christimc

Ok, short n sweet

Wondering if you guys have anxiety about sleeping sober. Sounds crazy but i was so used to passing out that the thought of laying there waiting for sleep gives me anxiety. Anyone else?

Talked to dr who is naturalist says herbal teas, which is what im doing.

I post all of these which may seem repetitive and mundane because as a newbie myself maybe a fellow newbie will read them n know they arent alone. Have a good one yall.

FeelingGreat

I found sleep was a problem for a short while, but eventually you'll establish new sleep patterns. What's the worst that can happen?
Waking up without a hangover is awesome!

christimc

True that! Lol

vickys1972

Hey not ideal but I have sleepers been on them years wish I wasn't double whammy keep going x

lunar

Just another facet of your sober journey.
I agree with FeelingGreat.
Having my moments here approaching three weeks,
but I do NOT miss those brutal hangovers.
Take whatever sleep you can, for now. When you turn in, be thankful that
come morning, there will be NO hangover WHATSOEVER.
In the long run, NOT drinking will equal LESS anxiety.

readerbaby71

Sleepytime Extra tea has Valerian root, which helps me fall asleep. You can also buy capsules that you take before bedtime.

2muchpain

I had a terrible time getting any sleep in the beginning. Took about a week before I got back into a normal sleeping pattern. I even had medication to help me sleep, but that did no good. I'd get two hours here, three hours there. Between that, and the horrible dreams, it was a nightmare. Just had to accept it, but it's tough. Just remember that it will get better and you don't ever have to go through it again.

vickys1972

That's really good advice but when you struggle with agitation it sucks.. I have sleepers to I'm scared I won't get off them.. Been on them years it's like being down a rabbit warren.. Alcohol first then them I guess x thanks xx

2muchpain

vicky1972
For me, dealing with quitting alcohol right now is a 24/7 battle, and that's enough for me for now. There are other things that I need to deal with, like quitting cigs, but there is no way I can take that on right now. Almost everything I am doing right now has something to do with not drinking, such as going to the gym, eating well (not counting the ice-cream), drinking lots of water, etc. You'll deal when you are ready to deal with them. Take care.

justinJustQuit

I took melatonin before bed for a week after i quit. I was fine after that.

ReadyAtLast

It's very normal. Your brain is re-adjusting and re=calibrating and has to learn how to sleep sober. It took me about a month before I slept properly every night. But when you do sleep it is proper,rejuventing,restful sleep-not just sleeping the drink off.

I stuck to natural stuff, warm milk,bath,no electronic devices in bedroom etc. I didn't want to start taking pills,get addicted to them and never be able to sleep properly. It's hell at the time and you think you'll never sleep properly again but you will.

Even now, if I have a bad night 's sleep I never feel as bad as I did with a hangover

Aellyce

Christimc, I actually had a lot of anxiety about sleeping in the last year of my drinking career, because it was ***ed up so much. Guess I was lucky because I did not have much issue around sleep getting sober; some nights were a bit insomniac but never many nights in a row. I very much enjoy that I can have a normal evening routine now instead of passing out randomly.

Do you exercise and keep yourself busy during the day? Also, do you try to develop a relaxing bedtime routine? For example, I try not to do anything super stimulating before bed, I don't even like to post on SR very much then because that definitely stimulates my mind. Usually read books or more neutral stuff online. It seems like many people on SR also like watching TV - I personally don't, but I can see how that might also be relaxing and is a good distraction (depending on what they watch).

nymets86

I'm in a similar boat. Sleep anxiety has always been a major problem for me as long as I can remember. I think it all started in like second grade when people started having sleep overs and I'd never be able to fall asleep and just be scared all night. Was never really a problem in my own room. That continued when I went to sleep away camp and I actually had my parents take me home early one summer because it was so bad.

Flash forward to high school when I started drinking and sleep overs were then just time to get trashed and while I never had blackouts in high school,I'd always get drunk/high enough that sleeping over somewhere wasn't a problem. When I got to college and had a roommate, I had a horrible time adjusting, and eventually bit ambien which helped. That's always when I started blacking out more and more. 10 years later, I've had not too many nights of sleeping without one or the other.

The last week I've been sober and while ambien works somewhat for me, it's not the same as booze.

Sleep has been bad and I just am trying to convince myself I'd MUCH rather have a sleepless night than a hangover.

happyandfree

I had a terrible time sleeping my first few weeks. I think it's when the anxiety hit me the worst. After a few weeks it totally passed and now I sleep great and the anxiety is almost gone. Hang in there.

nymets86

Has anyone else found themselves extremely tired and ready for bed at 10pm, then wide awake, nervous, heart racing, etc as soon as they get into bed?

I think the whole iPad, iPhone, TV in the bedroom doesn't help, but I just have such a tough time falling asleep and it gets me agitated lying there awake.