Nightmares/Abnormal Sleep after Quitting Drinking
Peace, Love, Sobriety
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Wilmington, DE
Posts: 1,549
Hey guys, last night I stayed up till 1 a.m. because we had house guests over, I slept soundly till 7 this morning.
2granddaughters, no I'm not going to any local meetings. I have major anxiety and I don't quite have the courage to go face to face so this website has helped me greatly. I do have a sponser so to speak, a guy that I work with has been helping me and checking up on me.
2granddaughters, no I'm not going to any local meetings. I have major anxiety and I don't quite have the courage to go face to face so this website has helped me greatly. I do have a sponser so to speak, a guy that I work with has been helping me and checking up on me.
Sober Date: 01-01-2012
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 31
I've been sober for seven days, so we're pretty much equal in our time abstinent from alcohol. The only disturbing dream I had involved me going back to drinking -- talk about a nightmare! Since quitting drinking, I am actually sleeping better. When I was a drinker, I would sleep for 10+ hours per night (if given the opportunity) due to over-consumption of alcohol. Now, I wake up early in the morning (7 a.m.) and go to bed at a sensible hour.
As for hallucinations, I experienced "closed-eye" hallucinations during the first few days of withdrawal. I would see dancing figures in great detail before I fell asleep when my eyes were closed. I'm not experiencing that anymore, thankfully.
As for hallucinations, I experienced "closed-eye" hallucinations during the first few days of withdrawal. I would see dancing figures in great detail before I fell asleep when my eyes were closed. I'm not experiencing that anymore, thankfully.
Choosing Life
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,435
I'm with you, FF. I've always been a bad sleeper, waking up at all hours of the night unless I was blacked out drunk, and then I'd be out so deep that a bomb going off next to my head wouldn't wake me up. Now that I'm sober, I'm experiencing insomnia even worse than before. Ugh. Last night I did feel tired (since I only slept 2 hours the night before), so I went to bed around 9:30, but woke up practically every hour on the hour. It definitely makes you feel run down. But I knew to expect it so I'm waiting it out.
I went and got a natural sleep aid that has L-tryptophan, valerian and melatonin and am going to try that tonight. I've tried things like that before and they work on and off, but they don't seem to work for me if I take them every night. I figure if I can get one good night of sleep in between the nights that I DON'T sleep, maybe things will even out. lol
I went and got a natural sleep aid that has L-tryptophan, valerian and melatonin and am going to try that tonight. I've tried things like that before and they work on and off, but they don't seem to work for me if I take them every night. I figure if I can get one good night of sleep in between the nights that I DON'T sleep, maybe things will even out. lol
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6
When we drink, our sleep cycles aren't the same as when we are sober. Well, basically we're not sleeping at first so much as passed out/unconscious! Our REM cycles, the part of the sleep where we dream, are reduced so we don't dream as much.
So we stop drinking, and our newly sober brain is trying to sort itself out. It suddenly has a lot more REM time than it's used to. As always, it draws off our subconscious to create dreams. But what's going on in the subconscious mind of most newly sober people? ANXIETY AND FEAR! So we don't dream about puppies in tulip fields, we dream about things that make us anxious and fearful.
I know, I've had some DOOZIES.
So part of it is the sleep cycles 'rebooting', part of it is all the anxiety/fear/hurt/anger/painful memories bubbling up. The bad thing is it takes a while for the brain to get back to 'normal' sleep cycles. The good thing is it does, eventually. For me it was a good 10 days before I slept 'well'. Everyone is different, but it WILL get better as the nights go by.
Some things that I found helped: melatonin & valarian root, and telling myself I was going to have only pleasant dreams over and over before going to sleep. It may sound corny, but it seemed to help.
So we stop drinking, and our newly sober brain is trying to sort itself out. It suddenly has a lot more REM time than it's used to. As always, it draws off our subconscious to create dreams. But what's going on in the subconscious mind of most newly sober people? ANXIETY AND FEAR! So we don't dream about puppies in tulip fields, we dream about things that make us anxious and fearful.
I know, I've had some DOOZIES.
So part of it is the sleep cycles 'rebooting', part of it is all the anxiety/fear/hurt/anger/painful memories bubbling up. The bad thing is it takes a while for the brain to get back to 'normal' sleep cycles. The good thing is it does, eventually. For me it was a good 10 days before I slept 'well'. Everyone is different, but it WILL get better as the nights go by.
