Insomnia After Quitting Alcohol: A Detailed Look at Causes and Solutions

Alcohol withdrawal can range from very mild symptoms to a severe form, known as delirium tremens. This pattern can repeat itself 5 to 30 times or more each hour, all night. This type of sleep apnea happens when the muscles in the back of the throat relax. These muscles support the soft palate, the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate called the uvula, the tonsils, the side walls of the throat and the tongue. With that said, I don’t recommend benzodiazepines for anyone except under medical care during severe withdrawal. The information we provide while responding to comments is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice.

Can Alcohol Help You Sleep Faster?

A person might think that having a drink before bed may help them sleep because alcohol helps them relax. Because of drinking’s negative impact on sleep cycles, Alcohol insomnia: Causes and Ways to Eliminate a person does not sleep as well if they drink before bed. When it comes to alcohol and insomnia, many people will struggle to deal with the symptoms alone.

How to Stop Alcohol Insomnia in Casual and Problem Drinkers: Why It Happens and What to Do

A 2019 study found eight weeks of CBT-I reduced insomnia in veterans recovering from alcohol dependence. There are ways to stop alcohol from messing with your sleep, though. And, as long as you don’t have an alcohol use problem, you may not have to give up drinking altogether. “However, stroke in women can also present with vague symptoms such as weakness, confusion, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting,” said Sumner. “Women with high blood pressure are at higher risk, with that rate on the rise,” she told Healthline.

Alcohol Withdrawal

The condition is linked to fatigue as well as serious cardiovascular conditions like heart attack and stroke. While napping might seem like the answer to your fatigue, moderation is crucial during alcohol withdrawal. Short (20-30 minute) naps early in the day can boost your energy in the afternoon without disrupting your nighttime sleep cycle. But longer naps or napping close to bedtime can backfire, leaving you feeling even more restless at night. Alcohol can help people feel more relaxed and sleepy, but it’s also linked to poor sleep quality and duration, according to the Sleep Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit organization. Generally, the more a person drinks, the more their sleep quality suffers.

• When you have sleep apnea, drinking can make the breathing interruptions last longer when you are asleep, leading to more awakenings.
• That’s because alcohol disrupts what’s known as your sleep architecture, the normal phases of deeper and lighter sleep we go through every night.
• There’s nothing wrong with celebrating with an alcoholic drink here and there.
• When I quit drinking, I was prescribed a benzodiazepine called Ativan.

Though alcohol can have a sedative effect, it has also been linked to sleep disorders like insomnia. If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, alcohol consumption could be a contributing factor. When you have sleep apnea, drinking can make the breathing interruptions last longer when you are asleep, leading to more awakenings. Studies have shown that people who drink and have sleep apnea are at a much higher risk of traffic accidents than people with sleep apnea who do not drink alcohol. Insomnia after drinking alcohol may occur as the user begins to come down, even after smaller doses of the substance.

You may also receive other medications or treatments for related health issues, like IV fluids for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances or antinausea medicines if you experience vomiting. But treatment varies based on the severity of alcohol withdrawal and the likelihood that it could progress to severe or complicated withdrawal. When you stop consuming alcohol after prolonged, heavy use, your CNS can’t respond or regulate itself fast enough.

What is the Link Between Alcohol and insomnia?

Small amounts of alcohol may cause short-term sleep disturbances, but frequent and large quantities of alcohol consumption may lead to chronic insomnia for certain individuals. Although experts can’t be certain that alcohol directly causes insomnia, numerous studies have found a link between this sleep disorder and alcohol consumption. You can stop alcohol from disrupting your sleep by avoiding it at least three to four hours before bed and cutting down on how much you drink.

Alcohol and your sleep cycles

• Insomnia is subjective to the person involved as everybody’s body responds differently to different conditions and stimulants.
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• The rebound effect may include more time in REM—a lighter sleep stage from which it is easy to be awakened.
• A doctor can talk you through a treatment program to help, such as therapy, medication, or support groups.
• The typical sleep cycle begins with three non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages of sleep and ends with rapid eye movement (REM).
• Binge drinking or excessive alcohol consumption is likely to negatively impact sleep more than light or moderate drinking.

Doctors have found that on its own, alcohol can narrow your upper airway and lead to sleep apnea problems, even if you have never had them before. In a normal circadian rhythm, hormones are released at certain times throughout the day. Alcohol interrupts this process, causing abnormalities in how circadian hormones are released. Studies have shown that when you get up the next day, you may be less alert because of your drinking the night before, even though you no longer have alcohol left in your body. There are a variety of programs available for those wishing to undergo alcohol detox. These specialists in treatment for alcohol addiction will guide users through withdrawal effects with psychotherapy, group therapy, and medication.

This association may be secondary to subjects self-medicating their insomnia with alcohol (Kaneita et al., 2007, Ancoli-Israel and Roth, 1999, Johnson et al., 1998). Circadian rhythms affect how the body responds to alcohol, depending on the timing of alcohol intake. Long-established research shows the body metabolizes alcohol differently at different times of day.