Silver11

today is day 12 sober.
i was a weekend binge drinker. Not a daily drinker. Even so, when I had my last drink on the night of May 31st, I woke up at 4am on the the 1st of June in a panic and couldn't go back to sleep.

I didn't think anything of it. I mean its normal to wake up early and anxious after binge drinking right. That night i just couldn't go to sleep. Maybe it was the fact i was starting a new job the next day.. but i started feeling anxiety like a feeling of dread at the pit of my stomach that kept me awake the whole night.

needles to say, my first day of work on the new job was stressful and tiring. I saw a doctor that evening. He have me 2 weeks worth of valium and fluoxetine for the anxiety (I've had anxiety all my life but never had problems sleeping). He did warn me that the fluoxetine may cause heightened anxiety initially.

I took the valium for 3 days and i had the sleep of angels. I stopped after 3 days because i didn't want to get hooked. I actually slept OK for the next 3 days after that. By then the fluoxetine had started ramping up my anxiety (I think).

I started having problems with sleep again! I have been getting maybe 2-3hrs a night because I can't get rid of this feeling of dread in my stomach come bed time. It actually starts at about 7pm and gets bad by 10pm.

I have started taking 0.25 xanax just to sleep (with my doctors permission).

But I don't want to get hooked on any of this ****... i mean, i just quit alcohol!

Has anyone been through sleep dread? It's ruining my life right now (ok Im being dramatic, its been stressing me out for 2 weeks).

But I'm afraid if this continues I may lose my job.

Ive been using sleep apps on my iPhone but they keep me asleep for an hour and then the dread sets in again.

Any advice or shared experience would be much appreciated!!!!

Thanks,

least

It can take a few weeks for your sleep patterns to stabilize. Give yourself more time. If you can't sleep, just rest and relax. You're still very early in recovery, give your brain more time to get back to normal functioning. At twelve days, you're barely out of the physical withdrawal.

Silver11

Thanks, Least,

But I've stopped drinking for up to 2 months in the past with zero effect on sleep.
I've always been an anxious person but have always looked forward to sleep as it's an escape.

Now I can't even do that. I have a feeling of dread every time bed time approaches ...

Anna

But, you know the feeling of dread will make things worse. As hard as it is, the most helpful thing would be to just relax and let sleep happen. I know it's hard, I have chronic insomnia, but the more I worry, the worse it gets.

ScottFromWI

I had a lot of sleep problems after I quit too, and I still do from time to time. I have anxiety too ( diagnosed ) and my sleep is definitely worse when my anxiety is high during the day. I have had sleep dread too..where you are afraid to fall asleep and jerk yourself back awake.

For me the solution that has worked best is treating the anxiety itself through therapy and meditation/mindfulness. Benzos will relax you but they don't treat the source of the anxiety...mostly just the symptoms. And you can definitely get addicted to them too. Perhaps you could see a therapist or share you or addiction concerns with your current doc?

2muchpain

Could you doctor maybe prescribe a sleep med that is non-narcotic? I used to take valium and lorazapam, but now take Trazadone for sleep. Some people hate it, but it works for me most of the time. They mentioned other sleep meds that are non-narcotic that works well for them, but I can't remember their names (the meds.). At least that way, you wouldn't have to worry about becoming addicted to the meds. Just a thought. John

MythOfSisyphus

Seeing a doctor is never a bad idea. You might get a workup done, and there could be a physiological cause. Probably it's just stress but it couldn't hurt to check. You may also get a scrip for something to help you sleep.

There are some things that generally help. First, do something relaxing before bed. Avoid stimulation (no zombie movies!). Very light reading or some mellow music for half an hour before bed can help a lot. Keep your bedroom dark and free from distractions.

I take melatonin. It's not habit forming and is a natural compound produced in your body that signals it's time to sleep. It doesn't make you drowsy so much as hyper relaxed and open to the idea of being asleep!

Lastly, avoid stimulants (eg coffee, tea, chocolate- anything with caffeine) in the five or six hours before bed.

There is a good article about breathing exercises that help you zonk out really fast, I'll have to see if I bookmarked it.

SDH73

Are you getting any exercise? I find that that helps to regulate my sleep pattern. I try to get some quality exercise in every day and my job has me on my feet and moving constantly, so at the end of the day even if I don't feel like I'll be able to sleep, I lay down and my body just does its thing. I've had trouble sleeping my whole life and exercise is the best remedy for sleeplessness that I've found.

I'll also second what least said: it takes a few weeks to normalize after withdrawal. At least, it did for me.

Silver11

Met a psychologist yesterday and she taught me relaxation exercises. Really didn't think it would work.

I lay down on the couch and put very low level 'white noise' on the tv. I managed to lightly doze until 3am. Woke up briefly every hour though.

Then got deeper sleep from 3 to 7am.

Wow. There is hope!! Didn't use Xanax or Valium either.

Still woke up with a ball of anxiety in my belly but I guess this is a process and not an overnight cure.

Thanks to all for listening and contributing.

Tonymblue

Vitamin supp really helped me. Magnesium at night really helps, maybe some melatonin, valerian root, or chamomille tea. Those all helped me.

sva777

I have been there, alcoholism is progressive so when I quit a few years back it was not as bad as this last time and I am sure if I picked up again and stop even worse next time. I went through similar anxiety and sleep problems, took me 6-8 weeks to stop and now I sleep like a log all night.

Eat right, give it time. I take no medication right now and feel great. Sober since early January.

Silver11

Thanks sva777

wpainterw

I still have sleep anxiety after 27 years of sobriety. I really don't have problems falling asleep. I have problems thinking too much about sleeplessness, preoccupied with something that is really not there. A built in conditioned reflex perhaps. like fear of heights, or any other irrational fear. In addition to the excellent suggestions on this thread, "white" noise may help. Also meditation, any mental exercise which calms the mind. Training the mind to focus on flowers, trees, sunsets, animals, beautiful things. I have found that my mind often dreams of things which I was thinking about just before I fell asleep. So avoid horror movies. Put on a beautiful DVD like "Winged Migration". Serene music played softly. No rock, no rap. Above all avoid alcohol. It may induce sleep but it will wake you up in one or two hours and your body and brain will want more. And the horrible downward slippery slope will begin. Alcohol is the hellish lie of all lies. The dark hole from which some may not return.

W.

PurpleKnight

Great to hear some of the techniques worked!!

Soberwolf

it will get better as time goes along congrats on 12 amazing days

Silver11

I hear you loud and clear!

today is day 14 sober. feeling grateful.

wpainterw

drash11:
So glad you're feeling better. Keep up the good work and do keep posting. The human brain is a tricky thing. Often it keeps repeating to itself what last you put in it. Like when I had a heart operation last year and just before undergoing the anesthetic I was telling the anesthesiologist about a prior operation when I said that I would not be able to lose out, whether I died or not because if I died I would go to heaven and see a dog I had loved and if I lived I would go home and see another dog I loved. So they said that when I woke up from this second operation last year and they asked me where I was I said I was in "heaven". They thought that I really liked the hospital but the explanation was that my brain was just picking up where it left off. Why am I telling this story? It's because just before I go to sleep I make sure that something nice is getting put into my brain, like a beautiful, scenic program on TV, pictures of flowers, dogs, nice things. Never evil things, no horror movies, no violence. Nothing threatening. That way you can program your brain for serenity and make it easier to sleep, easier to dream.

W.

wpainterw

Another good TV to watch is "March of the Penguins". Very good for the brain. All those happy, funny and well dressed little birds can put you to sleep.

W.