The Power of Sleep: Essential Benefits for Addiction Recovery

Most of us don’t really think about sleep much. It’s just a normal part of life and something we do at the end of the day. But the reality is that a good night's sleep is critical for our well-being and even survival. Without adequate sleep, we become emotionally unstable, irritable, tired, less productive, etc. These side effects do not support addiction recovery and they can significantly hinder your progress.

Sleep and Addiction

There’s a strong connection between sleep and substance abuse. According to studies, people turn to sleep medications when they have trouble sleeping. In some cases, they may self-medicate with street drugs or alcohol. However, drugs and alcohol misuse or withdrawal can cause:

Less “good” sleep
Nighttime wakefulness
Strong daytime sleepiness
Lower overall sleep time

This happens because drugs and alcohol cause chemical changes that directly affect your circadian rhythm. Stimulants, for instance, make you more alert. Hallucinogens work similarly but alter perceptions by interfering with serotonin, which plays a huge role in regulating sleep. Depressants, on the other hand, may help you fall asleep, but the sleep quality is usually much lower than when you don’t use them.

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Sadly, sleep deprivation can weaken your resolve and increase the likelihood of relapse. It may also:

Impair your judgment and ability to decide, which makes it even harder to resist craving
Impair your ability to think, concentrate, and remember things
Make you moody, irritable and depressed which is particularly challenging during the already stressful process of recovery
Makes you more emotional and reactive, leading to conflicts with others

The Role of Sleep in Physical Health

It’s important to take care of your body in recovery, and sleep plays a big part in this process. Sleep is more than rest—it heals and strengthens your body. Let’s look at how sleep helps your physical health, especially during recovery.

Strengthens Your Immune System

Your immune system helps keep you healthy. But addiction compromises it to a great extent, and makes it more likely to contract diseases and infections. In recovery, you want to get enough sleep to help boost your immune system so your body fights off illnesses and infections more effectively. When well-rested, your body is better equipped to protect itself, which is especially important in recovery.

Repairs and Restores Your Body

One of the characteristic symptoms of addiction is the drug or alcohol seeking behavior. This means that all your efforts and resources go toward feeling high. The last thing you focus on is your sleep, let alone health. In recovery, a good night's sleep allows your body to repair damaged tissues and muscles. It also gives you the strength and vitality you need to move forward.

Boosts Energy and Motivation

Recovery requires a lot of energy and motivation. When well-rested, you wake up feeling more energized and ready to take on daily life challenges. Sleep gives your body the fuel to stay active and engaged in recovery. With more energy, you can participate fully in therapy sessions, exercise, and other recovery activities.

The Role of Sleep in Mental Health

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Your mental well-being is as important your physical health - you can't take care of one and leave the other. Sleep helps maintain your mental well-being. Here’s how sleep supports your mental health, especially as you work towards your recovery from addiction.

Reduces Stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety are common triggers. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body produces more stress hormones like cortisol, which can lead to tension and anxiety. Conversely, sleep helps regulate these hormones and promotes relaxation and calmness. Adequate sleep also helps with mood stabilization and allows you to approach each day more positively.

Cognitive Function

Sleep is essential for optimal brain function. It helps improve your memory, concentration, and decision-making abilities. This is helpful during recovery, as you may learn new coping skills and strategies. With better sleep, you can think more clearly and make better choices for your recovery.

Craving Management

Sleep plays a role in managing cravings for substances. When well-rested, you can better resist cravings and make healthy choices. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, can increase your cravings and undermine your relapse prevention strategies.

Improves Overall Well-being

Good sleep contributes to your overall sense of well-being. It can help you feel more positive, motivated, and resilient. This positivity can carry over into your recovery journey, making staying committed to your goals easier.

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Challenges of Sleep in Early Sobriety

Early sobriety brings its own set of challenges when it comes to sleep. Your body and mind are adjusting to life without substances, and this adjustment can disrupt your sleep patterns. So you’re likely to experience these sleep disorders:

Insomnia

Insomnia is a common challenge in early sobriety. It’s five times more common for those in recovery than for the general population. That might be because substance use during addiction might mask underlying sleep disorders that started way before use. Or maybe it takes months for the body and brain to readjust to normal functioning (and sleep) without the help of substances.

