FHB1

Hi everyone! Well, today is day ten of my sobriety and I feel okay. The only issue I have is that I can't sleep. Last night I literally couldn't fall asleep until six in the morning. My sleeping patterns are all messed up. I'm worried because I start work tomorrow and I have to wake up at five in the morning. I really don't want to take anything to help me sleep, but I might have to. Perhaps some benadryl will do the trick. Thanks for letting me vent.

MycoolFitz

I hear you, friend. Venting more than welcome. I couldn't sleep for a long time after sobering. My brain was used to passing out not falling asleep. Things are much better now.

NewDayNewWay

They tend to be all over the place for a while.
Mines are usually waking up at 2 or 3 for a couple of hours, but yesterday I woke up at 4am and no sleep after that.
I have had those kind of nights as well, with literally not falling asleep till I hear birds singing outside.
It does get better with time, but expect it to be erratic for a a while, and best you can do is have the same routine each night before sleeping.

NewDayNewWay

If you google "Simplynoise" i usually put that on while i go to sleep, it also has a timer on it, very useful.
The brown noise one really helps me relax

BASEjumper

Sorry to hear that FHB1, I never experienced that but sometimes reading in bed makes me sleepy. No worries with venting

Piotr

Same here. Day 16 and now I fall asleep well but wake up 4-5am and cannot fall asleep again. During the day i feel tired and lacking energy. AsI'm starting group therapy tomorrow might need to start taking some pills to be more rested.

least

Bad sleeping patterns are common in early recovery. Treat yourself well, with good food and exercise, and it should work out in time. If not, see your doctor. My sleeping was 'off' for a few months but by six months sober I was sleeping like a baby and waking up feeling rested and ready to go. I'm not saying that my sleep prior to six months was all bad, but it was up and down. It did settle down with time tho. STay healthy as much as you can and rest in bed, maybe with a good book, if you can't sleep.

Here's a link to our 'sleep' forum.


Insomnia/Nightmares - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

ajangel

I can related. I have only started being able to sleep in the past 2 weeks. I am at day 40. It will even out.

ajangel

I refused to take pills. I wanted my body to adjust naturally. Benadryl has too many side effects for me. If it is starting to effect your job however, I would look into something natural and speak to your doctor

FHB1

I know what you mean about the Benadryl, Ipnangel. Whenever I take that stuff I wind up being lethargic and drowsy the next day.

Dee74

If you're having trouble sleeping and you're concerned about it or it's impacting upon your life, I recommend you see a Dr.

Self medicating with things like Benadryl can sometimes bring its own problems. I'll seen a thread or two about that here.

Here's some common sense tips that may help, FHB :
Insomnia? 42 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures

D

FHB1

Thanks Dee, those are some good tips!

FHB1

Thanks for the link least. I'll check out this info.

AMD

Melatonin works great for me!

psilyguy

Right now I take an herb called L-Tryptophan, one during the day, one after dinner. This helps your body convert energy and food into serotonin. Then as the night winds down I take an herbal sleep aid called Dreaminol, one about an hour before bed, a second about 10 minutes before bed with a big glass of water. Averaging 6 hrs of straight sleep a night. Good luck. Insomnia sucks!

Ollie909

You don't want to be going in benadryl lathargic.
For me I was able to handle a night or two with very restless sleep at best.
Then you eventually do get tired, different than lathargic. Hopefully a little adrenaline
excitement will get you through it, during the day. Did for me.
Not so bad. Your doing great.

StPeteGrad

My doctor considered good sleep as necessary as good nutrition in my early recovery and we tried many different things. Some worked, some didn't.

Others say "exercise more and you can sleep." I, for one, know that it can be nearly impossible to muster up the will to exercise when doing the dishes seems more daunting than climbing Mt. Everest.

I can attest, though, this will pass sooner than you know and you'll be finding there is not enough time in the day to do all things your ambition drives you to (including exercise). As one who's always had sleep issues I can completely relate. I don't take anything for sleep most nights anymore except the occassional melatonin or Gabba if I'm having an especially hard time winding down.

If you can find a doctor that you can have a very open dialogue with concerning your alcoholism/addiction history and sleep concerns during early recovery I think you'll find the process to be softer and less stressful.

Keep at it.
-SPG

FHB1

Thanks for the tips everyone! I took melatonin at 9:00, read some of my book and was sleeping by 12:00. I have one ativan pill left and I'm sure that would help me sleep, but I really don't want to take it now that I've been sober. I like the melatonin, because it doesn't give me a buzz like an ativan does.

topspin

FHB,
Glad your getting it sorted out. I'm another one that had a really tough time for several months. Working late shift probably never helps either , !?!