How to Ease Withdrawal Insomnia During Recovery
Researchers discourage older adults — particularly men — from using alcohol as a sleep aid. During the final hours of sleep when alcohol is metabolized by the body, it can have a disruptive effect on sleep, causing frequent waking and fragmented sleep. Ultimately, alcohol can decrease the amount and quality of sleep you get. Having a beverage containing alcohol in the evening from time to time may slightly disrupt sleep, but consuming alcohol for multiple nights in a row or every night carries a greater risk of insomnia. 2020 research suggests that alcohol impacts the part of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM).
It therefore has the unique ability to help you feel relaxed and upbeat at the same time. I still use lemon balm and chamomile on a near-daily basis, and I use passion flower with great results whenever I have serious trouble sleeping. I still take ashwagandha because it has anti-aging benefits, and I feel more calm when I take it. Once you find out which herbs work best for you, they’ll become part of your anti-insomnia (and anti-anxiety) arsenal for years to come. Another cause, as you may be dealing with now, is quitting alcohol.
The Best Foods To Help You Sleep
Drinking heavily over time can also disrupt the chemical messengers in the brain, which can affect sleep. If left untreated, insomnia can affect an addicted person’s recovery and contribute to relapse. People with insomnia after drinking co-occurring medical conditions have an even higher risk of developing insomnia and/or substance use disorder. In other cases, it’s caused by an uncomfortable sleeping environment, substance use, or shift work.
In your consultation, be open about your drinking and sobriety so your doctor can work with you to create the right treatment plan. I’ll explore both, but it’s important to note that many factors can impact the type and severity of insomnia you experience. In the early weeks, you’re kind of damned if you and damned if you don’t where sleep is concerned. If you think you may have a sleep problem or disorder, consider taking our brief sleep quiz to find out.
Tips For Improving Sleep During Alcohol Withdrawal
Doing so without medical supervision can trigger a new addiction to another substance. At the beginning of the NREM cycle, within seconds to just a few minutes after nodding off, alpha and theta brain waves cause eye movement to slow down. This is a stage of light sleep where the individual can be easily woken.
The Norwegian researchers defined energy drinks as non-alcoholic beverages with an average caffeine content of 150 milligrams per litre – the equivalent to 150 mg in 33 ounces. The drinks also may include sugar, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Complementary treatments like yoga, meditation, and massage are very effective in reducing insomnia after quitting alcohol.
Learn More About Nutrition and Sleep
Overall, an accurate clinical history is a better indicator of alcohol-related insomnia. Polysomnography may be useful to verify sleep difficulties or to diagnose other sleep pathology such as sleep apnea. Alcohol can have either a stimulating effect that increases sleep latency (time to fall asleep) or a sedating effect that induces sleep, depending on dose and the interval from drinking to bedtime. Stimulating effects are noted at low doses and as blood alcohol levels rise, usually in the first hour after use.
There were moments I thought I would never get a good night’s sleep. The answer to this question depends on a number of factors including how much you drank, how long, genetics, overall health, and underlying mental health conditions. It’s no wonder that many of us who spent years (or decades) subjecting our bodies to this destructive cycle now find ourselves incapable of sleeping once we’ve stopped drinking. Older men who consume alcohol are more likely to have a worse sleep profile, characterized by waking tired and waking several times during the night. It can have a relaxing effect, but research shows that too much alcohol can lead to a lack of sleep or insomnia. See how your sleep habits and environment measure up and gauge how adjusting behavior can improve sleep quality.
Physical Activity and Sleep
As an extended care treatment facility, Midwest Recovery Centers serves to provide intensive recovery treatment for alcohol addiction as well as other life problems. Contact us today to see how we can help you or your loved one begin recovery. Don’t let the fear of insomnia or other effects from alcohol cessation discourage you from seeking sobriety. With professional assistance, withdrawal and other side effects can be managed and you can achieve the quality of life you deserve. When I quit drinking, I was prescribed a benzodiazepine called Ativan.