So, 2nd day in again on my sobriety… And sleep was a kicker again. (Sober 47 days so far in 2022, and that’s probably more important for me to say than it needs to be but this number is greatly encouraging to me).
So had lots of water, tea and sleepy tea, listened to a podcast, went to bed before ten, had a magnesium bath, read my Kindle book, had an eye mask on, took a 5htp supplement… My room was cool, pillows sprayed with lavender…gah. I hate this part the most as I’m such a sticker for a solid sleep.
This too will pass, but wondered if anyone had any tips? The disruption to sleep is my biggest annoyance during this process as that’s when the bad thoughts creep in. I know they say it’s always darkest before the dawn, but watching the clock roll around is crushing when your mind is terrorising you.
Not sure if it’ll help but I like to play frequency/positive affirmation videos on YouTube while I try to sleep. I’ll either think about my progress/goals and what I envision my future life to be, or I follow affirmations until I fall asleep. They’re both very positive experiences and it usually luls me to sleep as I also have a hard time sleeping.
Ok thank you! I do a 45 guided meditation for sleep as well sometimes, though if I’m not in the right frame of mind it has the opposite effect and I get really angry at it. I’ll try this one. Cheers.
Sleep was something I really struggled with for the longest time in recovery. When I was using I’d get 8 hours easy, in sobriety 6 was a good day… for me there was no easy solution, it was the one thing for me in sobriety that didn’t improve. Almost three years in, I just had the best week of sleep in my life. I think that’s down to de stressing, feeling comfortable and happy, and limiting caffeine. I’m not expecting it to last, but it was bloody good. That being said I didn’t let my struggles with sleep get the best of me, and there’s been a few. For a time there I was waking up paralysed with my jaw clenched to breaking point like a vice for weeks in end. Not fun. But like everything so far in recover touch wood, I got through it. All the best. Turning in for some early nights and exhausting yourself to the max during the day consistently could be a good start. That’s kinda what I just did while I was on holiday.
Hey Duncan, you have been through it! I think your suggestion about tiring myself is spot on, I need to work on that. I’m going to try and exhaust my body more than I am for sure.
That sounds good but my mind is really tricky, it likes true crime podcasts or LBC so that i can join in the topics inside my head. Then I get riled up and my mind starts formulating responses… Probably need something more gentle, but then I get bored and angry.
Hi! Sleep is so important. When I first stopped drinking (I was at my parents 2 weeks before I went to a clinic and it was cols turkey after a long period of drinking every day) I was prescribed temazepam to help me sleep in the beginning. Really helped me, also with my enxiety. But make sure to cut down after 2 weeks because its also addictive.
I’m trying to do holistic route ideally and think I probably need to just hang on. You are right though, the better the sleep I get, the better I am as a human!!! You did a great job on your recovery, well done.
Honestly just keep doing what you’re doing. It’s definitely going to pass. For me it was like around three months. But those early days if I couldn’t sleep I would just get up immediately and do something like Write About whatever was bothering me or if it was something good I would write it down. I just didn’t force it. There was a lot of mornings I was going to work extremely sleep deprived but exactly I just kept thinking about that number I think for the first five months I was writing the sobriety number on my hand with a sharpie and when I would deal with something that would upset me or any life situation I would just look at that number and be like well at least I got that… Congratulations on your time. Keep reaching out on here
If it’s ok to take a natural supplement I found one that combines melatonin, 5htp and L theanine. I can be really sensitive to even a natural supplements but these helped me sleep and didn’t leave me feeling off or groggy in any way the next day. Totally non addicting, but helpful. I don’t know if they’re available where You are but I’ll send you a link and you can look for them if you like.
Aaah, no sleep sucks, and I totally get the frustration. I am just like you and it is so important to me!
My sleep has improved so much since about Week 2. My anxiety is easing too which is helping massively with that. I suspect they all help each other. More sleep, less anxiety etc.
One tip I discovered in one of my anxious night wakings was to distract myself with the alphabet. I used to set myself tasks so “name a country beginning with each letter” or “name an object” “girls name for each letter” etc. If I got stuck on a letter I wouldn’t try too hard but move on. I found that I could often feel myself dropping off towards the end. It was like I had cleared my mind with a mindless task.
Hope that helps, if not you can think of me when you are trying to sleep and think of a capital beginning with X at 2am
I know some folks won’t agree with this answer but it worked for me and was not a trigger, you need to make your own judgement…
Over the counter sleeping pills.
Do everything you’re already doing and take a sleeping pill about 1hr before you want to go to sleep. Do this for two or three days in a row then stop taking them.
Note that they won’t work if you take them and then have loads of screen time or exciting TV etc… But if you take one and get your head on the pillow they are a help.
Hey Miranda, we don’t do melatonin really in the UK… As ever, it’s something we are not able to get unless it’s through a health setting (nurses and flight attendants are known to get them).
I’m using 5HTP at the moment which chemically triggers triptathine… So far I’m not seeing too much difference and I don’t want to use it for more than two weeks in case it interferes with anything inside me.
Hahaha Jenny thanks… I’ve read 15 books so far this year, mostly after 12am…
I guess I have to help myself here by doing something crazy like wake up every day at 6am and do exercise as well until I start having a natural bedtime of about 10/11pm which is what I want!
I’ll try your alphabet trick tonight…I hope your ears won’t be burning at 3am…
here’s hoping for some sleep for you tonight! Sleep oh wonderful sleep!