Markymarc

Hi All -

I am new to the forum, and am reaching out for some advice and support. I do understand this is a very common topic and I have been researching it all day online. I am a 41 year old male from the Chicago area.

I recently had a health scare with fatty liver symptoms and had to quit alcohol, I was a heavy drinker for about 7 years. Given the liver issue I had to quit, no questions asked and no relapsing, the fatty liver is reversing and I generally feel like my old self, withdrawal was not bad, I was in detox as a precaution but did not have many of the known symptoms. I was quite lucky to get liver symptoms this early.

I am almost 2.5 weeks without a drink or even a craving, have changed my diet substantially, lost 20 lbs in the last 5 weeks (for the fatty liver), go to AA meetings, have a psychologist for regular CBT, etc. I am taking a host of supplements and vitamins for health.

I have had issues staying asleep of late, I sleep for about 5 - 6 hours and then wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. which is not bad during the week as I get up at 4:45 a.m. for work. Weekends I cannot sleep in even when I try and often the sleep I do get does not feel restful or restorative.

I have tried a number of different strategies:

Limiting caffeine
Not eating late
Bed at the same time each night
Breathing exercises
Self talk
Reading before bed
Melatonin

etc.

I am thinking of adding a Benadryl type product to the mix as the Melatonin effect is limited and I know the risks of long term use.

I am trying to avoid any prescription meds, plus many are not advised given the compromised liver that is healing.

I am looking for any ideas from the group to try, I know this will take time and can take months to revert back to normal sleep patterns.

noneever

Don't do the Benadryl thing. It is not a long term solution and is only going to add strain to your liver.
Have you tried adding exercise? A good walk or jog can tire you out and help you sleep better.

SteveAlex

I agree maybe a long evening stroll?

biminiblue

Are you getting any exercise? Exercise helps me stay asleep. The other problem I run into is if I eat a substantial amount of carb-heavy food for dinner or anytime within six hours of bed - I'm sure to wake up at 2-3 AM if I do that. I'm sure it's blood sugar related. If I have a protein heavy meal, it doesn't happen.

Also, I'll never take pills for sleep again. Even benadryl has drawbacks and as an alcoholic in recovery, I don't need to be adding any more "things" to alter my natural state. Do some research on the benadryl thing. I wouldn't, it can become habit pretty quickly.

CreativeThinker

SNAP! I was just about to type what you wrote noneever. Exercise should prove to be helpful Marky.

I am still having sleeping issues myself, after 2 months of sobriety. Just recently I have been falling asleep without any problems...it's staying asleep that's been a challenge for me. I wake up every 2 hrs, it's like clockwork!

From what I've been reading here on SR, things should level out after the 6 month mark.

Anyway...welcome to SR and congrats on your sobriety Marky!

VigilanceNow

Hi and welcome! I have sleep issues due to drinking as well; it's definitely a huge challenge and frustrates me to no end. Although melatonin is non habit-forming, I couldn't take it because it caused me to hallucinate/have scary lucid dreams.

I suspect Benadryl​ isn't a good idea with your liver condition. This may seem obvious, but I drink sleepytime tea about an hour before bed. Be sure to turn off all electronics and minimize distractions. A friend of mine also uses a sound machine that emits a kind of relaxing mist - he swears by it!! Hope that was helpful

KES06

My friend swears by something called "turmeric golden milk"; its basically a mix of turmeric, dairy of your choice, cinnamon and some other ingredients. You can google it and find a recipe. She has insomnia and says she has slept like a baby since drinking this before she goes to bed. Couldn't hurt, right? Plus no pills.
Congrats on 2 weeks

Grymt

It sounds like you have are using most of the recommended ways. You mention breathing. This leads me to the meditation technique called Anapana Sati which is Pali and means Awareness of In and Out Breathing. I use this when I am not sleeping but need more of the rest that sleep brings. The results are two fold.
- The meditation technique is by its nature deeply restful, as good as and even better than sleep.
- I learn not to be bothered by the shortened sleep periods.

Go to dhamma.org or look for Mini Anapana 10 minute instructions by SN Goenka on you tube.

Sometimes I use this technique for a couple of hours and when it's time to get up I'm fully rested and can function well all day. Not only am I rested, I'm calmer and happier and use the time awake much more productively.

noneever

Other things I find helpful- drinking a cup or two of sleepy time tea a hour or so before bed and doing yoga nidra. I use the insight timer app- there are thousands of guided meditations and yoga nidra practices available on it, all free.

