Does quitting mess with your sleep?

[Eyesontheceiling]

So, I'm on day 10 of absolutely no alcohol, which I've only managed once before a few years ago.
But, I cant sleep! Has anyone else had this problem? I thought it might be down to there being no alcohol in my system...any ideas would be welcome.

Yea it does. Many alcoholics become alcoholics through using it to help sleep. It's just one of those things that you need to get through.
Maybe try some herbal sleep aids if you are struggling.

@Treasureboxkey, thanks for the suggestion I'll have a look into that 😀

Good luck and hang in there. It sounds like you have made an amazing start.

@Treasureboxkey thank you! It's not much but it's better than nothing at all.

@Eyesontheceiling it is 'much'.
It's huge and brave and amazing.

I supported a relative through similar not so long ago and their (and your) determination amaze me everyday.

If you need a chat, you know where I am.

When I abstain I do notice this in the beginning.

It will get better as your body settles down

You just need a new routine and new sleep cues - try herbal tea just before bed and reading to distract yourself from thinking all the things. I also wonder if you replaced alcohol with sugary snacks - try not to do that!

It's will take a good few weeks before your system is totally alcohol free but you'll feel great!!

Please don't worry about replacing alcohol with sugar - your body will crave it as there's so much in most alcoholic drinks so PLEASE eat as much sugary crap as you need otherwise the booze will seem more appealing!

After this initial readjustment, it's totally worth jt. I sleep like I'm dead most nights now - no trouble dropping off and sleep soundly all night. Hang in there!

Thank you so much @Treasureboxkey I will keep it in mind 😀
@Unexpectedlysinglemum I've found having a cup of tea (just normal I'm not a massive fan of herbal teas) around 8.30pm has helped. I tried decaff coffee but didn't seem to work as well as tea.
@FusionChefGeoff I've noticed I'm eating more sugary things at work during the day, which I never connected to not drinking! I usually take food in with me so bought fruit to take instead.
I slept a bit better last night, but I think that may mostly be cos I slept so badly the night before! I ended up on the sofa in the end as I was tossing and turning and my partner was snoring which wasn't helping my brain switch off - wasn't so much of a problem when I was drinking. But, perseverance and all that! Thank you all for being so nice, its real pick me up 🙂

Well done you are doing brilliantly!!!

Getting sunshine first thing eg a quick walk as soon as you wake up (which will be the last thing you fancy doing) also does something to your melatonin that makes sleep at night easier

Keep going 💪

It gets better, you're doing great

@Unexpectedlysinglemum I was thinking of going for a walk after work, a few days a week as I think everyday would be setting myself up for failure at this point. The main aim apart from it being a bit of exercise albeit not much was to fill up time and provide a distraction. Although it's not first thing, it might help and it certainly can't do any harm!
@DeflatedAgain thank you so much for the encouragement😁it really helps.

A bit of exercise really does help to make you tired. I've also stopped going to bed until I'm actually tired! Yes it's meant some late nights but I find it much more helpful than lying awake fretting!

CBD oil I find helps, when you are getting through that first two week "bump" of poor sleep due to alcohol withdrawal. Well done and keep going, you're doing so well!

And don't give up, giving up now would mean you've done all of the hard bit and denied yourself all the rewards that come after!! Day 10 is the day when there's no longer any alcohol physically left in your system, and after you've done 2 weeks things suddenly feel a LOT better including sleep. Good luck x

Good point there @FusionChefGeoff, I think partly what contributed to the poor sleep as well was lying there thinking how much I should be asleep and how much less sleep I was getting. In hindsight it wasn't very constructive and didn't actually help in getting to sleep one bit.
@Theredfoxfliesatmidnight I didn't know that about alcohol being out of your system after day 10, that's good to know and gives motivation to keep going, I'm nearing the 2 week mark. It's definitely incentive to keep going or risk going back to square one!

How are you doing @Eyesontheceiling? I am in a similar situation to you and am 16 days sober today. I have previously quit for about a year and felt amazing.
I found my sleep settled down after about 3 weeks, I do occasionally take a nytol as not sleeping is really tough.

Hi @Allthecatseverywhereallatonce, today is day 20 for me. So so close to the 3 week mark! My sleeping has settled down quite a bit, and I'm finding I sleep more deeply without waking up as much during the night. I'm also feeling more alert in the evening as I'm not having anything to drink. A year is an amazing achievement, well done! How are you getting on at day 16?
Despite what I thought about stopping, I haven't actually missed it really. Apart from a couple of moments where I thought "I could really do with a drink" I haven't thought about it, which I think is partly down to keeping my mind occupied.

I am doing ok. I think because I have been here before I already know a lot of tricks that help.
I love feeling clear headed and am not missing the fear or regret.
The only time I waver and this happened last time (so I know it gets better) is trying to figure out what to drink in the pub. My dh still drinks so we do go into a pub occasionally but, he is very supportive. I cannot wait until my sleep settles

Well done for 10 days. I had sleep difficulties for the first month, it does get better - promise - I’m almost at 11 months now.

@Allthecatseverywhereallatonce urgh not waking up and having to check your phone to see what you've done the night before. Definitely don't miss that.
I've not had a situation where I've been in a pub, if we are it's usually to eat so I'm not anticipating it being to bad. I've notice my partner has stopped drinking in front of me and will have a can or two of beer but after I've gone to bed some nights. At the begining I think seeing him enjoy drinking would have been hard, now I don't think it would bother me too much but I'm still kind of glad he doesn't do it, if you see what I mean.
What have you been drinking if you're at a pub, or is it still causing difficulty?

@Username620 thank you, I'm now on day 21, and so far it's been going well. What were the roughest moments for you or did tou find it easy?

@Eyesontheceiling it hasn’t been easy, but my goal is to get my driving licence back so I really have a reason and am not just doing it to feel better, plus I think I was self medicating my anxiety and it doesn’t actually work. It also depends how much you were drinking per day before you stopped - I was easily a bottle of wine or two.
Hardest was going out for the first time, can I still have fun etc, but there are plenty of decent AF drinks available. I’ve now gone off the smell of some alcoholic drinks and don’t like the AF version any more.
My toughest test has been over the past 2 months. I’ve had 3 major traumas but I did not drink. The pain has been bad but I think it is much easier to deal with the thoughts - in the past alcohol didn’t really make it better as I thought it did it made it worse.
I’m also using an app called I am Sober to track my progress and there is a nice community where nobody judges. Good luck with your journey. It does get better in the end, there will be temptation sometimes but the mind can be strong. I never want to be the drunken mess I was in the past - the new me looks pretty good these days and I’ve dropped 4 dress sizes.

If you have a Fitbit or similar that tracks sleep, it very quickly becomes apparent that alcohol gets you to sleep quickly, but absolutely destroys deep sleep and REM sleep. You just 'light sleep' through most nights which is what makes you wake up and also alcohol changes your body temperature so you get hot in bed which can affect sleep too. I quit the nightly wine for a few months and my sleep was infinitely better for not drinking. It does take time though. Good luck.