How do you sleep?
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Arizona, USA
Posts: 1,598
Originally Posted by Sober45 
I can sleep but not unless I have/do the following:
-White noise-Especially the sound of rain. While lying in bed I imagine myself in a cabin safe and cozy.
-I don't look at the clock EVER...as soon as I look at the clock I get anxious because I'm not asleep yet.
-If I'm having a really hard time, I don't "try" to go to sleep. Instead, I just lie there and say to myself "I'm just going to rest my body and mind" and I try to bring up some calming images.
-Deep breathing-There are tricks you can look up line where you count and deep breathe.
-I eat....I don't sleep well on an empty stomach but too much food and I wake up like I have a mild hangover. A bowl of light cereal does the trick for me.
My daughter uses ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). I hate it myself but she swears by it. I think a lot of people in her generation are using it.
-White noise-Especially the sound of rain. While lying in bed I imagine myself in a cabin safe and cozy.
-I don't look at the clock EVER...as soon as I look at the clock I get anxious because I'm not asleep yet.
-If I'm having a really hard time, I don't "try" to go to sleep. Instead, I just lie there and say to myself "I'm just going to rest my body and mind" and I try to bring up some calming images.
-Deep breathing-There are tricks you can look up line where you count and deep breathe.
-I eat....I don't sleep well on an empty stomach but too much food and I wake up like I have a mild hangover. A bowl of light cereal does the trick for me.
My daughter uses ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). I hate it myself but she swears by it. I think a lot of people in her generation are using it.
Samantha
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 2,031
Thanks everyone! Lots of replies. I was only taking melatonin but it seemed to work. Now, I dont want to pay for it anymore so I haven't been sleeping.
I've tried stuff like the calm app, white noise, food etc but not really helping. I guess I'll just get used to it
I've tried stuff like the calm app, white noise, food etc but not really helping. I guess I'll just get used to it
Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: US
Posts: 5,095
Sleep is such a tough thing for us. And early recovery is usually tough. Add sleep medication and its a double whammy.
I can only share my story. Have been on seroquel which is an antipsychotic (ugh) for sleep for a decade. Now that's a long story and I have a whole lot of opinions about that drug (all negative) and the drs that prescribe it for sleep. Off label. No bueno. That's just my opinion. And from all the huge lawsuits against AstraZeneca I'm clearly not the only one that feels the way I do. But ok. I've been dying to get off this med. I knew it would be rough. The first few nights were horrid....and oh my,, the itching. Like, WOW. I was such a mess that I decided to add melatonin, which has never done squat for me in the past. But this time, thank the Gods, it worked. My sleep has slowly been normalizing. Now I'd like to stop taking the melatonin but not quite ready. When I do I'm going to take my magnesium right before bed because I do believe my insane addict brain just wants to pop something....crazy right? But I believe there is something to that for me.
So I am proud to say I am seroquel free. I'm sleeping fine. And I protect my sleep, diet and exercise as if my life depends on it....because it does. I have tremendous empathy for everyone here struggling with sleep because usually we insomniacs have anxiety....and sleep is our safe haven. I am incredibly grateful that thus far, 3 weeks off Seroquel, I'm doing ok. I'm lucky.
To anyone not taking sleep meds and considering it? Pls be your own healthcare advocate. Do your research and check into Cognitive behavioral sleep solutions. Pills are easy in the short term, but they can be a nightmare in the end. Peace!
I can only share my story. Have been on seroquel which is an antipsychotic (ugh) for sleep for a decade. Now that's a long story and I have a whole lot of opinions about that drug (all negative) and the drs that prescribe it for sleep. Off label. No bueno. That's just my opinion. And from all the huge lawsuits against AstraZeneca I'm clearly not the only one that feels the way I do. But ok. I've been dying to get off this med. I knew it would be rough. The first few nights were horrid....and oh my,, the itching. Like, WOW. I was such a mess that I decided to add melatonin, which has never done squat for me in the past. But this time, thank the Gods, it worked. My sleep has slowly been normalizing. Now I'd like to stop taking the melatonin but not quite ready. When I do I'm going to take my magnesium right before bed because I do believe my insane addict brain just wants to pop something....crazy right? But I believe there is something to that for me.
So I am proud to say I am seroquel free. I'm sleeping fine. And I protect my sleep, diet and exercise as if my life depends on it....because it does. I have tremendous empathy for everyone here struggling with sleep because usually we insomniacs have anxiety....and sleep is our safe haven. I am incredibly grateful that thus far, 3 weeks off Seroquel, I'm doing ok. I'm lucky.
To anyone not taking sleep meds and considering it? Pls be your own healthcare advocate. Do your research and check into Cognitive behavioral sleep solutions. Pills are easy in the short term, but they can be a nightmare in the end. Peace!
Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 64
Originally Posted by entropy1964
Sleep is such a tough thing for us. And early recovery is usually tough. Add sleep medication and its a double whammy.
I can only share my story. Have been on seroquel which is an antipsychotic (ugh) for sleep for a decade. Now that's a long story and I have a whole lot of opinions about that drug (all negative) and the drs that prescribe it for sleep. Off label. No bueno. That's just my opinion. And from all the huge lawsuits against AstraZeneca I'm clearly not the only one that feels the way I do. But ok. I've been dying to get off this med. I knew it would be rough. The first few nights were horrid....and oh my,, the itching. Like, WOW. I was such a mess that I decided to add melatonin, which has never done squat for me in the past. But this time, thank the Gods, it worked. My sleep has slowly been normalizing. Now I'd like to stop taking the melatonin but not quite ready. When I do I'm going to take my magnesium right before bed because I do believe my insane addict brain just wants to pop something....crazy right? But I believe there is something to that for me.