BrendaChenowyth

Try not to drink too close to bed either, you'll have to get up to pee (duh, me)
Benedryl can make you have to pee at night, too.

Markymarc

Wow, thanks much for all of the quick replies, I was told this was a great site for those in recovery and I definitely need the support.

Yes I do get exercise, I have a large Siberian Husky that I walk about 5-6 miles a day, plus ride an exercise bike in the AM. Soon I will get back into sports like ice hockey and basketball now that my health scare (I have severe hypochondria at times) has passed.

I was told by my GP and GI that Benadryl is safe for the liver as anantihistamine and will not elevate enzyme levels but I will avoid it for now.

I find reading before bed helps quite a bit. Meditation is definitely something to look into further.

If it takes 6 months then so be it, I brought this on myself. I live alone in a large place with animals so recovery is difficult, the mind races with negative thoughts and worst case scenarios more than I would like when awake at 3 or 4 a.m.

Gottalife

Racing mind, memories of unresolved incidents in the past, thoughts about people I didn't wish to meet up with all kept me awake at night. Even after a good sober day, those things would keep me awake.

They went away the same day I took step five. Slept like a baby that night and most nights since. The steps were the primary solution.

I also developed a routine. In bed at 9.30, read for half an hour, then lights out, radio on that timer thing, and tuned in to the ten o'clock news and a program called focus on politics. Five minutes of that would send anyone to sleep. I kept this up for the first seven years of sobriety, until I got married and my wife banned the radio.

Since then, the History channel has been a highly effective sedative. Sends me off every time.

There is another routine which is highly effective, suggested by all addicts anonymous. It is much tougher than it sounds, but it will set you up for a good day as well as a good night.

Get up one hour earlier than usual. Do twenty minutes of reading. I read the big book. Then twenty minutes meditation, clearing the mind, listening for Gods will, reflecting on what you have read etc, then twenty minutes exercise. I used to take the dog for a brisk walk around the block. Then have a great day

biminiblue

You can always come to this site at 3AM. God knows I did that regularly in the first three sleep-disrupted months. There is always someone here, if you want to just read or if you need someone to tell you the boogeyman is gone.

That negative scary thinking is tough in early days. That will go away too if you make an effort to change your thinking and try to stay in the moment. Looking at the past for too long or worrying about the future is pointless, right?

resolute50

You will find that as time goes by sleep will come to you naturally.
I keep a tablet by the bed and will often watch some youtube videos about camping and hiking. After a while I'll almost be dropping the tablet in my lap.
There;s some very relaxing videos of wilderness camping and such.
If it's anything to do with a thunderstorm, or gentle rain/ snow.I'll be sleeping even quicker.
Also read the quote at the bottom, my signature.
I give all my worries over to God now.

Sportdeck203

I wish I had some advice to give you, it's been 4 months for me, I don't have to get up for work until 7:30 and I was waking up at 4, always tired by the end of the day, I started staying up later so I could sleep longer but sometimes I still wake up way before I have to,

Markymarc

Well last night got worse, only 3 hours of sleep. Luckily I have always been someone that only needed about 4-5 hours but I was also drinking at the time.

I reached out to my psychologist for more ideas with CBT, etc.

I also sent an email to my GP asking for advice if there are any prescriptions that are liver safe such as Hydroxodine (spelling) for sleep when I really need it, not for daily use.

I am wondering if a sleep study is warranted, I may be jumping the gun there and need to give it more time.

PhoenixJ

DO NOT SELF MEDICATE- RED FLAG- talk to your doctor, counsellor.

Forward12

Sleep disruptions is very common in early recovery, and can make life not fun to be constantly tired. While reading and watching relaxation videos on youtube do help quite a bit, I personally see nothing wrong with using an OTC sleep aid, or perhaps a prescribed one (both ok'd by your doc of course) to help will getting quality sleep as needed until things settle down.

VigilanceNow

I've dealt with this after every relapse - it's so frustrating. it's.hard to know how drugs will react with your system, particularly if you're trying to let your liver heal. I'd say give it some more time - it can take up to a month to get your body's natural rhythm back. Alcohol takes a huge toll on the central nervous system - everything is hyperactive to compensate for alcohol's depressant effects. When you come off of it, your body is still functioning as if alcohol is present... It's scary stuff! I'm sure your sleep will return it gets easier every day!

CoffeeInstead

Exercise, then a warm bath before bed, maybe reading before falling asleep.

I have also been waking at 4 am almost every day, but am in bed and asleep by 10 pm. So this a good 6 hours and maybe enough for me....at least I am not hungover in the morning!