insomnia
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,183
It's really common. I got a prescription for trazodone shortly after I quit, some people use over the counter sleep aids, some people tough it out, but it does go away. Exercise and eating smartly (like, no late meals with a lot of protein) helps. I think most people start sleeping normally pretty quickly, days to no more than a couple weeks.
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Yes, unfortunately it's very common during withdrawals and early sobriety. Taking care of the basics will help ( drinking water, eating well, some exercise, etc ) Avoiding caffeine, sugar and other stimulants can help too. Staying off electronic devices and TV for a while before bed and not eating within the couple hours before bed doesn't hurt either. Having said all that, our bodies and minds need to adjust/recover from the damage drinking did, so some insomnia is unavoidable for the short term. It will get better though
Do your best
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 67,047
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
It was the skeletons in the closet that kept me awake. Remebering the worst things I did, thinking I was one of the worst cases ever to come to AA, worrying that when they found out what I was really like, they would kick me out. Spectres from the past, waiting for the tap on the shoulder, worrying about running into people I could not face, un named fears. This was just part of the baggage I came in with.
No pill could fix that. It didn't get better with time, it got worse. Until I took the steps. The night after step 5 I slept like a baby. I knew I was just a run of the mill alcoholic no better or worse than any other. I had also experienced the 5th step promises as set out in the big book of AA, and I new my life was on track at last.
No pill could fix that. It didn't get better with time, it got worse. Until I took the steps. The night after step 5 I slept like a baby. I knew I was just a run of the mill alcoholic no better or worse than any other. I had also experienced the 5th step promises as set out in the big book of AA, and I new my life was on track at last.
O-n K-a-r A-r-r-e-s-t
Join Date: May 2016
Location: US
Posts: 600
I found (for me) that taking Melatonin before bed helps a lot. I'm using that for awhile and then am going to only use if needed.
I find also a bath or a nice cup of tea can help. And also posting here on one of the threads before turning in gives a good thought.
I find also a bath or a nice cup of tea can help. And also posting here on one of the threads before turning in gives a good thought.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 937
Drove me nuts first 30 days. Between the insomnia and the sugar cravings, I felt like I was completely out of whack.
I think my insomnia dragged on longer than accounts I have read here - but part of the problem I found was that the newfound lucidity made things too damn interesting to sleep (films, books)
Still sleeping less but I feel sooo much better physically. Hang in there - take advantage of the new found time!
I think my insomnia dragged on longer than accounts I have read here - but part of the problem I found was that the newfound lucidity made things too damn interesting to sleep (films, books)
Still sleeping less but I feel sooo much better physically. Hang in there - take advantage of the new found time!
Blue Belt
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Soberville, USA
Posts: 4,174
1 hour of sober sleep is better than 12 hours of drunken sleep.
I had insomnia. But, it went away.
My advice...
Stay away from meds if you can.
Take naps when you can, once you remember how to sleep w out drugs, it is amazing.
Stay busy during the day. Stay out of bed unless you are going to bed.
I had insomnia. But, it went away.
My advice...
Stay away from meds if you can.
Take naps when you can, once you remember how to sleep w out drugs, it is amazing.
Stay busy during the day. Stay out of bed unless you are going to bed.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: America
Posts: 4,136
Like Gottalife already has brought up, I too needed to take care of things like skeletons in the closet; ghosts from the past, unresolved negative baggage, unforgiveness, and grief. That required some serious honesty and TIME...and counseling was very helpful for that. Someone safe to work through the issues that you might be too ashamed to bring up with someone you already know...someone neutral who can give you an unbiased view and suggestions with no ulterior motives. But, I learned too that there was just stuff that I had been holding on to that I needed to let go. After I did that, I started sleeping better and it's also helped with sobriety because I had been drinking to deal with some of those skeletons.
In VERY early sobriety my mind felt like a butter churn. Glad that didn't last!
In VERY early sobriety my mind felt like a butter churn. Glad that didn't last!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Pacific Coast
Posts: 785
Yes, I suffered from bad insomnia after quitting drinking.
Most insomnia in early sobriety may simply be a matter of brain chemistry. The brain has become accustomed to the use of alcohol as a sedative, and when you take the sedative away, the brain goes into overdrive for a while until things stabilize again.
While addressing "skeletons in the closet" can be a big part of learning how to live life sober, I believe putting too much emphasis on it in the earliest days of sobriety can actually make the insomnia worse because it adds another layer of pressure and anxiety to a brain that’s already hyperactive from alcohol withdrawal.
Although I haven’t heard it for a while, "First things first" used to be a common AA saying. In this case, I take it to mean that it’s OK to give your brain a chance to regain some equilibrium before trying to tackle underlying causes and conditions.
Sharing my own particular experience with insomnia might not be helpful because I've suffered from it all my adult life — before, during, and after my alcoholic drinking days. In my case, I think it has more to do with wacky wiring than "skeletons" I’ve neglected.
