imready

In 10 days, I will have 6 months of sobriety. Things go well except that I awaken at 4:30 each morning and can't go back to sleep. I'm so tired in the evening that I go to bed about 9:30. I reazlize that it is adequate sleep, 7 hours. The problem is that I can't do evening activities because I'm too sleepy and if I stay out late, I still awaken at 4:30.

Anyone else have this problem?

Anna

I have more general sleep problems like getting to sleep and staying asleep.

Why don't you try shifting your bedtime slightly over a few weeks? Start going to be gradually later each day until you're staying up later and sleeping in later.

Alive

i have the problem of sleeping but i do maths by head until i sleep. in the morning it gets harder for me to wake up, if i sleep more than 6 hours.More than that i have a hard time getting out of bed. but everything will fall into place, the system is getting rid of the toxic stuff....

GlassPrisoner

Ditto, but it is really lessening.

I used to wake up at 4:30, riddden with anxiety and reaching for a drink. I don't have to do that anymore.

TINLIZZY

I've not had the problem, but in outpatient they say that it can be related to withdrawl/PAWs, and can last 6 months to a year.

TinLizzy

SaTiT

I still get at up 3 or 4 in the moring sometime becuase i had to go to work by 5 a.m.
The different is today, I don't get up tired, cuase when I sleep..I knock out
like a baby. sometime if I sleep to much ..I actaully get more tired.

I think at the 7 hours mark..it's interuping your sleep or dream state.
I can't recall it. you might wanna read up on sleeping cycles or dreams
state...that's what i learned in HS.

In earily recovery I had a heck of a time sleeping..or when I'm stress out.
My mind won't stop even when I'm laying in bed..So my mind wasn't getting
any rest. I use to use meditation tapes to help me, but after a while those
tape would keep in up instead. I basically suffere from obessive, complusive
personality disorders..like most alki do...So when the crap goes round and
round in my head when I'm just laying bed...that's what it is..my mind
obessiving about god knows what..So I pratice letting go of those thoughts.

You know...sometimes when I hear a song..later, you get the damn song
running through your head all day...

In the line of work I was doing..I would come home a take a power nap
for an hour so I can just whine down., but I would stay up longer at night.

I stopped drinking the coffee at meetings..that helps.
I also read and write when I get up in the middle of the night..the heck
with it..I stopped fighting it and did something useful for my recovery.
After a while...the heck with writing..I'm going back to bed..that's how
my mind works.lol

You might also trying head phone or ear plugs sometimes there's a lot
of noise that'll keep you awake.

I also started meditating in the shower or i took a bath to just mellow out
before I go to bed. Bascially clear my head, let go before I hop into bed.
It's my step 10, 11, 12...I end my days with it.
Hopefully during the day I don't make an ass of myself or have conflicts
for me to chew on when I hop into bed..
I start my day with step 1, 2, 3,..hot damn, here I am..what's up for today
god or dude..or whatever I call it.

yes, it gose away after a while or it gets better...but you still have to work at it.

misslisa

I noticed that when I changed my diet to a more 'natural' one (less processed foods, more vege's) and got adequet exercise during the day helped me to sleep more soundly.

When we drink we dont get the REM sleep which is vital, and I read somewhere that 6 hours sleep for over 25yr olds is fine if you get the REM sleep. So that means going to bed without alcohol in ya system.

Magnesium is a good muscle relaxer and taking a tablet of Magnesium and Calcium an hour before bed is a good waw to relax into a deep sleep.

I had to take a 3 day course of sleeping tablets (three days only as you can get addicted!) I now have a routine of bed at 10.30pm and I wake at exactly 6.30am.

I was told by two recovering alcoholics (both in thier 20th odd year of sobriety) that its a roller coaster for at least 3-6 months. See your doctor if it is really bothering you.

misslisa

2stop

This also happened to me a lot first year of recovery. It takes awhile to get the sleep thing going smoothly. I found it to get better the longer time went by.
Diet was huge for me too, as was eliminating/reducing caffeine, exercise, using aromatherapy(lavender works awesome!) and meditation helped to.

Hope it gets better for ya soon! (((HUGS)))

imready

Thanks for all your good suggestions.