow it doesn’t suit my temperament. I need to mediate on something such as a familiar psalm or prayer.

Recently I have I discovered prayer beads to be helpful. Prayer beads, or ‘rosaries’, have not been common among Anglicans, who are often uncomfortable with the Marian nature of the Roman Catholic rosary (I am definitely no Marian myself, though I respect that the scripture describes her a " as blessed among women" the mother of Jesus. Maybe we can pray for the ‘faithful departed’, Mary included, but we certainly cannot pray to them.) However, there is a growing interest in the tradition of contemplative prayer. (‘Rosary’ derives from the Latin word rosarium, a rose garland or rose garden.)

I often lie quietly in bed for a while before falling asleep. So I use beads to help me fill my mind with pleasant, prayerful reflections. But praying in a darkened bedroom means that I either have to improvise as I go along (which is fine, but difficult when tired at the end of the day) or use some words that I have already memorised. So I chose on which I can meditate without being distracted by the effort of recall.
In your mercy, Lord, dispel the darkness of night. Let this household so sleep in peace that at the dawn of the new day we may with joy waken in your name; through Christ our Lord.