Fewer drinks = worse sleep. What?
November 7, 2011 8:39 AM Subscribe
Cutting back on alcohol. How long before I sleep well again?
For the past ten years or so, I've self-medicated (stress, family issues, etc.) with 5-6 drinks per night. I realize it's too much, and I'm cutting back (to 0-1 drinks per night).
But here's the thing. I'm not having as much of a problem with cravings as I thought I'd have. That's fine. But I can't get to sleep! Everything I read about people cutting back on alcohol, including here on the green, they all talk about how much better their sleep is. But my circumstance is just the opposite - I never seem to fall into a deep sleep, I have tons of disturbing dreams, nights just generally suck now.
I'm guessing this gets better over time (I'm hoping so, at any rate). But how long before sleep becomes a good thing again? (And I'm trying things like melatonin, herbal tea, etc. Just wondering how long on average it is before you return to a healthy relationship with sleep.)
For the past ten years or so, I've self-medicated (stress, family issues, etc.) with 5-6 drinks per night. I realize it's too much, and I'm cutting back (to 0-1 drinks per night).
But here's the thing. I'm not having as much of a problem with cravings as I thought I'd have. That's fine. But I can't get to sleep! Everything I read about people cutting back on alcohol, including here on the green, they all talk about how much better their sleep is. But my circumstance is just the opposite - I never seem to fall into a deep sleep, I have tons of disturbing dreams, nights just generally suck now.
I'm guessing this gets better over time (I'm hoping so, at any rate). But how long before sleep becomes a good thing again? (And I'm trying things like melatonin, herbal tea, etc. Just wondering how long on average it is before you return to a healthy relationship with sleep.)
It shouldn't take very long, really. A week or two, maybe? But you'll find you have to be more careful about certain things—for instance, you should avoid caffeine after noon, or any kind of naps, or lots of screen time right before you go to bed. When you drink at night you don't have to worry about this stuff because the alcohol will just knock you out, but when you don't you really need to pay attention to sleep hygiene.
posted by enn at 8:48 AM on November 7, 2011
posted by enn at 8:48 AM on November 7, 2011
I am not sure there is a single number answer for this question. It does get better, but depends on your specific circumstance and condition. It can be a a week or months. But it does happen eventually.
If you stay on track, you will wake up one morning and realize that you have been sleeping well consistently for a while. It is a nice little revelation to have in the AM and you will know that your effort has paid off. Just hang in there and know that it works.
Good luck!
posted by lampshade at 8:51 AM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you stay on track, you will wake up one morning and realize that you have been sleeping well consistently for a while. It is a nice little revelation to have in the AM and you will know that your effort has paid off. Just hang in there and know that it works.
Good luck!
posted by lampshade at 8:51 AM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
You don't say how long it has been so far. I would counsel you against cutting back to 0-1, that can (and probably will) creep back up. Decide to abstain completely for a period long enough that you are not counting the days, say a year.
On-line look for the Moderation Management abstainers mailing list, I regard the main MM list as mostly populated by deluded drunks but the mmabs list is for those who have decided to quit for a long time, possibly forever.
As to when sleep recovers, a week or two I'd have thought. If you were relying on drink for it's knockout effect you may discover you are a light or easily disturbed sleeper so may need to modify your sleep environment with blackout shades or noise removal. Also your natural bedtime may not be what you think it is.
I am not a professional but I have some personal experience, PM me if you have questions.
posted by epo at 9:05 AM on November 7, 2011
On-line look for the Moderation Management abstainers mailing list, I regard the main MM list as mostly populated by deluded drunks but the mmabs list is for those who have decided to quit for a long time, possibly forever.
As to when sleep recovers, a week or two I'd have thought. If you were relying on drink for it's knockout effect you may discover you are a light or easily disturbed sleeper so may need to modify your sleep environment with blackout shades or noise removal. Also your natural bedtime may not be what you think it is.
