10 Tips For Dealing With Insomnia During Alcohol Withdrawal & Detox

Polysomnography was carried out between 15.5 ± 2.7 days for the diazepam group and between 15.1 ± 2.2 days for the tetrabamate group. Another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of carbamazepine in patients with alcohol dependence over 7 days revealed that subjective measures of sleep were significantly better in the carbamazepine group. No relapse measures were used in this trial either (Bjorkqvist et al., 1976). The effect on drinking measures was the opposite with the high alcohol withdrawal group having more days of abstinence and longer time to first heavy drinking if on the active medication.

In fact, 12-step recovery programs often refer to the factors that increase a person’s risk for relapse as HALT, standing for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. Sleep disruptions may increase the risk that a person will feel tired, which might cause a person to reach https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcohol-insomnia-causes-and-ways-to-eliminate/ for a drink if they feel like they can sleep sober. Alcohol withdrawal leads to reductions in deep sleep and abnormalities in REM sleep. REM sleep is characterized by increased brain activity, relaxation of the body, rapid eye movements, and increased dreaming.

Insomnia Medications Show Promise in Fighting Drug and Alcohol Addiction

By Buddy T

Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, featuring neurologist and sleep expert Chris Winter, shares strategies for sleeping better at night. Working on your sleep hygiene is another way to help prevent or reduce insomnia. These are changes you can make to your environment and routine to help promote sleep. People in recovery are often more likely to have problems with sleep onset than with sleep maintenance, which is why some might conclude that they can’t sleep sober.

Unfortunately, alcohol withdrawal can quickly lead to insomnia or “sleeplessness.” In fact, it is one of the most common symptoms after discontinuing alcohol use. Alcohol withdrawal insomnia can continue until the primary problem (i.e., alcohol consumption) is addressed or resolved or until the alcohol is completely out of your system. Alcohol is a natural sedative that can cause you to feel drowsy or sleepy – especially if you drink too much too quickly. But the truth is alcohol can encourage and prevent sleep, depending on the individual.

Sleep Problems Associated with Alcohol Cessation

Twenty-seven patients received 7.5 mg of zopiclone at night, while 25 patients received 1 mg lormetazepam (dose equivalent of 6.5 mg of diazepam) (Ansoms et al., 1991). The relative risk of relapse to heavy drinking was lower in the gabapentin group. Sleep efficiency was improved on Day 3, but on Day 28 the difference between the trazodone group and the placebo group was not significant. The total non-rapid eye movements sleep percentage was also improved on Day 3 but not on Day 28. Clinical global impression (CGI), a clinician rating of the severity of the patient’s illness and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) scores were significantly improved in the trazodone group (Guy, 1976). Well, to understand alcohol’s effects on sleep, you must first understand how the human brain works.

Those who have been diagnosed with alcohol use disorders frequently report insomnia symptoms. It’s important to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep) or sleep apnea (when breathing stops multiple time a night) if they are present. Trazodone is an agent that is most commonly used to treat sleep problems in this patient population (Friedmann et al., 2003). However, among sleep measures, only the WASO was improved at 28 days when compared with placebo. Another large study of trazodone showed a significant improvement in PSQI scores at 3 months and deterioration to placebo level after discontinuation. However, this study did raise some concerns regarding the potential of trazodone to decrease the number of days abstinent.

Complementary Therapy

Abstinence rates were no different between the trazodone and the placebo groups, both being low at 9.1 vs. 14.1%, respectively. However, only 25.3% of patients in this trial reported having received formal alcohol treatment following detoxification. The number of drinks/drinking day were no different between the trazodone and placebo groups at 1 and 3 months.

• This article reviews the relationship between alcohol and insomnia, including how alcohol can affect sleep quality alongside the risks of poor sleep quality.
• A large, NIAAA-supported, placebo-controlled trial conducted over a period of 24 weeks in 173 patients right after detoxification revealed that trazodone significantly improved sleep.
• Questionnaires used to measure insomnia are varied and not all of them are standardized.
• Thus, researchers have concluded that repeatedly consuming alcohol (over a long period) can cause a decline in sleep quality.
• The group with a reduction in PLMS also demonstrated a significant reduction in CDT and GGT values over the course of treatment.
• Patients received 25 mg/day of diazepam for 3 days, 15 mg/day for 3 days and remained on 6 mg/day till PSG.

“A general rule of thumb is that if you’re struggling to fall asleep at the start of the night, that’s due to anxiety or stressful life events,” Perlis says. Environmental issues—like a too-bright room, or staring at device screens—can also mess with your ability to fall asleep. People in alcohol recovery take a long time to fall asleep, have problems sleeping through the night, and feel that their sleep is not restorative. Unfortunately, recovery and abstinence are more challenging if you aren’t able to get enough good-quality sleep. Difficulty sleeping, particularly when a person feels that they can’t sleep sober, may increase the risk that they will relapse. But that can start a dangerous cycle of more fragmented sleep, followed by heavier drinking.

Working with a psychiatrist at a mental health center allows you to be assessed for medication use to help you sleep. Your doctor can prescribe a medication that is non-addictive so you can avoid switching from alcohol addiction to a sleeping pill addiction. If you are currently experiencing insomnia after quitting alcohol, you are probably wondering how long it will last. That’s not a simple answer due to the many differences in each person’s level of addiction.

You are essentially retraining your brain to expect to sleep when in your bed. It also covers what symptoms you might have if you don’t wait long enough between having your last drink and going to bed. Other trials evaluated the efficacy of ritanserin, melperone, clomethiazole and scopolamine (Carlsson and Gullberg, 1978; Gillin et al., 1991; Monti et al., 1993; Gann et al., 2004).