Most insomnia in early sobriety may simply be a matter of brain chemistry. The brain has become accustomed to the use of alcohol as a sedative, and when you take the sedative away, the brain goes into overdrive for a while until things stabilize again.
While addressing "skeletons in the closet" can be a big part of learning how to live life sober, I believe putting too much emphasis on it in the earliest days of sobriety can actually make the insomnia worse because it adds another layer of pressure and anxiety to a brain that’s already hyperactive from alcohol withdrawal.
Although I haven’t heard it for a while, "First things first" used to be a common AA saying. In this case, I take it to mean that it’s OK to give your brain a chance to regain some equilibrium before trying to tackle underlying causes and conditions.
Sharing my own particular experience with insomnia might not be helpful because I've suffered from it all my adult life — before, during, and after my alcoholic drinking days. In my case, I think it has more to do with wacky wiring than "skeletons" I’ve neglected.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
In the AA program, first things first is found on page 135 and referes to the family afterward. The context is that we need to treat the alcoholism first by getting into the steps before the partner will be able to resume normal relations with the family. It asks for patience from the family while the alcoholic goes through the recovery process. If he/she does not put sobriety first, there may be no family afterward.
It is interesting to note that a high number of posters on this site do not appear to have skeletons in their closets. They don't seem to have done the really insane things that I have done and been left with that huge sense of isolation that goes with hanging on to secrets. For some, after years of hard drinking, it may simply be a matter of restoring chemical balance. But for an alcoholic of my type, it was spritual balance that needed restoring. No amount of time fixed what was whirling around in my head.
It is interesting to note that a high number of posters on this site do not appear to have skeletons in their closets. They don't seem to have done the really insane things that I have done and been left with that huge sense of isolation that goes with hanging on to secrets. For some, after years of hard drinking, it may simply be a matter of restoring chemical balance. But for an alcoholic of my type, it was spritual balance that needed restoring. No amount of time fixed what was whirling around in my head.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Pacific Coast
Posts: 785
Originally Posted by Gottalife 
In the AA program, first things first is found on page 135 and referes to the family afterward. The context is that we need to treat the alcoholism first by getting into the steps before the partner will be able to resume normal relations with the family. It asks for patience from the family while the alcoholic goes through the recovery process. If he/she does not put sobriety first, there may be no family afterward.
It is interesting to note that a high number of posters on this site do not appear to have skeletons in their closets. They don't seem to have done the really insane things that I have done and been left with that huge sense of isolation that goes with hanging on to secrets. For some, after years of hard drinking, it may simply be a matter of restoring chemical balance. But for an alcoholic of my type, it was spritual balance that needed restoring. No amount of time fixed what was whirling around in my head.
It is interesting to note that a high number of posters on this site do not appear to have skeletons in their closets. They don't seem to have done the really insane things that I have done and been left with that huge sense of isolation that goes with hanging on to secrets. For some, after years of hard drinking, it may simply be a matter of restoring chemical balance. But for an alcoholic of my type, it was spritual balance that needed restoring. No amount of time fixed what was whirling around in my head.
No need to turn the issue of insomnia into a "hard drinker versus 'real' alcoholic" debate. It's not a either/or situation. It's possible to be very much in need of spiritual rebalancing, and to suffer from a temporary chemical imbalance causing insomnia in early sobriety, both at the same time.
I'm not saying I didn't have any skeletons in my closet -- I'd say the incidence of having done regrettable stuff that needs to be dealt with in recovery is pretty much universal among alcoholics. That doesn't mean it's necessarily the sole cause, or even the main cause, of insomnia in early sobriety for every "real" alcoholic. I don't believe it was for me.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,183
One can find ways to turn off the chatter, or at least tone it down, but one cannot escape the chemical imbalance brought on by no longer taking a strong sedative that you've been addicted to. This is why we shake, feel jittery, and can't sleep when we quit drinking - our brains have become accustomed to the sedative, and have found ways to counter the sedation that continue even after we stop taking the sedative. It's part of early recovery for just about everyone, with and without mountains of baggage to carry around.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: America
Posts: 4,136
This is an interesting discussion. I am a 'baseline' insomniac, which for me means I struggled with insomnia a good long while before alcohol ever became a problem. I even turned to alcohol at times because of my insomnia. My baseline insomnia got worse in early recovery. I don't think I had a decent night's sleep for about 2 weeks; maybe even more. My head was churning and spinning like crazy.
A lot of the insomnia with early recovery is a matter of brain chemistry; removing the CNS depressant can cause a rebound sort of effect. I came to realize that I needed to tackle my insomnia without alcohol if I was going to have a shot at being successful with sobriety. Everyone's brain is different and some of this depends upon how much-how long with regards to how extensive the alcohol use has affected one's brain.
I actually started counseling before I decided to get alcohol out of my life. It was the counseling that helped bring me to that decision. I have some PTSD issues that needed to be dealt with, among other things that were all contributing to the insomnia.
