Those of You Who Used to Pour Yourselves into Bed and Fall Right Asleep
 

Is it normal when going to bed sober to have trouble getting a good night's sleep. Does the body eventually learn how to fall asleep on its own without help of the booze?

Yes, normal indeed. I had trouble sleeping the first couple weeks after quitting drinking but eventually got used to being sober and started sleeping normally. I now sleep like a baby and wake up feeling good.:) It does take a while before your body/brain adjusts to being sober, so give it time. If your sleep problems persist too long, see your doctor. Besides, passing out from drinking is not normal or restful sleep, so it's really not 'sleeping' at all, more like just being unconcious.

Very normal! Insomnia is a constant battle for me still, but it gets much better after a few weeks, to be sure.

It took me about a month or so to get past the muscle twitches and insomnia. It's so much better now! When I was drinking I rarely slept more than about five hours at a time, and of course it wasn't very restful...more like I passed out and my body tried to recover. Now I sleep for eight hours + easily. Best of luck to you! You're making a great choice!

xo,
kc

It took me several weeks to get a reasonable sleep schedule down. Have patience with yourself, it will come with time and it's great waking up each morning with no hangover.

Tim, you and I are seperated by only a few years. If your drinking history is anything like mine, progressive over two decades, then it's going to take a bit for your body and mind to adjust to life without alcohol.

You are doing good, hang in there. What you are going through is normal and it will get better.

It didn't take long for my sleep to improve.

Yep, as the others said, totally normal.

I went to my doctor about this because I was obsessing about not being able to sleep. She helped me out with that - I sleep like a baby now - she also said being able to sleep is SO important. We're all different...find what works for you Tim.

So true that going to bed full of booze is not sleeping...and never will be.

Yeah it's normal. Your sleep cycle will even itself out after a period of being sober and you will end up getting much more restful, healthy sleep. :) I had lots of anxious nights for a little over a week after I decided to get sober but my sleep has evened itself out. I'm on my 3rd week.

I agree totally normal. what has been helping me in early recovery is a lot of exercise, so i go to bed tired in a good way. And not to let the occasional night of really bad/no sleep get to me or worry me. nothing is harder than TRYING to go to sleep, it's like my brain rebels against me when i try really hard, the harder i try the less sleep i get.

Yes, it did for me... It took a few months though.

It's very common.

There are a few common sense tips here that may help?
Insomnia? 42 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures

D

One of the reasons I drank in the begining was to fall asleep.

Now that I'm older I never have trouble falling asleep. Staying awake past 10 p.m. now is another story.

I had alot of trouble, tim. I had a restless sleep when I drank, though. I'd fall asleep ok, but wake up on & off all night. Now, I always read until I fall asleep.

I was just like Zebra.

I noticed I'm much more sensitive to stimulants now. I went from drinking 2 pots of coffee to none in the last 9 months. Now, if I even have a cup in the evening (such as at a meeting on a night that I'm very tired) I will be up until 3 am. Last Friday I was up until 6am.

I'm sober 9 months (-1 week) now and it is still a challenge at times. I used prescriptions (from my doctor) for a while - and they worked byt I was developing a tolerance - and we all know what happens next!

So I've quit sleeping meds in lieu of natural sleep aids, herbal teas, and really good sleep hygeine - that is, keeping a schedule. This is not unlike what most normal people do.

I also notice my ability to sleep is directly proportional to the amount of physical activity during the day. I work in an office and have a long commute so that is one of my challenges. Even going to the grocery store or Target and the like can help. Park away from the store and walk the entire store -even if it's just to get milk.

In worst case, you'll likely find that you still feel better with very bad sleep than you did with little sleep while drinking.
Best of luck to you.

Last night was night 5 and I've been falling asleep easier and easier each night! Horay! Now if only the fogginess would lift when i wake up.

It will.:) Take good care of yourself in the meantime. Good food, rest, water/juice, vitamins, exercise - you'll soon be sleeping like a baby and waking up feeling good.:)

Like you, one of the reasons I drank was to help me sleep. Unlike most of you, when I drank, I slept like the dead until morning. Only no matter how long I slept it just didn't seem like enough. I'm on day seven now and my sleep cycle is still straightening out. I don't have a lot of trouble falling asleep but I can't get to bed much before 1AM because my brain just isn't ready to shut down until then.

I had weird twitches for the first few weeks and would bite my tongue and wake myself up just as I was falling asleep, and/or grind my teeth. I got a mouthguard and that helped for the first month or so, I don't use it at all anymore.

I have different sleep patterns now, for sure, go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. I had a friend who joked, why quit drinking, then when you wake up in the morning it's the best you'll feel all day. At first I thought, yeah, that sucks, but truth is, I wake up feeling pretty good every morning as opposed to chronically dehydrated, groggy, and slightly sick to my stomach.

Lots of trouble sleeping but it evens out. Then there is the crazy dreams as well. My dreams got so vivid but just like the sleep it evens out.