Nightmares

Nightmares are also pretty common. You may experience a pattern of disturbed sleep that makes falling asleep an uncomfortable and scary experience. Drugs and alcohol may cause nightmares and relapse dreams – but the nightmares could also be a result of past childhood trauma or PTSD, which is common in people with addiction problems. Other causes include stress, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, poor health, etc.

Dangerous Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking happens when you’re in a state of semi-consciousness, and you walk or do other activities while you’re asleep. Although sleepwalking episodes are often brief and harmless, they can also be dangerous. For example, you may walk into traffic, fall downstairs, drive or operate machinery while sleepwalking, and end up injuring yourself or others.

How to Establish Healthy Sleep Habits

Here are some simple tips to help you get the restful sleep you need:

Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, including on weekends. This sets your circadian rhythm and improves sleep quality..
Have a calming bedtime routine to signal your body that it's time to wind down. This could include reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation techniques.
Create a cool, dark, and quiet sleep-friendly environment
Don't take nicotine and caffeine close to bedtime - they can have a negative effect on your ability to fall asleep.
Don't use your phone or computer close to bed time because it emits blue light which can disrupt your body's natural sleep-wake cycle
Work out regularly as exercise is good for sleep. But just as a caution, keep your workouts light, especially when close to bedtime
While tempting, avoid long naps during the day, as they can interfere with your nighttime sleep schedule

If you continue to have trouble sleeping, consider seeking help from a healthcare professional. Your caregiver will run tests and identify any underlying issues that might be causing problems. They’ll also recommend treatment options to help you sleep better.

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Does Alcohol Addiction Lead To Dangerous Sleepwalking?

Alcohol addiction can lead to many health problems, including liver diseases, heart disease, and pancreatitis. It can also increase the risk of accidents and injuries and contribute to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. One less well-known effect of alcohol dependence is sleepwalking.

While there is no direct experimental evidence that alcohol predisposes one to sleepwalk, some literature indicates that it can trigger sleepwalking or increase its risk by increasing the quantity of slow-wave sleep (SWS). Alcohol also alters total sleep time and affects the time required to fall asleep.

Although researchers still don't have a grasp of all the complex processes that occur during sleep, what's known is that lack of sleep could predispose one to depressive disorders and sleep disorders. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse, people who drink before sleeping often experience insomnia symptoms and feel sleepy the next day.

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What is a Normal Sleep Pattern?

A normal sleep pattern consists of two types of sleep: slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye-movement sleep (REM).

SWS is a deep, restorative sleep during which the body repairs and heals itself.
REM is a lighter, dream sleep during which the brain processes information and consolidates memories.

Most people cycle through both types of sleep several times during the night. A typical sleep cycle lasts 90 minutes and consists of four or five periods of REM followed by a period of SWS.

However, the exact duration and timing of sleep cycles vary from person to person. Some people may have longer or shorter cycles, and some may spend more time in REM than SWS.

How the Brain Controls Sleep

Sleep is a complex and fascinating process that scientists are still working to understand. However, we do know that the brain controls sleep. The brain stem, responsible for basic functions like heart rate and breathing, also regulates sleep.

When we are awake, the brain stem sends signals to the rest of the brain that keeps us alert and active. And when we sleep, it signals the brain to slow down and relax. This process is known as sleep initiation.

Scientists believe that sleep is important for restoring energy levels, lowering stress levels, and improving moods. It is also thought to play a role in memory formation and learning.

The Relationship between Alcohol and Sleep

Although moderate alcohol consumption before bedtime may help you fall asleep, it significantly affects sleep continuity and quality. Normally, sleep is divided into three non-REM stages and a REM stage.

During the first two non-REM stages, your heartbeat and breathing slow, and your body temperature decreases. You progress from light sleep in stage 1 to deep sleep in stage 2. In the third stage of non-REM sleep, delta waves (slow brainwaves) begin to appear. This is the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep.

