How to Deal With Insomnia During Drug Withdrawal
You are likely to experience some withdrawal symptoms while going through an alcohol or drug detox. Unfortunately, insomnia can be one of them. This withdrawal symptom can be very uncomfortable and disruptive in your daily life, but there are things that you can do to reduce the intensity of insomnia. Here are some things that you can do to help you deal with insomnia during drug withdrawal.
- Have a Daily Routine
Having a daily routine naturally designates a set time to wake up and go to sleep. This helps your brain to recognize when sleep should happen naturally without the use of addictive substances, and it also makes sure that you have enough designated time for a good night’s rest. Having a daily routine also promotes a healthy lifestyle when you set time aside for exercising and cooking healthy meals. This also helps with managing addiction cravings and triggers by eliminating boredom, which greatly reduces the chances for a relapse. The takeaway here: a daily routine reduces insomnia by scheduling a time to wake up and go to bed and by setting time aside for plenty of sleep.
- Exercise
Exercise is a great way to get important hormones and endorphins flowing naturally again after an addiction. Physical activity will also make you feel more tired at the end of the day. However, you should never exercise right before bedtime if you are experiencing insomnia. Strength training has been shown to improve insomnia specifically. Exercising also has the added benefit of distracting recovering addicts from other withdrawal symptoms during a drug detox. Many alcohol and drug rehab programs have noticed these benefits of exercising. As a result, many addiction treatment and recovery programs have included various forms of exercise into their curriculums.
- Eat a Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet has numerous benefits that reduce insomnia. The first benefit is that a balanced diet reduces fatigue throughout the day. This allows recovering addicts to do more activities like exercising instead of taking naps, which makes you more tired when it comes time to go to sleep for the night. A healthy diet helps improve other withdrawal symptoms during an alcohol or drug detox as well, and setting aside time to cook these healthy meals helps to form a daily routine.
- Stay Hydrated
Like eating a healthy and balanced diet, staying hydrated helps improve many withdrawal symptoms that also reduce insomnia. Drinking enough water reduces fatigue, which also creates a healthier sleep cycle. You should avoid drinking water an hour before your set bedtime, however.
- Have a White Noise Machine
Those who are light sleepers can benefit from a white noise machine. This is also a great option for those who are used to sleeping with the TV on. The shows on TV do not have consistent noise, which can easily wake you up throughout the night. White noise provides the flat, consistent noise that you need for a full night’s sleep. There are also plenty of white noise apps available if you do not want to purchase a full white noise machine. You can find white noise on Spotify as well.
- Do Relaxing Activities Before Bed
The brain is greatly affected by routine. As a result, doing relaxing activities before going to bed can greatly improve your sleep schedule and reduce insomnia. You should also avoid overly stressful, exciting, or stimulating activities a few hours before going to sleep as well. Some relaxing activities that you can do during this time frame are watching non stimulating TV, listening to calming music, reading a book, or doing other relaxing hobbies. Things like knitting, painting, reading, and drawing are other great options as well.
- Sleep Medications
Sleep medications may be an option if symptoms of insomnia persist. However, the natural options above should be attempted first. You should always consult a doctor before starting any medication as well. This is especially true for recovering addicts, because sleep medications can be addictive. Talking to a doctor about sleep medications will protect you from this though. You may also benefit from natural remedies like melatonin supplements, which are not as addictive.
Conclusion
Insomnia is a common uncomfortable withdrawal symptom of drug addiction. However, there are steps that you can take to improve your sleep cycle. Having a daily routine with set wake up and sleep times that allow for a full night’s rest is an easy and beneficial change in the right direction. Doing things like exercising, eating a balanced diet, keeping yourself hydrated, and doing relaxing activities before bed are ways to further improve insomnia. If you find that you are a light sleeper, sleeping with white noise might help you. There are sleep medications available if all of these natural insomnia remedies fail. However, you should always consult a doctor before starting a new medication, and taking them should always be considered a last resort.
