does anyone have any tips on how to sleep when you’re newly sober? i’m struggling
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They make a chewable form of melatonin. I take the child kind like 1mg.
If you aren’t down with that, night time baths relax the body, lavender and even hypnosis tracks from YouTube can help!
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A few things to consider:
Diet: No caffeine after 12pm. Drink more water and try not to eat late in the evening.
Exercise: Try to work in a little exercise especially if you are feeling anxious or unsettled. The physical movement may help you to bleed of stress and help you to sleep.
Routine: Try to stay away from electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed. Give your mind time to relax. And try to set a consistent time for going to bed.
It may take some time for any of these recommendations to have an impact but remember, your body is trying to get use to NOT having alcohol in the system. You need to give time for your body to recover.
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It takes about two weeks for me. To help it out I drink lots of water throughout the day, exercise, and take melatonin. After about two weeks it come easier. Zquil helps but your body will get used to it and the effect won't be as good after a few nights.
When I stopped drinking I was so excited I couldn’t sleep for weeks! I think the main trick is to not sweat it. I make time for sleep, but if I don’t snooze off after 30 minutes or so I listen to a podcast on slow playback speed. Also: A consistent wake up time is even more important than a fixed bedtime. ‘You can sleep too’ by Joseph Pannell is a fantastic book that helped me tremendously. Don’t worry, it’ll get better, and congrats on your sobriety!
I do like the natrol brand of stress and anxiety supplements where there is a day time and night time pill. The nighttime has melatonin and it usually works well;. You having any better sleep yet?
I do guided meditations for sleep. It’s very helpful. As well as yoga Nidra
I use melatonin from CVS their own brand has helped me tremendously. I also went to my doctor for an antidepressant and have been sleeping better since the anxiety is a little lessened but everyone is different on that part. As far as the melatonin I still have to take a few but you may need only 1. I'm very new too and I don't work for CVS : -) it was just one I had tried after spring valley brand stopped working for me. The waking up early in the morning and doing some physical activity is very good too. It's really hard for me to fall asleep the night before work too after being off a few days.
Congrats on the new sobriety. I used zzquil for awhile to help relax but have switched to melatonin.
Try taking a Magnesium supplement at night as well. Works wonders for me.
I take melatonin too and so before my kids. It’s very soothing and just helps calm you down
I second trying melatonin or asking your doctor for a prescription for trazadone. It’s non habit forming and can help a lot.
Try listening to binaural beats along with others suggestions of melatonin. I take melatonin and drink sleepy tea and those two together with the binaural beats and im sleeping like a baby
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Calm magnesium chewables work well for me. I used melatonin for a long time but they were hit and miss. The magnesium in Calm works well when I need a little help.
Exercise until you get tired.
U gotta wear yourself out. And I been taking melatonin like others have said. It's been a struggle for me also because first 2 weeks I was so depressed haven't been working up to my capabilities & so body wasn't physically tired either. Hope u get rest asap it's a spiral effect sometimes lack of sleep can affect everything
i know a lot of people have well intendedly bumped melatonin, be aware that it has a curtailed limit (eventually does not work and leaves the brain producing less of its own). tryptophan is acceptable but only works well paired with the good daily habits described by josh (brain will convert tryptophan into serotonin/dopamine/melatonin only if the brain is seeking/needing whichever chemical). anti blue light glasses are helpful if youre on a lot of tech daily. if suffering from post withdrawl symptoms, especially overheating/sweating, getting all sheets and clothes to cotton/bamboo/hemp (avoid polyester) is a huge help. if its your brain keeping you up (spinning no where), spin out your brain during the day: violent video games like COD, Apex, etc - fyi this isnt a substitute for the other healthy stuff, like exercise - specifically only for a spun out brain. human brains are machines of habit. can also tell you it gets better over time with any effort invested.
Melatonin or exercise to wear yourself out .
I like to spend a lot of time calming down. Read, shower, snuggle up with my critters. Make bedtime as relaxing as possible.
If it doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor. They may prescribe something for a short time. That’s what mine did
Going to the Gym works wonders for me. Not only does it help with sleep but also for depression.