amy55

OK, today is day 16 for me know. My problem is, I don't know when to go to sleep. I was so used to drinking, until I couldn't anymore, and that was the signal for me to go to sleep. Now, I don't feel tired enough to go to sleep. I take melatonin, and OTC sleeping pills, but I'm not tired. I sometimes stay up till 2 or 3 in the morning. I probably need to set a time in my head, but right now I am finding that very hard to do.

MycoolFitz

OK on day 16. I could barely sleep for weeks after I got sober. When I went to bed I got rope burn from tossing and turning. Over time it settled down, I settled down, life normalized in a good way. And even not sleeping is better than passing out night after night. Good things take time.

prayforstrength

Hi Amy!! I have been having the same problem. I started reading books at night - I turn off the TV, dim the lights to where I can still read and I brought a fan in my room for light background noise. Sounds crazy - but it works!! Getting involved in the novel I am reading really makes me sleepy around 11 p.m. now. I must admit though...I have burned through 3 thick novels in the last 12 days! I started a wish list on Amazon so I can keep the books comin'.

Anna

Amy, I do think it helps to have a bedtime routine and to go to bed about the same every night. But, you are still at the point of allowing your body to heal, so try to be patient with yourself.

topspin

Amy,
Keep the faith your sleeping pattern will normalize.

I was one of those that couldn't get much rest at night for a couple months;
....but like Fitz said: way, WAY better"than passing out night after night"

it took a while for me to be able to excersize enough to feel truly tired at night, but it helped a lot to start in with it early on.

jaynedoe

i do about the same thing as prayforstrength except i just play on the computer until bedtime and then read until i get sleepy in bed. i have a light above my head so i just turn that off - don't have to get up and stirred up again - i have a shelf beside my bed to put the book. i also a lot of times when i lay down to go to sleep, visualize daydreams into nightdreams...just good wishy things like me being a famous author (something i would like to be) and the house i would live in and friends i would have over or anything that you would like to dream about.... i think sometimes i get busy working out the details (i'm a touch ocd) that i think that makes me fall asleep. good luck to you. i've taken melatonin before and it made me sleepy. and honestly if i can't go to sleep at all (which is rare for me) i have used nyquil before (i know, i know - it does have alcohol in it!) but anything thats a sleep aid i would be very careful about using for any length of time because i think you get dependent on it and it would be even harder to go to sleep on your own. i hope it just works itself out soon for you.

saphira

I struggled for the first few weeks after I quit drinking as well. I worked like crazy writing recipes down at night from recorded cooking shows. My husband and son would head to bed and I would be so jealous but I felt like I could have stayed up all night. It didn't last forever... In fact, after that I went through a stage where I couldn't get enough sleep! I think having a nightly routine helped me... it cued my body that it was time for bed. Your body will recover-- just hang in there!!

sugarbear1

It's time to re-parent yourself. As said, a bedtime routine helps. I have the privilege of attending a 7 am meeting, which means up at 6 am, prayers, shower, and either ask for a ride via text or hop a bus or walk, return home, breakfast, then continue to organize home, clean, take on the day. Exercise helps, tv off by 10, no more late nights...

Morning & evening routine. Like a baby, a warm bath at night relaxes muscles...

You can do it!

Zebra1275

Try exercise during the day.

amy55

I have not been able to get a good nights sleep since about 1990. I think the not sleeping thing was the main excuse for my drinking. Back then it wasn't so bad, I could take 3 mgs of melatonin, and after an hour or 2 I would be able to sleep. I was married to an alcoholic who had either depression or bipolar.

I am divorced now for 8 months, but my mind just constantly races. I need to make this stop. When I was married, I was constantly trying to figure out, how to make things better, how could I fix things. I know that I couldn't now, but my mind just got so used to thinking all the time, it's hard to "shut it off". I should have went to Alanon, instead I turned to "drinking".

I was taking 50 mg of seroquel each night to be able to go to sleep, but I longer want to do this. I stopped the seroquel 2 months ago.

I think trying to read before sleeping is a good idea. I used to do this a lot years ago, and it worked then, I just don't remember if that was when I was having my problem with sleeping.

sugarbear1

Read Alcoholics Anonymous.

wpainterw

This sleep thing is very much a part of early recovery. It gets better and better as time goes on. In fact you'll probably find that eventually your sleep will be sounder than ever. All I can recommend is to hang in there, watch TV, read or do whatever is necessary to get your mind off it. Get some exercise. Then you'll find yourself getting sleepy but it will take awhile. Talk to your doctor maybe but approach any prescriptions with care. It's best to have the doctor keep tight control over quantities, refills, etc. The first four or five days may be the hardest.

W.

StPeteGrad

Sleeping used to be one of my greatest sources of anxiety - so I drank until I could pass out - even then it quit working toward the end.

I think it helps to have a firm daily wake up time. I had some prescription sleeping meds but only used them a few times. I read this forum and mess around on facebook or read. I'm usually rolled over and asleep in 20 minutes now.

I told my doctor at my last visit that I was no longer having sleeping problems and she was amazed!

Now I can wake up at 6 am on a Saturday and hit the first meeting and be home before anyone else is up.

Two things for me:
Good sleep hygeine
Same wake up time 7 days a week.

The sleep should eventually fall into place.

Peace
-SPG

sugarbear1

It's showing us that alcohol reallt DIDN'T giv e us a good nights sleep! The body is readjusting!