Day 82 and Sleep
Hi all,
Day 82. So far so good. My AV creeps in at times and reminds me of all the lovely pubs I used to enjoy sitting in, whiling the day away with my own thoughts. But, I can still be rational and realise that overall, I must stay sober.
Loneliness has been a struggle but I'm working on that.
I'd like to ask for advice on sleep.
Historically my sleep has always been bad. I mean really really bad. I've suffered night terrors my whole life from a traumatic childhood and regularly wake up multiple times a night. I'd say 15 times on average. This means I struggle in the mornings as a typical 8 hour sleep is more like 5 and I feel like I need a solid 8 to be on form.
Since getting sober I've needed to sleep a lot. Not day naps or anything but 8-10 hours from falling asleep to getting up. It feels like a lot and more than in the past.
In the past when I've been sober, after just a couple of months my energy levels have increased, I sleep better and less and I generally feel normal. This time around I feel I'm struggling more.
My diet is good and I do regular exercise.
Just wondering of anyone has any thoughts on this. Is it still too early at 82 days to expect to feel "normal"? Am I still healing? Is it just age (I'm only 39 soon to be 40)?
I'm someone who is very hard on themselves and although I genuinely feel like I need these longer sleeps each day, I wake up feeling guilty and resentful towards myself. It gives me a bad start to the day and affects my mood and self-esteem.
Thanks for listening.