justinJustQuit

So I'm 11 days sober which is fantastic, but does anyone know how long the insomnia lasts? I am still unable to go to sleep until around 1:00 A.M. if that.

xsydney

I had it for a long time after, Im one year sober, I still have problems sleeping but I work crazy hours. The best sleep aid no side effects is Neuro Sleep. Its amazing melatonin( which normally I don't care for), Tryptophan, Valerian root. Its a drink they sell at Kroger, Or most gas stations or super markets. Its orange and its amazing I just drank one I will be asleep in an hour no sluggish feeling in the morning either. I also used Sleep Guided Meditation on You tube When I first stopped, that really helped to relax my mind.

diffingo911

It all Depends on the Person, justinjustquit-It does level off in time. It Seems it's something We ALL have to deal with, I'm afraid-If you let your Doc know, He may be able to prescribe something-You can Google Sleep Remedies...Tried "SleepyTime" Tea?

justinJustQuit

I'll just have to suck it up and try some melatonin. It seemed to work when I was first trying to get sober, but that was before my withdrawals got dangerous.

Thanks for the help guys!

justinJustQuit

Something else to add though: I have been going on like 4 hours of sleep a night (give or take) and still feel 200% better than being hungover. I'll have to get up in 5 hours to go to the gym and it's still easier to go without the booze.

Inca

It lasted a little while for me, I'd say the first month was pretty inconsistent. For me it helped to avoid caffeine after 3:00pm, take melatonin over the counter, and do relaxing things before bed like get on this forum or read. I also kept track of when I felt the best to figure out how many hours of sleep I need so I can lay down at the same time every night to try and get that amount. For me, 7 hours is the magic number that I work towards.

Hang in there. It does get better with time.

justinJustQuit

thanks inca. I think I remember before I started drinking every night I was ok with 6 or 7. Anything under that and I was tired, and anything more than like 9 I was tired.

Taking5

This is very common. There is also an insomnia forum here as well:

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

ZeldaFan

It took me a few weeks for sound sleep to start coming naturally. However, I have noticed that I'm just generally more of a night owl now that I'm sober. When I do go to sleep, I'm out for a solid eight hours. It's just not the optimal sleep schedule for an 8-5 job.

Hang in there and great job on 11 days!

Itchy

It lasted a long time for me too. But I'm retired and can get my days and nights mixed up without worrying about the job suffering. My spousal unit had no issues and was surprised I made it. She still drinks and there is and was a half gallon of scotch and a carton of smokes in the house as it was my problem, my quit, not hers. I would have been outraged if she quit and then tried to become a smoking Nazi and teetotaler on me. Besides, the liquor store is on the way to and from the house when I go into town. It is as easy to get in the cabinet, or five minutes down the road in my car. The key is my commitment to never drink again and my belly had enough. I had drunk my fill and was done. So it was harder to regulate my sleep patterns because I had no schedule to keep. I di sleep all day for weeks and stay up all night then it rotated around. Once I got tired enough I would sleep well. That wasn't the problem as no one can stay up forever. It was sleeping when I wanted to on a schedule. I got over it eventually. It was worth it.

ZeldaFan

There are many nights I only get about four hours as well and I could not agree more. Even sleep deprived I still feel waaaaay better than I ever did in my drinking days. Plus, drunk sleep is very restless so four hours of sound sleep beats 10 hours of drunk sleep any day!

rAAt

well done on eleven days, I hope you go the tried and tested routes to recovery, there are too many fools out there trying to do it their way.

Dee74

Please remember our medical advice rule - please do share your experience - please do not recommend treatments for others.

I always urge anybody & everybody to see their Dr before starting a supplement - even something like melatonin or an over the counter sleep aid that may have helped someone else here, but might not be suitable for you

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ecautions.html

cusper

Before I found this site i was all over the internet asking the same question. I am 5 weeks in and I find that I am sleeping a lot deeper now but I still have a tendency to stay up late. But I have definitely noticed a difference in the last week. Oh and I also cut out caffeine (of course with the exception of chocolate) instead i drank decaf. that seemed to help as well. Mind you I also had pretty bad anxiety a couple weeks ago so without the caffeine it seemed better. I really find that if I can't sleep I come on here and read people's posts. This site has really helped. Also I've met some really helpful people on chat who i could relate to. Congratulations on 11 days!

Michael66

Hi Justin

I had insomnia for over a year. I took exercise, avoided caffeine and still had problems (I would go to sleep fine but then wake at 2am).

What worked well for me was sleep restriction. You look at how much sleep you are actually getting and you only allow that much time in bed. I was getting about 6 hours actual sleep per night so I would go to bed at 12 and set an alarm for 6 (and you make sure you get up). You are supposed to keep to the same schedule at weekends but I did allow an extra 30 mins. Once a week you adjust the total time by 15 min, so if you are sleeping really well and are still tired then go to bed 15 min earlier, or if you return to not sleeping as well go to bed 15 min later.

This has worked really well for me, and I get much more reading done as well as I stay up later.

You may find things settle down of their own accord, but if not I definitely recommend sleep restriction.

Well done for giving up!

Michael

Dee74

10 tips to beat insomnia - Live Well - NHS Choices

1newcreation

I take presc sleep pills & was takin them even when passed out & woke in middle of night. So after quit drinkin wasn't gettin much sleep so asked my doc to increase dosage but was already @ the max(30mg). Took few days to realise 'twas the absence of alc that was keeping me up. But after 2/3 wks, body got readjusted & that's another reason I never want to pick up again