I am not a professional but I have some personal experience, PM me if you have questions.
posted by epo at 9:05 AM on November 7, 2011
Abstinence does help you sleep better in principle, but long-term alcohol use disturbs neurotransmitter balances in the brain. This effect varies depending on drinking patterns, genetics, and so on. When physical dependence occurs, quitting causes a rebound of the aminergic system and this can produce anything from excessive REM sleep and nightmares to anxiety, waking hallucinations, and psychosis. This lasts until the body re-regulates itself. You may need to see a doctor and get on some sort of medication to help with your sleep. There's very little in the way of OTCs I know of that will help, though kava preparations like this are pharmacologically similar to alcohol and benzos... sort of a "hair of the dog" effect. But seeing a doctor is probably the best way to go here since there's several lines of drugs available to help you along. Other than that, try fixing up your sleeping environment... maybe change it around to break old patterns, pamper yourself, and be extra attentive to things like temperature and drafts. Good luck.
posted by crapmatic at 9:21 AM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by crapmatic at 9:21 AM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
My issue was always that going to bed without alcohol seemed a stressful when I have been relying on alcohol as a sleep aid. I would not practice good sleep hygiene, and as soon as I was crawling into bed I would begin wondering whether I would be able to get to sleep, or whether it would be a sleepless night. Of course, whenever you are worrying about whether you can get to sleep you are stressing out and preventing sleep! The other issue is there really is such a thing as a good sleep hygiene – the body doesn't just fall asleep on command, it has to be properly prompted. In earlier times, whenever it got dark and things got boring, we would naturally fall asleep. Today, with bright lights, screens, and other distractions we never really purpose ourselves to go to sleep without conscious effort.
I think you need to give yourself a week or maybe two weeks in which you really focus on allowing your body to sleep, and really prep yourself or sleeping, and not getting frustrated if you have a couple tiresome nights. When you are adjusting sleep schedules, you need to go ahead and assuming that it's got to be difficult to sleep properly for at least a couple days. So try to reset your thinking to take the stress out of it – assume that you're just talking to get a good nights sleep for a couple of nights, so just supply down and let your mind wander away from worrying about whether or not you're going to sleep. Maybe at the end of two weeks you can start worrying.
I am not a medical professional, and there is probably much better advice on this out there on the Internet. But for starters I will give you what I would do: count backwards from your desired wake up time nine hours, not eight hours. Don't assume that you need Less sleep – if you truly need Wesley, and your body will naturally wake up and you'll be able to do whatever you want with your extra time in the morning. But for now, stick with feed you need eight hours assumption, and then give yourself an extra hour. If you have an early schedule like me, this may mean that you are going to bed at the painfully early hour of 8 PM. Go ahead and do it, no matter how ridiculous it seems. When you hit the nine hours before Mark, time to begin turning off a few lights and do something relaxing – read, or listen to an NPR podcast. Computer use is probably not a good idea – there's too much interesting, eye-catching stuff. Reading is ideal, boring podcasts are ideal. 30 or 45 min. later, go ahead to bed and lie down beneath the covers. You may take reading with you, or put on a short, relaxing podcast, But definitely don't take a computer to bed. When you feel tired at all, turn out the lights and put your head on the pillow. All of these steps are guiding your body to slow down and consider it bedtime. This should make it easier to fall asleep.
I realize that setting aside nine whole hours may seem extreme, but this is the same as starting an exercise routine or learning a new skill – you would set aside an hour on many days to go to the gym or to practice the new skill, and this is a similar situation. You're going to take time out of your schedule to focus on sleep and helping yourself sleep. Hopefully, at the end of two weeks your body will become accustomed to falling asleep without the alcohol, and you'll have a better sense of what helps you go to sleep.
Sorry about errors, I am dictating this.
posted by Tehhund at 9:27 AM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think you need to give yourself a week or maybe two weeks in which you really focus on allowing your body to sleep, and really prep yourself or sleeping, and not getting frustrated if you have a couple tiresome nights. When you are adjusting sleep schedules, you need to go ahead and assuming that it's got to be difficult to sleep properly for at least a couple days. So try to reset your thinking to take the stress out of it – assume that you're just talking to get a good nights sleep for a couple of nights, so just supply down and let your mind wander away from worrying about whether or not you're going to sleep. Maybe at the end of two weeks you can start worrying.