Some things that I found helped: melatonin & valarian root, and telling myself I was going to have only pleasant dreams over and over before going to sleep. It may sound corny, but it seemed to help.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 1
exactly
Originally Posted by FlyerFan 
How long does this usually last? Today is my 6th day sober and last night I had the most gruesome dream I've ever had and it really disturbed me so bad that I couldn't get back to sleep for the rest of the night. (thank god for coffee today!)
And when I saw gruesome I mean it. I dont' want to post the details here because I don't want to upset anyone but lets just say I jumped awake so bad I kicked my poor cat who was fast asleep by my feet and spent the rest of the night crying.
And when I saw gruesome I mean it. I dont' want to post the details here because I don't want to upset anyone but lets just say I jumped awake so bad I kicked my poor cat who was fast asleep by my feet and spent the rest of the night crying.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2
I’m about 2 weeks sober ! I was a bing drinker ! I feel great but I don’t sleep more than an hour or two at a time ! I read and ordered Calm Support and it actually for your mind and body after you stop drinking to restore mind and body health it has very good reviews! I attached the link !
https://calmsupport.com/
https://calmsupport.com/
Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 2
Wow
I can’t believe they treated you like that ! I experienced the crazy blood pressure for about 8 days ! It was scary ! Remembering that will keep me sober thou! 😊
Originally Posted by AskMeLater
Hi Flyerfan
I'm not much of a poster (but I read the forum almost every night), but after reading your post, I had to chime in.
Nightmares and insomnia was/is a huge problem for me. I would go days without sleep, and when I was able to get a few minutes of sleep, it was not good sleep.
The nightmares were so bad. I know you had said you would not go into detail and I won't either. Other than to say nightmares are very bloody, violent, and gory. If not nightmares, I would have very vivid sexual dreams. I sometimes also wake up scared sh*tless from the nightmares, and last night night I even woke up barking. Yes barking.
I am taking perscribed Ativan at night which has seemed to help. Due to health issues, I also take Vicodin as well as Methadone (not because of any addiction).
In the past 1.5 years I have attempted to get sober on more than one occassion but never got past a week or so. In early December I had the pleasure of detoxing in jail where I spent 5 days. I am now on 1 month and 5 days of being sober.
Sure, I sometimes think of drinking (I was drinking to 2 liters of vodka a day), but when the thought crosses my mind, I think about that 5 days in jail, detoxing with no meds, the coldness, the sweats, the shaking, the anxiety, heart pounding out of my chest, blood pressue out of control, how mean the prison staff was to me (I was treated as if I were Casey Anthony or someone like her), the hurt i've caused, when I think of that, the thought of driking quickly leaves my mind. I let the tape play, listen to the "song" til the end. I've heard that "song" before and the ending is always the same and I don't like it. It's always predictable.
I am done with alcohol for sure this time. How do I know this? Well, I would not hang out with a friend that I do not get along or fought with. Alcohol was a friend that I do not get along with and constantly fought. Why should that friend (alcohol) be any different. There is no difference.
Good Luck
A.M.L
I'm not much of a poster (but I read the forum almost every night), but after reading your post, I had to chime in.
Nightmares and insomnia was/is a huge problem for me. I would go days without sleep, and when I was able to get a few minutes of sleep, it was not good sleep.
The nightmares were so bad. I know you had said you would not go into detail and I won't either. Other than to say nightmares are very bloody, violent, and gory. If not nightmares, I would have very vivid sexual dreams. I sometimes also wake up scared sh*tless from the nightmares, and last night night I even woke up barking. Yes barking.
I am taking perscribed Ativan at night which has seemed to help. Due to health issues, I also take Vicodin as well as Methadone (not because of any addiction).
In the past 1.5 years I have attempted to get sober on more than one occassion but never got past a week or so. In early December I had the pleasure of detoxing in jail where I spent 5 days. I am now on 1 month and 5 days of being sober.
Sure, I sometimes think of drinking (I was drinking to 2 liters of vodka a day), but when the thought crosses my mind, I think about that 5 days in jail, detoxing with no meds, the coldness, the sweats, the shaking, the anxiety, heart pounding out of my chest, blood pressue out of control, how mean the prison staff was to me (I was treated as if I were Casey Anthony or someone like her), the hurt i've caused, when I think of that, the thought of driking quickly leaves my mind. I let the tape play, listen to the "song" til the end. I've heard that "song" before and the ending is always the same and I don't like it. It's always predictable.
I am done with alcohol for sure this time. How do I know this? Well, I would not hang out with a friend that I do not get along or fought with. Alcohol was a friend that I do not get along with and constantly fought. Why should that friend (alcohol) be any different. There is no difference.
Good Luck
A.M.L
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