am658

Well guys, in a few hours time it will be 6 days since my last drink. Some of you may already know me already (I've been posting quite a lot lately)

My problem is: The insomnia and the hyperactivity.
My Doctor prescribed me 5mg tablets of Diazepam "to be taken when needed" and a maximum of 10mg per day!

First night I tried the Diazepam (5mg) it knocked me out 12 hours straight)
Then last night, I decided I'd cut the tablet in half (GP recommended this) so I would only take 2.5mg. This worked for a few hours and then I awoke. Stayed awake for +/- 4 hours, then slept a few.

How did you all deal with the insomnia? I'm currently decorating my room so I'm being kept busy, but seriously, how long until my sleep returns to normal?!

When I was drinking, part of the reason I drank at night to relieve anxiety :/

biminiblue

I had sleep issues for about a month. It's uncomfortable, for sure. The only thing to do is go through it.

I just slept when I could, it all evened out. Worrying about it did me no good. I didn't take anything (like pills) just drank chamomile tea and hot chocolate if I woke after a few hours. The hot chocolate seemed to help the most. Something about blood sugar, was my guess.

This forum is here 24/7/365, so just be patient, come here in the middle of the night. It will get better.

Soberwolf

Well done on day 6

Resolv

Happy Thanksgiving 658, I'm working on 5 months and I still don't sleep well, although I sleep much better now than I did the first 2 weeks. The insomnia really upset me at 1st which just exacerbated the situation. Now, I just roll with it. When I can't sleep I get out of bed, make me a cup of chamomile tea and read. When my tea is gone I go back to bed and sleep.

Be well.

Alwyshope12

Your central nervous system and brain need to reset once you remove the alcohol. As they say in the rooms it is baffling, cunning and powerful. Offen we underestimate how powerful it is for us. over the course of my addiction, I changed the delicate balance in my brain and central nervous syst, fueling more and more the need for more alcohol to replace the job of my natural brain functioning.

So when I quit, I was all out of wack. Sleeping at night was nearly impossible and sometimes staying awake during the day was a chore too. My internal clocks were so messed up, that I spent hours during the day sleeping and being completely overcome by emotions I had tried so hard to drink away. Nights were spent reading forums, watching videos on addictions and looking for stories of recovery and hope.

It was mainly through the grace of God and continual education that I was able to stay the course and get through it. After 90 or 100 days, the feelings got less troublesome.


That was over a year ago.

But at some point close to a year in sobriety, I decided a moderate amount of drinking would be fine. Big mistake. Now I am having to sit through the emotions and PAWS all over again. This time I know what to expect and the frightening reminder of the hell that life can become from my intolerance of alcohol.

Peace

Gargery

I've had chronic insomnia my entire life and have tried everything. Unfortunately, there is no good option: take drugs to sleep the rest of your life or do your best to maintain a rigorous food and exercise schedule, which also helps a lot if you remain dedicated. Most folks can just use drugs for a while until they get back to normal, but with addicts like us (me, anyway) drug use poses a special risk.

azza88

I am having same problem atm,

I get bad sweats and feel like **** every morning,

Best is to just keep getting through it, they all say it gets better.

Good Luck

zjw

sometimes a banana or a cup of tea will help me a bit . but at this point at 3+ years sober I dont think my insomnia has anything to do with the lack of booze. I till cant sleep the odd thing is i still can wake up and run 10 miles and feel pretty energetic most of the day. its really strange. but Id sure like a good nights rest.

OklaBH

I struggle to sleep still. I have been drinking a warm cup of chamomile tea everynight and it really helps. Good job ! Keep up the good work!

Hawk07

I've always suffered from insomnia but so much worse the first 2 weeks of being sober. It will pass. Do you drink caffeine? If so try to limit it or cut it out all together and don't drink anything caffeinated after noon. This helps me. Another tip is keep your bedroom temp lower than the rest of the house, between 60 and 67 fahrenheit. Set a ritual for bedtime. Like for me I brew a cup of chamomile grab a book and snuggle up in bed around an hour before my bedtime. I'm usually asleep within 20 mins now a days.

malcolmsloan

Insomnia, yes it is crazy. I had it real bad for the first few months. Tea really helped me, and shower, clean sheets, totally dark room. But the thing that got me through it was letting go of the fear of not sleeping. Someone here told me to always remember that you will sleep, eventually. I really felt like those early days of insomnia were a kind of crucible, something we all have to endure to get were we want to be. I even gave the early morning sleepless hours a name. I called them The Dead Moon Dogs, even wrote a poem about them. The dogs came a lot in those days, but I did not let them get me.
You can do this. We've all been through it. Relax. Sleep will come.
Onward!
-malcolm

SereneEdition

Hi Am -

+1 on Malcolm's note: remember that you will sleep eventually. Not stressing about it has helped me the most.

+1 that your brain is going through a chemical shift of no longer taking a depressant. It will recenter itself, and it is BEST if you can let your body do that without other chemicals. Exercise is a great 2-1 here, as it helps the brain recenter for BOTH insomnia and mood stabilization.

If insomnia is a trigger or it risks your sobriety, then by all means take something. Diazepam would not be my first choice though as it is a highly addictive benzo, which has the potential to cause an addiction with worse withdrawls than alcohol. If you let your doctor know about your alcoholism, he can prescribe something that can help you get sleep w/o the risk.

thisisme

Exercise is the enemy of depression and insomnia.