Less sleep?

[sunrise1]

Hey everyone,

I don't have a sponsor yet or I would probably be asking her these silly questions... In anyone's experience, did you need less sleep after you stopped drinking? I am 5 days sober and I expected it for the first 2 or 3, but now after day 5 I am waking up after 6 hours of sleep and after I get up and move around, I am up. I used to need a solid 8 or 9. Or- is this just a temporary adjustment to a body without alcohol?

I woke up today believing for the first time that I can do this. I mean, like, the slogan "just for today" is SO on the money. But I mean, I allowed myself to glimpse long-term, and a life without alcohol didn't seem like such a dreary thing. That was very comforting to me...

As always thanks for listening!
sunrise

[FallGirl]

Hi Sunrise!
You're probably getting better quality sleep, so you're not needing as much?! I found kinda the same thing - when I'm drinking my sleep quality is poor, I wake up about 3-4 hours after I pass out, then I sleep pretty restless through the rest of the night/morning and I'll be in bed from 8-10 hours.
When I'm not drinking, after a few days, I usually sleep right through the night and I'll wake up after 7-8 hours.
Hope that helps! Have a good day!

FallGirl

[GlassPrisoner]

After 9 months, I find that as little as 5 or 6 hours is enough. However, on the weekends I'll sleep more than 8 if I don't make myself get up. But that's only because I like to sleep.

[stone]

Originally Posted by FallGirl

Hi Sunrise!
You're probably getting better quality sleep, so you're not needing as much?!

Sounds right to me. Dont talk to ME about sleep tho! I am going through an insomnia patch, grrr.

[Signal30]

The first week I was sober I was sleeping only about 4 hours a day, and still had energy that seemed to come from no where.


That didn't last. Eventually my sleep pattern went to a somewhat normal pattern.



Tom

[CarolD]

Gee...I hate to sleep
the less I do the better I like it.

Sooo... I don't have a clue.

Well Done on your sober time.

[CarolD]

Stone....
Please see if this helps

http://www.well.com/user/mick/insomnia/

Blessings

[BaldHeadedJohn]

Sunrise;

It's going to take a while for your body to get back in touch with itself. I've got about 25 days, and some nights I sleep well; others, I'm up every 30 minutes looking at that clock.

Hang in there. Things will even out for you. They will.

Brightest blessings to you.

BHJ

[Peter]

When I was drunk I never "slept". I passed out until the alarm forced me to get up then I would drag myself through the rest of the morning feeling listless and achy. The only time I felt a little better was coming on to the evening when I knew it was coming closer to my drinking time.

I still have sleep trouble today but amazingly I seem to be able to get by with as little as 4 hours of sleep . I would say on average I get between 4 to 6 hours .

[51anna]

Hi Sunrise,

I'm glad you feel good about your sobriety and life without alcohol is amazing! I never imagined it could be so good.

I had insomnia long before I started drinking and still have it. I'm trying to follow Carol's cue LOL, but sometimes I am just plain tired. You're still early on sobriety, so more changes will probably happen with your sleep patterns.

[needtobefree]

I am finding that I am sleeping much better now I've been sober for 18 days. I do take medication which helps with my sleep but I think the alcohol was interfering with that, whatever I'm sleeping much better now and actually sleeping through the night, that's a revelation for me.

Congrats on your sobriety :0)

[nakur]

Lol, I must be the only one who sleeps more after quitting. I usually would wake up after 6-7 from the hangover, feeling horrible untill I could start drinking in the evening again. Now I sleep 8-9 hours and it feels great to have a long rest with dreams I can actually remember. The only problem is that my sleeping pattern is a mess, I go to sleep at 2-3 am and wake up at 10-11 but I am working on that too.

[RedFox]

Originally Posted by BaldHeadedJohn

It's going to take a while for your body to get back in touch with itself.

I agree, from my experience 2 days is too early for your body to recover. I've been told by one of my therapists that it takes 2-3 days just to recover from a night of drinking. So I would imagine it would take quite a bit longer than that for your body to get used to the fact that there's no alcohol coming in. But I've had insomnia for years and have been going through a rough patch recently, so I've never really gotten a good night's sleep. Hopefully you continue to have better luck that I do.

[karrotop]

hi....I LOVE to sleep now...I used to,"pass out" when my head hit the pillow....and i'd toss and turn all night....feeling lousey all night....and in the mornings,when the alarm rang,I'd hit the snooze button for an hour,dreading putting my feet on the floor....I love going to bed at night now,and being able to stay awake long enough to watch an hour of Law and Order before I drift off to sleep..Waking up is alot easier,without the body aches,puffy eyes,and dry mouth....Your body needs sleep now,more than ever...good luck with that!pleasant dreams!

[nan07]

Hi sunrise...
Perhaps you just need a bit more time for your body to adjust. I am one of those folks whose sleep was disturbed by alcohol...the very first night I quit I slept like a baby! I am the exception, however...most accounts read like yours. If it's sounds that are awakening you, maybe you can find one of those inexpensive "white noise" or natural sound machine thingys at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I hope you're sleeping well soon.