PinnacleOR

I’m on Day 41 today, which has me feeling good about things! The fatigue, however, still dogs me. Seems like sleep is getting a bit better but still waking up a lot. I thought it would be gone by now and I’d be sleeping like a baby. Anyone have any sleep experiences or secrets to share?

Stayingsassy

The fatigue goes on for awhile. Off and on for up to six months I’ve heard. The fatigue sets in for me when I start experiencing paws, I know this because of the other symptoms I get at the same time.


We just have to hang in there until it gets better.

SportsFan15

^^^This. Ditto. I'm at 5 months and going through a spell of fatigue, sleeping 10 or more hours a night, grumpiness, sluggishness, irritability.

Good news: it will last a few days then it's gone. I've heard paws lessens drastically as we get more and more sober time.

And ya know what?

I had those symptoms 99% of the time during active alcoholism. The only time I didn't was the 20 or so minutes when I had a buzz, which kept getting shorter.

Ill take sobriety anyday over that hell on earth.

Stronger2017

Well done on 41 days. For the sleep, maybe try a little meditation before bed. I also sometimes like to do a short pilates/stretching routine. Maybe something like that might help if you haven’t tried those things already🙂

RunFasterSober

I'm about 45 days, and my sleep is about the same as yours. And the fatigue... Damn that! Hating on it. One of the biggest things that keeps me going right now, when sleep evades and I can't get my tired butt off the couch, is knowing that when I wake up tomorrow, a hangover there will not be. My tummy won't be sour for the entire morning, and I won't need to down Excedrine with my coffee (that does come later though). Anyways, we'll all just keep on keepin on. My hopes that we all have a restful night's sleep. Take care!

PinnacleOR

Thanks all and congrats on your sobriety!

Amen RunFasterSober, I may be tired at night and in the morning, but I’ll gladly take that over a hangover ... and I do.

MyLittleHorsie

Hi there, I am around the same time sober and last night was the first time I didn't wake at 3am. I always blamed it on that being the time my husband leaves but it was also the time I would wake after drinking.
I went yo bed the other night at 6:30 and was still tired the whole next day. I know our bodies have to heal, but I think there is a lot of stress we push down with drinking and when we have to confront it and move on, it exhausts us. I do know I feel less wired and tight since quitting. No advice, just commiseration.

PinnacleOR

I’ve been going to bed at 8:30, it’s now 4:30 and I’m awake��

August252015

Good thoughts above and I'd add - for me, as I was VERY ill when I quit drinking, I was plain exhausted for weeks, and it fluctuated all through the first year. When I say exhausted, I mean having to pull the car over and nap THAT SECOND, and taking lots of naps that were hardcore, as in several hours!

As I was able to work (I took a basic fast food job first, then at 5 mo went to being a server working much longer and harder hours), I found that I still needed to nap most days. At 21 mo - I expend a LOT of energy (hot yoga for an hour to 90 min 6x a week, a run, running a recovery group and working PT as a restaurant hostess, plus life with my new husband and 15 yr old step daughter...) and my sleep routine is rougher (night sweats, waking up a lot) at times, and it often corresponds to the times big things are on my mind.

I get up at 430 a lot of days to do 6am yoga, go to a meeting then work, so I nap around 3 before dinner. Other days I get up around 630. I am usually in bed before 9, definitely 10.

I believe it varies from person to person, and for me expending so much energy means a lot of "recovery." And self care means letting myself sleep around my schedule as and when I need to, even if my 15 yr old thinks I'm weird for being in bed at 745

Take care- do pay attention to things like caffeine, do exercise if you aren't already and possibly consider a sleep med you discuss with your dr (I take two).

Like someone said though - I wouldn't go back to the life I had (the "sleep" I had) for a second and the sleep challenges I do have are a happy trade.

tekink

These things can last a while but everyone is differnt.

At 10 months I still get hit with PAWS but it's nowhere like it was for the first 6 months where it was nearly constant. I am getting some breaks from it these days. Last night I only woke once all night!

Dee74

The fatigue let up for me at about 3 months. Considering what I'd put my mind and body through, I thought that was pretty good?

D

PinnacleOR

Thanks all. I have to say I’ll take poor but sober sleep over drunk sleep any day! It feels so good when my head hits the pillow and I remember it!

Weebes

I'm kinda glad to read all of this. Day 42 and I am exhausted most of the time. My sleep is getting better and I can stay asleep for longer stretches each night. Somehow thought it would have resolved faster, but now see I'm not alone. Thanks.

Cellardweller

The first few months I was exhausted. (The 'feel it in your bones' kind of exhausted.) In fact, I'm still tired a lot, but not so much exhausted if that makes sense. I was taking naps immediately after work as I'd generally hit a wall around 2-3pm. It's tough!...but it improves.

Just try and get the sleep while you can, lots of water and good, healthy food. Things will come around. Oddly enough, I'd still sometimes use melatonin tablets to get to sleep as the naps sometimes threw off my sleep schedule.

Best wishes.

bradly22

The fatigue thing may come and go for a while. I don't have good explanation as to why this happens, but it is just a side effect of letting go of the booze. Some tips and tricks that I have learned along the way would be some of the most obvious ones. They are as follows: meditation, cut out caffeine after noon, try to go for a walk (maybe with meditation music), do some tasks during the day that are mentally stimulating, drink some water to stay hydrated before bed and sleep in a cool, dark room at night with some kind of white noise.

tekink

A lot of people don't realize withdrawal can actually last a year or more! The acute part of withdrawal (the dangerous part) is only one small part of it.

Post Acute Withdrawal is a whole nother ball game and it can play with your mind if it's affecting you! Understanding PAWS was extremely helpful for me in that early recovery where you feel worn out, apathetic and basically like you are going insane.

August252015

And for women, it can last up to two years. I suffered pretty severe PAWS (while it is not a dx, but a cluster of symptoms, I had them all)

There is a good article on digitaldharma.net that gives a good overview of PAWS and the first months and early year(ish) of recovery.