I am not a medical professional, and there is probably much better advice on this out there on the Internet. But for starters I will give you what I would do: count backwards from your desired wake up time nine hours, not eight hours. Don't assume that you need Less sleep – if you truly need Wesley, and your body will naturally wake up and you'll be able to do whatever you want with your extra time in the morning. But for now, stick with feed you need eight hours assumption, and then give yourself an extra hour. If you have an early schedule like me, this may mean that you are going to bed at the painfully early hour of 8 PM. Go ahead and do it, no matter how ridiculous it seems. When you hit the nine hours before Mark, time to begin turning off a few lights and do something relaxing – read, or listen to an NPR podcast. Computer use is probably not a good idea – there's too much interesting, eye-catching stuff. Reading is ideal, boring podcasts are ideal. 30 or 45 min. later, go ahead to bed and lie down beneath the covers. You may take reading with you, or put on a short, relaxing podcast, But definitely don't take a computer to bed. When you feel tired at all, turn out the lights and put your head on the pillow. All of these steps are guiding your body to slow down and consider it bedtime. This should make it easier to fall asleep.
I realize that setting aside nine whole hours may seem extreme, but this is the same as starting an exercise routine or learning a new skill – you would set aside an hour on many days to go to the gym or to practice the new skill, and this is a similar situation. You're going to take time out of your schedule to focus on sleep and helping yourself sleep. Hopefully, at the end of two weeks your body will become accustomed to falling asleep without the alcohol, and you'll have a better sense of what helps you go to sleep.
Sorry about errors, I am dictating this.
posted by Tehhund at 9:27 AM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
What do you want, good news or bad news?
Good news is that the quality of sleep you get will be better almost immediately.
Bad news is that you are going to have to find a new way to GET yourself to sleep and that can be challenging. Like you, I've at times in the past used alcohol to get to sleep. Sometimes that's a stress/relaxation thing, sometimes it's coping with earlier caffeine intake or other stimulating activities.
If you're anything like me it's going to be a combination of things and some days will be better than others.
If you have a doctor and insurance coverage I encourage you to tell hir that you are having trouble getting to sleep and ask for pharmacological help. Ambien works well for many people. If it's a stress thing you might consider a low dose of xanax to help you relax well enough to nod off. Solving the problem is different if you have an issue staying asleep vs getting to sleep.
Look into your diet and exercise choices and timing. I personally find that exercise within the last few hours of my day makes it harder to get to sleep.
There's a lot of research about bright lights and getting to sleep, leading lots of people to think tv/mobile devices/computers before bed is counter-productive. May be true, but personally I think, like many things, it's a question of trade-offs. I find the unwinding involved in being on the couch watching drivel for a wee bit to be valuable before getting up and going to the bed. However I find tv FROM bed to be disruptive and follow the "bed is for fooling around and sleep, nothing else" to be helpful for me.
I don't take in any caffeine after 5pm. Period.
Good luck.
posted by phearlez at 10:32 AM on November 7, 2011
Good news is that the quality of sleep you get will be better almost immediately.
Bad news is that you are going to have to find a new way to GET yourself to sleep and that can be challenging. Like you, I've at times in the past used alcohol to get to sleep. Sometimes that's a stress/relaxation thing, sometimes it's coping with earlier caffeine intake or other stimulating activities.
If you're anything like me it's going to be a combination of things and some days will be better than others.
If you have a doctor and insurance coverage I encourage you to tell hir that you are having trouble getting to sleep and ask for pharmacological help. Ambien works well for many people. If it's a stress thing you might consider a low dose of xanax to help you relax well enough to nod off. Solving the problem is different if you have an issue staying asleep vs getting to sleep.
Look into your diet and exercise choices and timing. I personally find that exercise within the last few hours of my day makes it harder to get to sleep.
There's a lot of research about bright lights and getting to sleep, leading lots of people to think tv/mobile devices/computers before bed is counter-productive. May be true, but personally I think, like many things, it's a question of trade-offs. I find the unwinding involved in being on the couch watching drivel for a wee bit to be valuable before getting up and going to the bed. However I find tv FROM bed to be disruptive and follow the "bed is for fooling around and sleep, nothing else" to be helpful for me.
I don't take in any caffeine after 5pm. Period.
Good luck.
posted by phearlez at 10:32 AM on November 7, 2011
I've had your problem and written about it previously. I am not a doctor, but I cobbled this together from poking around here and the internet. I'm sure I'll get pilloried here for this, so YMMV.
