Zombie79

I'm on Day 3 and struggling to get even 6hours sleep

I don't mind waking g up to go to the loo because I've been drinking lots of water to help my body but I've been trying to get to bed just after 10pm and whilst my body is tired, my brain just almost switches on when my head hits the pillow.

When does it get better??

Thanks

AnvilheadII

probably a bit longer than about 72 hours, Z! this stuff takes time.....and everything won't be all patched up and running optimally for a while. just stay sober, take care of yourself, and give time time.

by the way, as a person who has lived with a poor sleep pattern for 17 years now, i'd KILL for six hours of sleep!!! so count your blessings!!!

kenton

Hi Zombie, everyone's different but my sleep started to improve after a couple of weeks. Like you, my mind raced every time I tried to fall asleep even though I was exhausted. Warm baths with epsom salts before bed seemed to help, as well as a few drops of lavender oil on my pillow. Now I sleep better than I ever have. It does get better

Zombie79

Cheers folks

I know it's my brain re-adjusting without the booze but I suppose before going to bed drunk I just conked out even if it wasn't great quality sleep
I'm relying on a lot of coffee in the morning but better that relying on drink at night

Thanks

Incontrol15

Yup. Fun stuff. I had sleep issues from multiple quits of various things, including alcohol, and have learned a few good tips.

First, the physical steps that can help a bit. If nothing else, they will shorten the window.
- no coffee after early afternoon. Or any other caffeine for that matter.
- sleepy time tea. 2bags for one cup made a difference for me.
- make a bedtime routine 2hrs before bed. Change cloths, brush teeth, turn off TV and computers, etc.
- READ before bed. Huge. REALLY HUGE if you read a self help book or something spiritual.
- Listen to sleep hypnosis audio on YouTube. There are many made for addiction and alcoholism. These were AWESOME for me.

Now the mental game. And honestly the most valuable. Work on accepting no sleep. Don't let it be frustrating, because that will extend how long you'll be suffering. How this is done is by accepting no sleep. Like zero hours. You'll actually get more sleep if you try to get NO sleep.

Try looking at it this way. We are what we think. Everything in your life was at first a thought. Everything. Even all the man made objects. They were first a thought. If you think the world is cruel, it will be. If you think the universe provides, it will. What we think is what is manifested. Do you believe in that? St least a little? If you do, then you can use that in your benefit.

Plan to use the night time to think of your awesome future. Use it to think of how great you'll feel when acute WD's are done, or how proud you'll be. Use the time to connect to the universe or your inner self. Use it to grow mentally. Don't waste it reflecting in the past.

Basically go to bed excited to spend an ENTIRE evening setting yourself up for awesomeness. Go to bed knowing that by morning, you will be better off than when you went to bed. Go to bed knowing the next day is when your thoughts will begin to manifest.

Ultimately what helped me the most was to have a routine before bed that involved reading, tea, and psyching myself up for spiritual, mental, or emotional growth.

I went to bed with the GOAL of staying awake all night long and to use the silence to reflect POSITIVELY. I would start with sleep hypnosis for confidence, or happiness, or depression, or addiction. I'd listen to one, then I'd let my mind absorb it for a while and process / accept it.

I did not allow myself to look at the time, because I knew the alarm would go off when the challange was over. Looking at the clock never helped in any way. Ever.

At the end of the day, it's how we think about what's going on that makes the biggest difference and determines how we FEEL about it.

You can actually make it a positive experience. One that you'll only have the chance to do for a few days. After that, it's over. You'll never have the chance to sit there and just be there with your own spirit for hours like that.

Dee74

It took me anything from a week to ten days to get back to a regular sleeping pattern Z..things got a little better each night - hope thats the same for you too

D

CreativeThinker

It took me longer than D. I would say close to a month. It might have taken me a bit longer because I was napping during the day. Anyhoo...it will get better.

Zombie79

Actually had 6+ a half hours last night and feel really a lot better this morning.
I had two cups of this tea to aid sleep and put on some music before bed.

I honestly woke up thinking I'd got near enough 8hours but my fitbit says otherwise

I had that lovely feeling of slowly drifting off instead of *boom....brain is awake*
I had also got in over 17k steps yesterday so I think that helped too.

McHayduke

Hi Z. I'm just into my third week, so here's my status (of course, ymmv). I wouldn't quite say I'm at a point where I'm consistently getting a solid night's sleep. I will say that starting about 4 or 5 nights ago, it's been better and better each night. Not necessarily a full 8 hours or anything (honestly, I don't think I've logged an 8-hour night since puberty), but the quality is much better.

To boot: the last couple mornings I actually woke up to find my wife sleeping next to me...apparently I no longer snore to the point that she seeks refuge in the guest room. Hi-ho.

least

It took me a few weeks to get back to normal sleeping. It gets better, just don't drink or it'll set you back to square one.

thomas11

The good sleep will come, and soon if you've got 3 days in. If you're anything like me, it will be one of the most rewarding things you'll remember. A good solid night of sleep. Its awesome.

SnazzyDresser

I'm closing in on 4 months sober. My sleep is still improving gradually, comes in fits and starts. It's sure not perfect yet! We just have to prioritize sobriety over all other concerns and have patience for things like sleep to normalize over time.

lunar

Try listening to this

Tonymblue

It took me about 3 weeks. Just remember bad sober sleep is always better than good drunk sleep.

Zombie79

Last night I got less than 5hours. I was off work and had an afternoon nap then to add to it, my neighbours son started banging on his mother's door and shouting at near 1am.
It was ok tho, I still got up early and did what I needed to do without feeling crap.

My only issue is today is pay day and it's lovely weather in the UK at the moment. Everyone in work is talking about barbeques and pints and I'm literally thinking "maybe just get a bottle tonight" but I know it's the AV talking.
This weekend I've planned to be busy and get up early to get what I want done, I know that me getting drunk would ruin everything and leave me back at square one. Tomorrow is my day 7 and so far, I've not been able to go past day 7 sober in ages so I'm trying to shut out the AV!!! It's not easy :-(

noneever

I had a 7-10 days of crappy sleep before it settled. I'm finding listening to guided meditations really helpful. The Insight Timer app is great- over 5K free meditations on it.