Bigdumbird

Hi everyone iam 4 days sober and am having real issues sleeping at night. When i was drinking i thought i slept ok unless i was steaming when i would stay up til 5am drinking. Anyway could it be that my body and mind is used to the sedative effect of alcohol and now iam sober its missing it? Any thoughts or advice?

Dee74

Insomnia is very common in the early days big. It usually sorts itself out tho after a while.

Here are some good common sense tips that might help

10 tips to beat insomnia - Live Well - NHS Choices

D

Hawkeye13

The insomnia lasted a few weeks when I stopped but slowly got back to normal.
Maybe journal, read, or watch old movies if you can't sleep.

Well done on 4 days BigDB!

chaili05

Congratulations! I'm on day 8 and still struggling with sleeping... I'll have to check out those tips posted by Dee... right now I end up watching a few movies during the night lol. Getting up is rough sometimes but sure beats a hangover.

DoubleDragons

Bigdum, my sleep issues (insomnia, crazy dreams) ended at about 2.5 weeks into sobriety. Now my sleep is wonderful and easy and uninterrupted! (40 days in) I did take Dramamine the first week or so because I got to the point of being fearful to sleep because I dreaded the vivid dreams that sometimes turned into panic attacks.

Dee74

there's these too -

Insomnia? 42 Simple Tips to Help You Get to Sleep - Insomnia treatment, cures

I won't vouch for all the readers suggestions tho

D

least

Four days is very early in. Your sleep will get back to normal but you have to give it time. If you're still having problems sleeping in a few weeks then see your doctor.

Try18

I have the same issue. My anxiety and fear kick in and i seem to feel.physically worse at night. Is that normal, perhaps psychological?
Well done bigdumbird. You should be very proud. When i have gotten sober before the insomnia went away eventually. You don't sleep well if you're drunk, it is normally just a case of being passed out. Every day it Will get better for you x

Twinings

Generally, and in my experience... your in the worst phase for insomnia.
I can't even sleep an hr in the first few days after a lapse.

Go see your doc if you haven't already and be honest about your situation, they can just make simple checks...BP etc and that is sometimes enough to help your anxiety levels lower and better sleep.

I think it is quite common, obviously not everyone is the same and this isn't any advice just an observation, but after about 2.5 weeks, you will go from insomnia to always tired and sleeping too much before finally levelling out.

83mama0f2

Insomnia was triggered by severe anxiety and panic attacks when quitting alcohol for me. I finally saw a naturopath and he did biofeedback. Measured my neurotransmittors, seratonin, dopamine, hormones, etc and I was all out of whack! My insomnia has disappeared since starting treatment. Simple homeopathy. And it works. It's not cheap to see a naturopath, but I'm saving money by not buying alcohol so I can afford to do it! I think the alcohol abuse is what screwed up my hormones... worth a shot to see one and see if they can help! My body definitely relied on a sedatives to sleep. If it wasn't alcohol it was Benadryl or unisom or valerian.

SnowDawg

I had fits with sleeplessness for weeks, though obviously everyone is different. No a few months into sobriety, I can't wait for bed and I could honestly sleep ten plus hours, but discipline myself to get up. Can't wait to do it all again the next night.

ZeldaFan

I had sleep issues for the first week or so. The first four or five days were the hardest. I took some sleep aids for a few days and my body found a natural routine and I was able to start enjoying natural sleep again. Since everyone is different it may take you less or more time for everything to level out but it will and when it does it's wonderful.