First, if you haven't already started to cut back, start taking the following:
L-Glutamine when you wake up. Glutamine is a natural stimulant your body produces. Alcohol apparently impairs this production, and when you stop drinking, overproduces...it means you sleep less and get less restful sleep. You can pick it up pretty much anywhere. I usually take 3 or 4 capsules of whatever strength. I've read that it helps with the desire to drink, though I'm not sure about that. It helps with the drowsiness the next day, too.
Take 2 or 3 multivitamins after you eat your first meal. Drink lots and lots of water throughout the day.
I throw in a Gatorade every once in a while, but I've never tested doing this vs not doing it. Electrolytes can't hurt, at least in these quantities.
At night I cut way back on the electronic devices, tv, all of it. I take 5-10mg of Melatonin an hour or so before bed. I go to bed and read with a light that turns itself off after 5 minutes if I don't touch it. If I get drowsy, out goes the light. If I wake up, I try to get as comfortable as possible and go back to sleep. If not, I read for an hour or so and hope to fall asleep.
Good luck. Like the others above said, it might take a few, but it's very very well worth it.
posted by nevercalm at 1:28 PM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
First, if you haven't already started to cut back, start taking the following:
L-Glutamine when you wake up. Glutamine is a natural stimulant your body produces. Alcohol apparently impairs this production, and when you stop drinking, overproduces...it means you sleep less and get less restful sleep. You can pick it up pretty much anywhere. I usually take 3 or 4 capsules of whatever strength. I've read that it helps with the desire to drink, though I'm not sure about that. It helps with the drowsiness the next day, too.
Take 2 or 3 multivitamins after you eat your first meal. Drink lots and lots of water throughout the day.
I throw in a Gatorade every once in a while, but I've never tested doing this vs not doing it. Electrolytes can't hurt, at least in these quantities.
At night I cut way back on the electronic devices, tv, all of it. I take 5-10mg of Melatonin an hour or so before bed. I go to bed and read with a light that turns itself off after 5 minutes if I don't touch it. If I get drowsy, out goes the light. If I wake up, I try to get as comfortable as possible and go back to sleep. If not, I read for an hour or so and hope to fall asleep.
Good luck. Like the others above said, it might take a few, but it's very very well worth it.
posted by nevercalm at 1:28 PM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't want to suggest trading one vice for another, but since others have suggested various options - what about pot? I've been a life-long insomniac and that's the only thing that has ever really helped me. Small amounts, and usually like an hour before I want to sleep or so - but a bit of mj followed by reading in bed or watching a movie, and I'm good to go.
posted by mannequito at 3:06 PM on November 7, 2011
posted by mannequito at 3:06 PM on November 7, 2011
Benedryl [which is diphenhydramine, which is the 'PM' in Tylenol PM (which you probably shouldn't take)] has worked well for me. I take 50 mg every night.
posted by kamikazegopher at 6:48 PM on November 7, 2011
posted by kamikazegopher at 6:48 PM on November 7, 2011
It sounds like you're having issues falling asleep - how do you feel about your sleep when you're sleeping? Do you feel more refreshed after X hours as you would after the same amount following drinking? You may find that higher quality offsets less quantity, as phearlez mentions. If you're not giving up on alcohol altogether, see what one night a week (like Saturday) does with the normal 5-6 amount, compared to other nights. Key thing would be, keep to the same amount of sleep. If you're sleeping twice as long because you're hung over after a night like that, you might not be as tired the next night when you take it easy again.
I'd also agree with staying away from teas and other caffinated drinks.
Some other suggestions aside from the exercise would be examining if stress is playing a part, and dealing with that. If work's too busy and you find yourself thinking about that when you should be sleeping, ask for a week off, and see if that helps.
posted by Metro Gnome at 4:42 PM on November 8, 2011
I'd also agree with staying away from teas and other caffinated drinks.
Some other suggestions aside from the exercise would be examining if stress is playing a part, and dealing with that. If work's too busy and you find yourself thinking about that when you should be sleeping, ask for a week off, and see if that helps.
posted by Metro Gnome at 4:42 PM on November 8, 2011
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posted by slobebop at 8:48 AM on November 7, 2011 [2 favorites]