So I am proud to say I am seroquel free. I'm sleeping fine. And I protect my sleep, diet and exercise as if my life depends on it....because it does. I have tremendous empathy for everyone here struggling with sleep because usually we insomniacs have anxiety....and sleep is our safe haven. I am incredibly grateful that thus far, 3 weeks off Seroquel, I'm doing ok. I'm lucky.
To anyone not taking sleep meds and considering it? Pls be your own healthcare advocate. Do your research and check into Cognitive behavioral sleep solutions. Pills are easy in the short term, but they can be a nightmare in the end. Peace!
I can only share my story. Have been on seroquel which is an antipsychotic (ugh) for sleep for a decade. Now that's a long story and I have a whole lot of opinions about that drug (all negative) and the drs that prescribe it for sleep. Off label. No bueno. That's just my opinion. And from all the huge lawsuits against AstraZeneca I'm clearly not the only one that feels the way I do. But ok. I've been dying to get off this med. I knew it would be rough. The first few nights were horrid....and oh my,, the itching. Like, WOW. I was such a mess that I decided to add melatonin, which has never done squat for me in the past. But this time, thank the Gods, it worked. My sleep has slowly been normalizing. Now I'd like to stop taking the melatonin but not quite ready. When I do I'm going to take my magnesium right before bed because I do believe my insane addict brain just wants to pop something....crazy right? But I believe there is something to that for me.
So I am proud to say I am seroquel free. I'm sleeping fine. And I protect my sleep, diet and exercise as if my life depends on it....because it does. I have tremendous empathy for everyone here struggling with sleep because usually we insomniacs have anxiety....and sleep is our safe haven. I am incredibly grateful that thus far, 3 weeks off Seroquel, I'm doing ok. I'm lucky.
To anyone not taking sleep meds and considering it? Pls be your own healthcare advocate. Do your research and check into Cognitive behavioral sleep solutions. Pills are easy in the short term, but they can be a nightmare in the end. Peace!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 349
My experience with sleep in sobriety has been interesting. While I was drinking, I was so exhausted I remember thinking that if I ever ended up in the hospital, the positive might be that they knock me out with something. Madness.
Year 1 sleep was better, as I didn’t wake up in a heart-racing panic at 2am. Year 2, into year 3, I went through a long period where I could sleep up to 12 hours a night. It was unreal. DS made fun of me as I was out by 7pm and still needed an alarm to get up in the am.
I’m back to “normal” now...I sleep ok, 7 hours or so, but nothing like that year 2 stretch. The only thing I can figure is my body was making up for lost time.
Year 1 sleep was better, as I didn’t wake up in a heart-racing panic at 2am. Year 2, into year 3, I went through a long period where I could sleep up to 12 hours a night. It was unreal. DS made fun of me as I was out by 7pm and still needed an alarm to get up in the am.
I’m back to “normal” now...I sleep ok, 7 hours or so, but nothing like that year 2 stretch. The only thing I can figure is my body was making up for lost time.
Samantha
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 2,031
Originally Posted by boreas
My experience with sleep in sobriety has been interesting. While I was drinking, I was so exhausted I remember thinking that if I ever ended up in the hospital, the positive might be that they knock me out with something. Madness.
Year 1 sleep was better, as I didn’t wake up in a heart-racing panic at 2am. Year 2, into year 3, I went through a long period where I could sleep up to 12 hours a night. It was unreal. DS made fun of me as I was out by 7pm and still needed an alarm to get up in the am.
I’m back to “normal” now...I sleep ok, 7 hours or so, but nothing like that year 2 stretch. The only thing I can figure is my body was making up for lost time.
Year 1 sleep was better, as I didn’t wake up in a heart-racing panic at 2am. Year 2, into year 3, I went through a long period where I could sleep up to 12 hours a night. It was unreal. DS made fun of me as I was out by 7pm and still needed an alarm to get up in the am.
I’m back to “normal” now...I sleep ok, 7 hours or so, but nothing like that year 2 stretch. The only thing I can figure is my body was making up for lost time.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 349
Originally Posted by anxiousrock
with the pills i can sleep so long! Now I just toss and turn and I'm so uncomfortable I feel like I'm going to lose my mind completely.
Someone mentioned sleep hygiene. That was big for me. I also started using Sleep Cycle, one of several free apps to track sleep and sleep quality. It gave me an interesting perspective on my sleep patterns. It has an interesting feature that allows you to set an alarm window so you wake up at the optimal point in the sleep cycle.
One change I made earlier this year to my exercise routine was adding strength training (due to an injury). Prior to, I ran and did yoga. The addition of bodyweight exercises and resistance band work really helps me feel more fatigued at the end of the day. It also protects my joints as time marches on, so that’s good
.-bora
Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 24
I have never been a great sleeper and have always been a bit of a night owl.
I have tried melatonin and does not work for me. I currently take gabapentin to help with sleep. It helps some, but when not drinking I rarely sleep more than 5 or 6 hours.
After a couple of months, sleep came a lot easier. Avoiding nicotine and caffeine in the afternoon/evening helps as well.
I have tried melatonin and does not work for me. I currently take gabapentin to help with sleep. It helps some, but when not drinking I rarely sleep more than 5 or 6 hours.
After a couple of months, sleep came a lot easier. Avoiding nicotine and caffeine in the afternoon/evening helps as well.
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