How do you fall asleep sober? The only thing

How do you fall asleep sober? The thing I miss the most about alcohol is SLEEP!
Tomorrow will be 21 days sober. Hoping eventually I’ll pass out from exhaustion (at home and not while driving) :yawning_face:

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Curb caffeine, meditate before bed, keep busy throughout the day, eat smaller meals throughout the day… the biggest thing I had to do was learn to let go and clear my mind.

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great tips, really struggling with all the activity in my head. I do need to clear my mind!

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I never really got good deep sleep while drinking anyways. Magnesium supplement. melatonin.

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I can SO relate! I listen to calming music on my noise canceling headphones. I read before bed as well. Both kind of get me “out of my head.” Stay away from OTC sleep meds. Diphenhydramine can make you antsy, irritable, and foggy the next day.

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I like a magnesium supplement called Calm before bed. I also drink tea to unwind now.

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I recommend talking to your dr about sleep meds. It is called paws — post acute withdrawal syndrome where a lot of people new in sobriety have a hard time sleeping. Trazadone is a good non-addictive sleep medicine

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The fog after otc sleep meds is terrible! I’ll try calming music tonight. Thank you!

I’ll get some Calm.. I’ve been drinking chamomile tea every night but that hasn’t helped so far, maybe another kind? I do love tea. Thank you!

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Since getting sober 11 months ago, this has been a continual challenge for me. The first month or so, I was taking Trazodone, which helped put and keep me asleep, but my dreams were often very intense and frightening. I couldn’t stand it anymore and went off the meds. Sheer exhaustion was the only thing that worked for a while, but I could only average about 5 hours a night. I tried Melatonin, and that worked occasionally, but doesn’t work anymore. Lately, I’ve had some success with ZQuil Free (no alcohol). It works about 75% of the time, but like mentioned above, there are some side effects. My groggy feeling goes away after an hour or so. It’s not ideal for sure, but I do feel a bit more rested on days after taking it.

I’m working out consistently again and dropping weight, which helps some, but I still struggle with consistent sleep.

I too would like to figure this out. For now, I just grab a nap if I can or go without and try to do something calming right before bed.

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Trazadone doesn’t work for me like it does for most people. It gives me a terrible hangover for days. I don’t know why :disappointed:.. tried a half of what Dr. prescribed and felt the same grogginess.

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Have you tried melatonin or valerian root? Do you have a pool nearby that you can swim in before bedtime? (I found that swimming helped me to sleep as well).

With trazadone I would take 1/4 of a 50mg tablet to avoid feeling sleepy.

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Talk with your doctor as there are other sleep aids that are non habit forming that could help. I wake up every few hours, but I find that I feel more rested when I take melatonin or trazadone

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That’s a great idea Brie. I’m making a list of things to do and purchase. I have a pool in my backyard, very convenient and warm due to triple digits here in south Texas. I’ll try melatonin again, and get some valerian root!

My excuse for not exercising is the HEAT here in Texas. I do feel the need to walk though.. wish there was a mall close by!

Haha. I hear that! It’s been hot and humid here in Maryland, and my garage gym tops out in the 90’s most days I work out. It’s definitely a challenge, but I keep reminding myself I can do hard things! If it gets much hotter, I may join a gym with A/C. :joy:

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I enjoy pukka night time tea. It's a mix of oatflower, lavender, and lime flower. Good hot or cold and there is something calming about the ritual of making tea for me. It's also fun to experiment and find new favorites as well. I also found adjusting my expectations about sleep helped my mind set a lot. I found I was still thinking about sleep like I was passing out drunk. I'm actually sleeping now not getting myself into a drunken stupor so my expectations had to be adjusted for my new routine. Good luck finding what works best for you

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It IS calming just making tea. I’d love to learn all about the different loose teas and let that be my new thing instead of drinking poison.

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Try reading a paper book in a low- light setting, but not something too interesting. Your eyes moving back and forth across a page invoke sort of a self-hypnosis, but reading from a screen will stimulate the part of your brain that processes daylight into alertness. And whatever you're reading will help distract your mind from racing thoughts.

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