ytytyt

"One of the side effects of alcohol withdrawal is insomnia".

They weren't joking were they? As pathetic as it sounds, this is one of my biggest worries about coming off the drink. It's 9:45 here in the glorious UK, and last night I got about 3 hours sleep. Is this usual? Does it stop? Anyone got any experience of when I get back to a regular sleep pattern? Lying awake at 5am isn't something I want to do again.....

Peter

The insomnia will pass in time.

HopeTo180

yt,
I have had just a little problem with that. I try to take the positive approach. Why lying there I think "it sure feels good to hug the bed and slowly drift off to sleep". Falling asleep does take about 30 minutes for me and I go to bed a little early to compensate. One quick way to start the process is to force yourself to yawn. This triggers a conditioned response, in that, you usually yawn prior to going to bed. It sets the stage.

Although I haven't had to do the next technique in awhile, it has always worked in the past...
Auto hypnosis (self hypnosis)
Lay comfortably on your back. Open your eyes and fix on something that is a little towards your forehead (you can do this in the dark). Count backwards from 5 to one. At one, tell yourself to close your eyes. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, imagine you are a balloon slowly deflating. As you deflate, allow your body sink into the bed. Now lick your lips (this places your tongue in the right position for sleep) Tell yourself this "breath normally and with each exhale, I will fall deeper into a peaceful state" Now, tell yourself the following;
there is a myriad of muscles and tendons throughout the body. I will start with the my forehead. Imagine your forehead, all the tension, like little rubber bands pulled tight, now imagine they release ever so slightly, like a rubber band dangling between your finger tips, the tension just melts away. now imagine your forehead is so relaxed it just melts off your face. Next focus on your eyes (back of your eyes). Do the same with them (rubber band), then the following, in this order;
face
right arm
(Let me elaborate here. Tell yourself: like a well oiled machine, your joints in the shoulder, elbow, ankle and toes are perfectly fine. This will be the same with the legs).
right leg
left leg
left arm (I never make it to this point)
When you are totally relaxed, simply roll over to a new position and drift away. Practice this, trust me, you will get very good at it. Enjoy the process, Prayers

KarenOskie

Surprisingly, I slept well last night, my first night without a drink in a long time. But this is not my first time sober and I've had lots of experience with insomnia. The best thing, I've found, is to make sure you don't have any caffiene after 4 p.m., get some exercise during the day, take a long soaky bath before bed and then if you can't sleep just give in to it. Don't worry about it, it only makes it worse. Get up, get cozy on your couch or wherever is comfy for you out of your bed, and read. You can make good use of the time by reading stuff about sobriety. I think somewhere on this site is a reading list. The big book is good even if you aren't in AA. If you pray, that helps, too. When you get drowsy, go back to bed and just relax without worrying about whether you're sleeping. If after a while you still can't sleep, get back to reading. Alcohol robs you of good sleep anyway. You aren't really sleeping, you're passed out. So you aren't missing anything you've had. Eventually you'll get so you can sleep really well and that is a very good feeling, worth staying sober for. I saw a link on here about insomnia, I wish I remember where it was because it had some good ideas, too. But mostly just not worrying about it is the thing.

tiburon88

They often joke, "insomnia never killed anyone." The truth is quality sleep is a big deal. I would ask a doc for some solutions. BTW there are many more solutions than Ambian or Lunesta. Trust me I usually sleep pretty good with Serequal.


tib

HopeTo180

Karen makes a good point about getting out of bed. If you can't fall asleep within one hour, get out of there! The bed should only be used for sleeping. Don't read in bed or watch TV while experiencing insomnia. It's an environment that should be used to condition sleep routine. Prayers

CarolD

Karen....Welcome back to SR!

CarolD

Hi ytytyt....Welcome!
please see if this link helps you
sleep better.
Sure hope so....

Insomnia? 41 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures

HopeTo180

Thanks for the link Carol. Lots of great ideas there!

KaiK

Hey...
My whole "addiction ball" started rolling all because I couldn't sleep. I come from a long line of women who have insomnia. In my 1st treatment center, my Dr. prescribed Trazodone, which is not addictive and I have had the best nights of my life ever since.

Go to a reputable MD and see what happens...

Kai

ytytyt

Thanks all. I will check out the tip list. The good news is I slept better last night, so maybe it's not a pattern......

HopeTo180

ytytyt,
Glad to hear you got a good sleep last night. I thought about you when I went to retire. I forced a yawn and away I went... I worked graveyard shift years ago and couldn't sleep during the day. I had a panic attack and went to the doctor. He said I had sleep deprivation. He said you must experience REM sleep or there will be problems. He prescribed sleeping pills and said I had to relearn how to relax. He also said to get off graveyard shift because it didn't agree with me. I ended up quitting that job because they would not change my shift. Haven't had a problem since. (knock on wood). This experience did make me realize that quality sleep is very important. If you cannot work it out "naturally" then yes, get some non-addictive meds. as Kaik has suggested. I wish you all the best! Sleep tight! Prayers

fallingdown

I'm going through the same thing. Got all of an hours worth of sleep yesterday and was an emotional wreck all day because of it. I slept better last night but only because I took two over the counter sleeping medication. I don't like it at all and I hope it gets better.

Tazman53

I hear this in the rooms a lot and if it was not true, it would burn me up big time!!!! "This too shall pass."

Sleep will come, used to think that I slept well when I drank, what I found out was that just because I was asleep did not mean I was really resting my body or mind. When I drank I usually passed out andwoke up the next day feeling as though I had not slept a wink.

I had no trouble sleeping in early sobriety, but I still woke up feeling like I had never slept, then after a while being sober I found myself waking up rested, refreshed, feeling as though I had slept well...... because I had slept a natural sleep, one not drug or alcohol induced.

Do not get me wrong, there are folks that need sleep aides, but I am thankful I don't... not sure I am willing to chance another habit just to get some sleep.

fallingdown

I know, I don't like using the sleep aides but I can't stand laying there with my mind racing either. I probably drink way too much caffeine so I am going to try not to have any after 4 p.m. and see if that helps. I will tell you that I am much more energetic even after just an hour of sleep than I am if I passed out drunk and slept all night.

beingjenagain

I work nights and have for almost 20 years. I have learned that sleep is about quality not quantity! 2 pass out drunk naps during the day and "sleeping" at night only to wake up feeling like crap is nothing compared to my 6 hours of solid restful sleep these days!

Good sleep will come and your body will reap the benefits each morning you wake up clear, clean and sober!