April202015

I made some nice sleepy time tea and, as said in a previous post, tried to turn early. I wanted to let my body rest, I felt so tired. But, when I tried to actually sleep, it was very hard -- near impossible! My mind was busy, thoughts of all sorts came and went. It wasn't a feeling of anxiety, but just a busy mind. I don't know when I finally fell asleep. I feel good today in that I didn't drink last night... But I feel tired.
Again, just ramblin'.

ScottFromWI

Insomnia/sleeplessness is a very common problem in early sobriety. It took me several weeks to start having anything close to a "normal" sleep pattern. There are a lot of things that can help though - regular exercise, not eating a lot in the few hours before bed, staying away from TV/internet or anything else that will excite you or get your brain moving before bed. Also use your bed for sleeping exclusively - if you associate your bed with watching TV or other activities your mind might learn to expect them.

zjw

restless mind can be tricky. Be careful your mind can drag you around by the nose. I almost routinely wake up at 3am or so and the mind starts up.

Theres a lot of books out there to help with that sorta thing tho. zen music or something helps. In the begining tho I sorta just had to push through it. I'd finally crash then i'd repeat the sleepless cycle again. I did sleeping pills to help at times but really disliked those.

It'll ease up tho just keep pushing forward.

I wake up really tired after rought nights myself and i find i'm still far more energetic then i was when i'd wake up still drunk form the night before so I'm always at least thankful for that.

BryanA

My worst symptom in my drinking days came from lack of sleep at the end of a binge. I'd go to bed early knowing I needed sleep, knowing work was just a few hours away. My last binge that pushed me into getting sober was me staying awake literally all night, shaking a little (not convulsing- that's very dangerous), mind racing and full of anxiety. I was so envious that my wife and kids were sleeping peacefully, and I was a nervous wreck fearing for my life and wanting another drink- though I drank everything in the house over the weekend.

Once I had a day of not drinking, I went to my doc and asked for some sleeping pills which helped me immensely. You should get evaluated by your doc and tell them the truth. A good doc will not judge you, and you are not his/her first patient to have this issue with sleep deprivation after quitting alcohol or any substance that is abused.

I found that within just a few days, I was back to a good night's sleep and the sleep alone made me feel great, and strong enough to fight back against my addiction.

Soberwolf

Your doing really well April