Can’t Sleep Without Alcohol? 5 Alternatives to Alcohol for Sleep

Over time, we know what keeps us up at night, and we also know what helps us sleep. Unfortunately, for many adults, a nightcap is the go-to sedative, and trying to cut out the nightly drink or two — or more — is a lot harder than it sounds. If you’ve grown tired of taking a drink or more each night to fall asleep, try these five practices to promote a healthy, natural how to sleep without alcohol circadian rhythm. If you find you still can’t sleep without alcohol, or that you need to increase your alcohol intake in order to fall asleep, there is help. Learn about the Levels of Care offered at Amatus Health Recovery Centers to find out which kind of treatment can best serve you. Such problems can persist for some time even after you decide to quit drinking.

They possibly saved my life from seizures during severe withdrawal. I write about them because I once had no idea that medication could be necessary to save someone during severe withdrawal. Get a light-dimming program for your computer after dusk. When I find myself doing work after nightfall hits, a free program called flux on my Mac automatically dims the blue light that prevents the release of natural melatonin.

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We are all individuals so we all will experience different challenges. The clench and relax technique is a shortened version of a method of relaxation used in psychotherapy. The idea is to clench and relax all your individual muscles until you no more tension. Without a routine, your body is continually guessing when it should rest and when it should be active. Now that you are sober, your mind and body must learn how to regulate all its functions again. Over the past decade, we’ve helped professional athletes, startups, and Fortune 500s improve their sleep to measurably win more in the real-world scenarios that matter most.

However, certain food groups also have benefits when it comes to helping with the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms and detoxification. Falling asleep and getting a full night’s rest are real problems that need to be managed effectively to maintain sobriety. Thankfully, sleeping without alcohol is an achievable goal if you follow several recommended strategies. Hot water over the skin can open your pores and stimulate the senses.

– Don’t Rely on an Alternate Substance to Sleep

Insomnia itself can be a symptom of withdrawal and sleep disturbances during early recovery are linked to relapse. To place yourself in the best position to enter, and stay in recovery, getting sleep is fundamental. Drinking alcohol before bed can increase the suppression of REM sleep during the first two cycles. Since alcohol is a sedative, sleep onset is often shorter for drinkers and some fall into deep sleep rather quickly.