Finally, during REM sleep, your heartbeat quickens, your breathing becomes shallow and irregular, your eyes dart back and forth under closed eyelids, and your arm and leg muscles are temporarily paralyzed.

Alcohol consumption before bedtime can adversely affect all four stages of sleep. Although alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, it disrupts subsequent REM sleep. As a result, you may wake up feeling groggy and unrefreshed. Moderate to heavy drinkers are more likely to experience these effects than light drinkers.

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According to a survey published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol affects sleep initiation and sleep maintenance during the 1st and 2nd half of the nighttime sleeping period.

Furthermore, alcohol withdrawal can also lead to insomnia. If you regularly drink alcohol to excess and then experience insomnia when you suddenly stop drinking, you may be experiencing alcohol withdrawal. Insomnia is one of the most common withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol and Sleep Disorders

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, and it can cause a range of sleep disorders, including:

Insomnia

The most common sleep disorder caused by alcohol use is insomnia, making it difficult to fall and stay asleep. When you are addicted to alcohol, you are more likely to experience periods of binge drinking followed by periods of abstinence. This can lead to a condition called rebound insomnia, which can, in turn, lead to sleepwalking.

Sleep Apnea

Alcohol can also cause disruptions in the normal sleep cycle, leading to problems such as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which people stop breathing repeatedly during the night. It can cause fatigue during the day and increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Night Terrors

Alcohol use can increase the risk of developing night terrors. Sleep terrors usually occur during the first few hours of sleep when alcohol inhibits REM sleep, which is when most dreams occur. This increased dreaming can lead to night terrors, characterized by suddenly waking up in a state of panic.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a type of parasomnia, defined as an unwanted behavior or event that occurs during sleep. It is most likely to occur after several hours of deep sleep. Alcohol decreases the level of glucose in the brain, which can lead to micro-awakenings that disrupt deep sleep and increase the likelihood of sleepwalking.

Alcohol-Induced Sleepwalking

No research has established a direct connection between alcohol consumption and sleepwalking. What we know is that alcohol can interfere with sleep patterns and can trigger sleep conditions like sleep apnea.

Untreated sleep apnea can increase sleepwalking risk, especially when enhanced with alcohol use. Alcohol relaxes the upper airways, causing the same effects to sleep apnea when someone stops breathing when sleeping. When this happens, the body may wake someone up from sleep, but there may be confusion in the consciousness level that could raise the chances of alcohol-induced sleepwalking.

How to Prevent Sleepwalking and Stay Safe

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Sleepwalking occurs when you are in a state of semi-consciousness, and you walk or perform other activities while you are asleep. Although sleepwalking episodes are usually brief and harmless, they can sometimes be dangerous. In rare cases, sleepwalkers have been known to injure themselves or others.

Sleepwalking is most common in children, including those with fetal alcohol syndrome. But it can also occur in adults. The condition is usually triggered by fatigue, stress, sleep deprivation, or alcohol use and may expose one to risks.

During sleepwalking episodes, people are often unaware of their surroundings and may put themselves in danger by walking into traffic or falling downstairs. It gets even worse as sleepwalkers may attempt to drive or operate machinery while sleepwalking and end up hurting themselves and others.

If you are addicted to alcohol, it is important to get treatment to avoid the risks associated with sleepwalking. You can also do the following to help with sleepwalking:

First, stop drinking alcohol or avoid it before bed as it can disrupt your sleep cycle and lead to parasomnias.
Second, make sure you get enough rest by following a regular sleep schedule and creating a calm environment in your bedroom.
Finally, if you have a history of sleepwalking, your doctor may prescribe sleep medicine to help prevent future episodes.

Alcohol addiction can lead to some dangerous sleepwalking behavior. If you or a loved one is struggling with an alcohol addiction, it's important to seek treatment to address the alcohol use issue. There are also many resources available online from the Department of Health and Human Services that you can check out.