Alcohol & sleep deprivation
 

I read this article this morning.

BBC News - Lack of sleep blights pupils' education

And one of the things it made me think about is how as alcoholics, we never really get good sleep. Passing out drunk isn't the same as sleep, so in effect, an alcoholic is also sleep deprived all the time.

I know I couldn't learn/remember anything and it was getting worse as worse as my drinking was progressing. It's gotten so much better even just over the last month.

I wonder how much of that is just related to sleep.

The first few weeks I was sober I was sleeping 12+ hours a day. It was as though my body was catching up on the lack of sleep over the years.

I've noticed since I quit drinking that I generally feel more awake and energetic, but after a few hours of focusing, I grow tired.

I've ended up taking naps most days.

For years I've had a job that puts me on the road a lot and when I drive long hours, I am very aware if I'm getting sleepy. In all the years I've been doing that, there's were only a couple of times I ever pulled over and fell asleep on the side of the road. But when I was on the road the first few weeks after quitting, there were several days I pulled over and just crashed right out.