I’m nine days sober from alcohol. I’m having a lot of trouble sleeping. I’m up and down half the night. I toss and turn. It’s really having an effect on me mentally.
My appetite has also been weird. I’m not really hungry. When I do eat it’s a little here and there.
Any helpful tips?
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I am on 11 days. As for sleeping I read you really need to have sleep schedule same time to bed and same time get up. I am really tired last several days. Also hoping I overcome the fatigue. I am eating anything I want right now but further down the road of sobriety will have to eat more healthy.
Good luck hang in there. If you wake middle of night. Log on and read more messages here. I have even gone back to messages from 2016 to current. So much valuable information.
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Depends on how long and how much you drank. I had insomnia for about 3 weeks and my appetite was back to normal in a month or so.
The insomnia is a huge trigger for relapse so be aware that alcohol will just draw this out. Just stay strong and know it’s going to get better. The lack of sleep is terrible but you will sleep better than you ever have if you stick with it.
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Welcome Amanda
Congrats on your sober time. Yes sleep is a huge problem at the beginning of your sobriety.
The lack of sleep effects appetite as well imo.
Few tips to help with sleep
- Make sleep schedule sane time to bed each night
- Dont use electronic devices in bed - phone /tv…
- Take melatonin
- Take magnesium supplement
- Take hot shower before bed
- Use lavender oil - rub on temples, dab on pillow and use a diffuser
- Do a mindful scan of body - eyes closed and deep breathing slowly tightening and releasing each part from toe to head
Hang in there - it gets better!
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Thank you so much for the advice.
Definitely not abnormal to experience these things, it’s definitely different for everyone as everyone’s habits and bodies are different. I can definitely attest to the 30 day mark being about where I felt normal again. I experienced itchy skin when I quit drinking for a bit. My sleep has never been better since I chose sobriety though! I sleep a deeper and more meaningful sleep at night and definitely do not miss hangovers and feeling like trash in the morning! I wake up feeling ready to take on the day. Stick with it and you will feel noticeably better as the days add up!
Im 19 days in and have really bad sleep paterns sometimes fall asleep at 6pm then up at 2am and so on glad ive seen this post as was wondering if it was normal 
Welcome! Grant yourself some grace! Your body is healing. What helped me in the beginning was physical activity. I walked about 5 miles a day. Got myself good and tired. I did that enough days, my body got hungry and sleep started getting better.
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The sleep thing can be a bugger. Mine was pretty bad the first week, especially the first few days when I was also having really bad night sweats. It wasn’t great, but measurably better the 2nd week and then just was a little better and a little better. After week 3 I was very happy to be sleeping like a rock for the first time in a very long time. Boozing it up every night made me forget what a good nights sleep actually feels like.
Everyone’s sleep hygiene is probably a little different, but some things that really helped me and I continue to do:
Pre bed routine about 30 minutes prior (no devices or t.v., brush teeth, get comfortable, etc)
Magnesium supplement 30-60 minutes before
Make my “kiss the frog” list for the morning so my mind isn’t racing about it all night
Once I actually crawl into bed I typically read…typically 20-30 minutes and then my eyes start getting heavy and I start dozing off. I try to get into my bedtime routine at roughly the same time every night so it has just become kind of a schedule thing.
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Good Advice, great routine.,
I am using a podcast with different types of sleep Hypnosis.
This helps me very well to calm down and get a good sleep without waking up in the middle of the night.
After using it for about 2 Weeks I fell asleep within a few minutes and I am more fit and awake in the morning
Unfortunately I can not tell you any good podcasts in English language but maybe somebody can help out with that 