A lot of the insomnia with early recovery is a matter of brain chemistry; removing the CNS depressant can cause a rebound sort of effect. I came to realize that I needed to tackle my insomnia without alcohol if I was going to have a shot at being successful with sobriety. Everyone's brain is different and some of this depends upon how much-how long with regards to how extensive the alcohol use has affected one's brain.
I actually started counseling before I decided to get alcohol out of my life. It was the counseling that helped bring me to that decision. I have some PTSD issues that needed to be dealt with, among other things that were all contributing to the insomnia.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: California
Posts: 2,693
I saw the sunrise on more than a few mornings the first two weeks. I would be up all night. I was on a summer break and oddly enough, would then sleep from about 8 am to 4 pm. I was just happy that my body was sleeping, resting, and healing with alcohol in my system.
Upon waking I felt like a zombie. It took me an hour or two to regain consciousness. Sleep normalized after a month.
Upon waking I felt like a zombie. It took me an hour or two to regain consciousness. Sleep normalized after a month.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sonoran Desert & Southeast Asia
Posts: 6,561
I still have some sleep issues. Partly because i have an active brain, partly due to caffeine, but also because if I get up at 2am, then my brain wants to ruminate.. Like many here, there are things I regret doing in the past, and there's a lot a material for my ego to work me over about..
I'm working the steps now in the hope that a thorough moral inventory and sharing the nature of my wrongs with another human being will relieve me of the shame and guilt of those past behaviors. Some people can 'just let go', apparently I'm not one of them.
I will add that in early recovery my sleep was improved. Just getting the alcohol out of our systems tends to really help by month two or three. But after a year the bigger issues that caused me to drink in the first place, and continue to drink, started to weigh on me. That's where I realize now the recovery work is so beneficial.
I'm working the steps now in the hope that a thorough moral inventory and sharing the nature of my wrongs with another human being will relieve me of the shame and guilt of those past behaviors. Some people can 'just let go', apparently I'm not one of them.
I will add that in early recovery my sleep was improved. Just getting the alcohol out of our systems tends to really help by month two or three. But after a year the bigger issues that caused me to drink in the first place, and continue to drink, started to weigh on me. That's where I realize now the recovery work is so beneficial.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
I often share how step 5 seemed to fix my sleeping problems, but that wasn't the reason I took it. I took it because I was desperate to get well and willing to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, which was the only way I could recover.
Though I must have read the step 5 promises, they hadn't registered because they were something I had never experienced. They were just words. So I didn't take it to get them.
No, I took step 5 because I believed that I would not overcome drinking if I did not, and I believed that the stuff in my head was blocking me from the life saving spritual experience.
One unexpected benefit of step 5 was that I slept like a baby. I don't think that was because of any psychological benefit. I think it was because I had turned a corner. I actually experienced those promises. I knew from that moment on, that I was on the right track. I had felt the presence of my creator for the first time. I knew I had been told the truth about recovery, that a power greater than myself was restoring me to sanity. Having that faith, developed through experience, surely took a load off my mind.
The way I saw it at the time, I had forgotten all about not drinking, forgotten about trying to engineer life to suit myself, and my main effort was towards finding this higher power everyone seemed to be talking about.
It seems almost as a by product of that work that the drinking problem, along with the sleep problem, were removed.
Though I must have read the step 5 promises, they hadn't registered because they were something I had never experienced. They were just words. So I didn't take it to get them.
No, I took step 5 because I believed that I would not overcome drinking if I did not, and I believed that the stuff in my head was blocking me from the life saving spritual experience.
One unexpected benefit of step 5 was that I slept like a baby. I don't think that was because of any psychological benefit. I think it was because I had turned a corner. I actually experienced those promises. I knew from that moment on, that I was on the right track. I had felt the presence of my creator for the first time. I knew I had been told the truth about recovery, that a power greater than myself was restoring me to sanity. Having that faith, developed through experience, surely took a load off my mind.
The way I saw it at the time, I had forgotten all about not drinking, forgotten about trying to engineer life to suit myself, and my main effort was towards finding this higher power everyone seemed to be talking about.
It seems almost as a by product of that work that the drinking problem, along with the sleep problem, were removed.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: California
Posts: 2,693
Originally Posted by MelindaFlowers
I saw the sunrise on more than a few mornings the first two weeks. I would be up all night. I was on a summer break and oddly enough, would then sleep from about 8 am to 4 pm. I was just happy that my body was sleeping, resting, and healing WITHOUT alcohol in my system.
Upon waking I felt like a zombie. It took me an hour or two to regain consciousness. Sleep normalized after a month.
Upon waking I felt like a zombie. It took me an hour or two to regain consciousness. Sleep normalized after a month.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: LA, CA
Posts: 23
Originally Posted by Doubter
anyone suffered from really bad insomnia after giving up drinking?
how long does it take to go away.
how long does it take to go away.
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