How long till you started to sleep better?

[Kairos]

A question for all long term abstainers. Can you recall when you started to I get a decent nights sleep. I don’t mean a perfect night but just a reasonably good night? Thanks

[_serenity_]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

Hi [MENTION=18021]Kairos[/MENTION] and I'm sorry nobody has responded to your question. I don't have a great answer for you, but I'll try. From people I've spoken with, it seems like some people who quit drinking are immediately able to sleep well. And others--me included--struggle with insomnia for years. I am a chronic insomniac. Even if I can fall asleep pretty quickly, I'm wide awake at 4 a.m. It messes with my entire life, my work, my anxiety levels, etc.

I have experimented with every non-habit-forming med and supplement under the sun--melatonin, 5-htp, l-tryptophan, diphenhydramine, Remeron, amitryptylene, etc. etc. etc. Here's what I have found that works for me:

1. Trazodone, 100 mgs - it's an antidepressant that is prescribed off-label for insomnia. When I take a pill, I am profoundly sleepy within 15-30 minutes.

2. Doxylamine succinate - this is the active ingredient in Nyquil that gives you the most wonderful sleep. It is sold in some Unisom variants, but you can also buy it cheaply on Amazon. I have found that when I take it, I sleep very soundly and have a lot of vivid dreams. I wake up feeling incredible.

3. Glycine - this is a supplement that, if taken before bed, can greatly improve the quality of your sleep. I found it very helpful.

Right now, I combine the Trazodone and 1/2 tab of the doxylamine succinate. I fall asleep fast, sleep soundly through the night, and don't wake up feeling drugged or groggy.

Some people might call these a "crutch." While I can understand the hesitation to take pills, I spent years in an absoute anxiety-ridden fog due to insomnia. I have found that nothing is more important in guarding my sobriety than a good night's sleep, so if I need a non-addictive crutch, so be it. People with AUD have brains that have been profoundly altered, so sometimes we need a little extra help in getting something we sorely need, and I can see no shame in that.

[Guitarista]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

Hi Kairos,

If you're half as creative and stylish as ur avatar, you'll go cool places fast friend.

Hopefully to the land of sweet dreams. At around 2.5 yrs sober now, i recall experiencing good sleep reasonably quickly. Maybe after a week or 2? I know for some folk restorative sleep can take weeks or months to occur. My 'recovery' routine immediately though, was running and exercise in a way i could handle. No caffiene after midday or any other drugs anytime. The combo of daily exercise (for mental health) and a general tiredness due to the body healing itself, i reckon contributed to better sleep.

Good to see u posting. Hope things go well. Take it easy.

[NotHappyHourHappyLife]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

A question for all long term abstainers. Can you recall when you started to I get a decent nights sleep. I don’t mean a perfect night but just a reasonably good night? Thanks

HI Kairos, I'm not on this forum as much as I used to be, but decent nights sleep? During the first 6 weeks of being AF, my sleep schedule was whacked.
The first couple of weeks, I couldn't fall asleep at all, then when I did, it was restless and dreamless.
Then, the dreamlessness went to nightmares, mostly about being drunk.
Once I survived that, my sleep patterns got much better.

I'm 16 months AF and I am still a night owl, but I get up before my alarm goes off, feeling refreshed and grateful that I'm not hungover.

Protect Your Quit.

[Slo]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

[MENTION=18021]Kairos[/MENTION], you might be left with nutrient shortfalls from the alcohol detox process.

Magnesium is a common one to be depleted, and having enough magnesium is associated with good sleep. I use a magnesium spray (Ease) that I got from Amazon; 20 sprays on my skin per day.

You could also be short on zinc, or other minerals such as selenium and molybdenum. Electrolyte ratios could be off too.

I recommend consulting with Dr. Garrett Smith in Arizona, through his website nutritionrestored.com. He can test what you’re low on, and have you supplement accordingly.

Also, being outside for a few minutes twice a day to witness the sunrise and the sunset can help set your biorhythms for good sleep.
And exercising outdoors in the morning can also help set your biorhythms for a good night’s sleep, as well as reducing stress and cortisol which also helps with sleep.

Good luck!

[Mulburry]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

Just to add to this: I've found trazodone very helpful as well. I use it to get back to sleep in the middle of the night and am down to just 25mg (I try to use the least amount of meds possible) and it works pretty well. It also seems like the layover effect of it helps a bit with PAWS in the morning. I've also been taking valerian (down to 1 capsule) in the evening, more for PAWS, but have not had much trouble getting to sleep. (Now about 2 weeks into detox for reference)

[4theboyz]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

About Day 8 was average for a full night sleep returning. Exercise is crucial. I do 30 mins cardio/exercise every night

[Mulburry]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

Just to add to this: I've found trazodone very helpful as well. I use it to get back to sleep in the middle of the night and am down to just 25mg (I try to use the least amount of meds possible) and it works pretty well. It also seems like the layover effect of it helps a bit with PAWS in the morning. I've also been taking valerian (down to 1 capsule) in the evening, more for PAWS, but have not had much trouble getting to sleep. (Now about 2 weeks into detox for reference)

Just an addendum to this: I'm now thinking trazodone might not be the best thing to take on a regular basis for sleep when going through PAWS (for me at least), as it has longterm effects on serotonin which I suspect, in my case, is really messing with my brain chemistry (in a bad way).

[techie]

Re: How long till you started to sleep better?

Just dropped in to say hello to all you wonderful people. Blessings x