magusadam

I was told that during the beginning of sobriety that you would not sleep well and whatnot but it has been almost two years sober and I still cannot sleep well. I am up and down at all hours of the night never getting a good nights rest leaving me tired all the time. Does anyone else have this problem? Are there any suggestions?

Skye2

It sounds like you've got into a bit of a habit maybe? What wakes you - are you worrying about things? I find that if my head's racing, it helps to write things down - releases them from going round and round and they're always there to read if you want/need them.
Xx

magusadam

My wife asked if I'm stressed out also and I don't believe so. I don't feel like I am anyways. Can't say I having bad dreams either that wake me cause I don't recall any dreams although they say everyone dreams. I'm not really sure what the problem may be. Thought of taking Tylenol PM see if that helps.

UnixBer

Could it be stress or insomnia? I know I sleep really well now at 5 months sober.
If you drink a lot of coffee there could be sensitivity to caffeine, so cutting down that might improve things. Also one thing you could try is meditating before sleep. Just clearing the mind of everything and just being there, still.

I'd take a trip to the Dr. if I had persistent sleep problems. But my guess is that the meditation might be helpful. Hope this helps.

Skye2

Just had to google those - we call them paracetemol here, I think? Not sure how they would help to be honest, unless it's something completely different
The doctor, like Unixber said, would be the best bet I think.

magusadam

I'm trying to avoid the doctor and the Tylenol pm if possible. I just don't like the idea of taking pills being an ex drug addict although I did Meth not downers.

magusadam

It could be to much coffee or mountain dews though. Maybe I should try drinking more water than I do.

Skye2

I tend to drink coffee first thing in the morning and up until around 4pm - then switch to tea or fruit juice. Hadn't really thought about it before

magusadam

I drink pot of coffee in the morning then few glasses of water. Then I'm onto couple can of diet mountain dew then I go to work. At work I drink Gatorade or fruit punch and when I get home I have can of mountain dew with dinner.

ImperfectlyMe

I have crazy sleep patterns as well since quitting go to sleep around 10pm up around 330am for the day. While I love the early am quietness, exhaustion defintely sets in early followed by over tired can't sleep

A friend suggested light therapy have yet to try it. But their brilliant explanation regarding light hues (red vs blue) and mood/ circadian rhythms has me convinced I might try it. disclaimer: I might be quoting the science behind light therapy wrong

I guess sober sleep all be it little is better then passed out

Sweet dreams!

least

If you have been sober nearly two years and are still having trouble sleeping it might be time to go to a sleep clinic for some help.

hypochondriac

Have you tried any of the usual natural remedies magusadam? Like Valerian or chamomile tea, having hot milk and a bath before bed... Do you have a routine before you go to sleep? There are relaxation techniques you can use too. I remember using one I learned in yoga class when I couldn't sleep which involved tensing all of your muscles and relaxing them one by one starting with each individual toe and moving up the body. I often felt like I couldn't move after doing that which really helped me sleep x

magusadam

No I haven't. I never heard of valerian??? What kinda of tea is chamomile, I do think black and green tea sometimes. My routine from coming home from work is warm up or make dinner and watch little tv then I shower and go to bed.

azureseas

I sometimes take a small dose of sleeping pill, feel a little groggy in the morning but sometimes I just want to sleep through the night

A friend told me about Binaural beats, you might want to look into it

Binaural beats - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BinauralBrainwave - YouTube

Binaural beats, or binaural tones, are auditory processing artifacts, or apparent sounds, caused by specific physical stimuli. This effect was discovered in 1839 by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove and earned greater public awareness in the late 20th century based on claims coming from the alternative medicine community that binaural beats could help induce relaxation, meditation, creativity and other desirable mental states. The effect on the brainwaves depends on the difference in frequencies of each tone: for example, if 300 Hz was played in one ear and 310 in the other, then the binaural beat would have a frequency of 10 Hz.

Dee74

Hi Magnusadam

If you've been having sleeping issues for 2 years I think it might be time to involve your Dr.

With any supplements suggested here from other people's experiences, its good to remember that what may have worked for others may not work, or may not even be suitable for you.

D

anyistoomuch

Ha ha ha! All of this caffeine would keep me up for a week tap dancing. There's a chicken and egg thing going on here - you aren't getting good sleep, so you are drinking caffeine to get going in the morning. Then you are drinking gatorade and fruit punch (sugar sugar sugar) and then having mountain dew with dinner.

Definitely see your doctor, but I would also switch out one of the sugar drinks (particularly after 4pm) and stop with the mountain dew at night. This may help a little bit.

My doctor recommended a sleep study for me once - which I almost did because it sounded fascinating. They hook you up onto machines and tell you to go to sleep!

hypochondriac

Black and green tea both have caffeine in them so they won't help. Valerian is a herbal extract which promotes healthy sleep but you can also get it in tea form. I use 'celestial seasonings sleepy time extra' tea. Chamomile tea us just a calming herbal tea. If you are having a shower before bed you might find that may wake you up a bit too. Weirdly exercise is better to help sleep. These are all hippy type remedies though so you may want to talk to your doctor x

GracieLou

I would not suggest Tylenol PM if you have no aches or pains. I also would not recommend Tylenol PM because it is Acetaminophen and that is not kind to the liver.

I take a generic Unisom. It is Diphenhydramine which is basically an antihistamine which makes you sleepy. I take one a night. It helps me to get over that hump so I can fall asleep.