Opiate or alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant, uncomfortable, and painful. One common symptom is insomnia, which tends to linger.
Withdrawal insomnia can include one or more of the following:
- Difficulty falling asleep at night
- Waking frequently during the night
- Poor sleep that is chronically not restorative
Withdrawal is physically taxing and good, restful sleep can help limit the severity of your other opiate detox symptoms, as well as help promote healthy habits and decrease the chances of relapse.
How to Sleep During Withdrawal
Insomnia is a common post-acute withdrawal symptom that can last much longer than normal withdrawal, so it’s best to start as early as possible by prioritizing sleep. The more disciplined you are, the quicker your insomnia and potentially all of your withdrawal symptoms can disappear.
1. Seek Professional Help with Withdrawals
Going to a Suboxone clinic or alcohol detox dramatically improves all of your symptoms, including your sleep. For example, medications like Suboxone for opioid addictions will improve all withdrawal symptoms making sleep much easier.
When starting Suboxone, a doctor may also prescribe a few days of sleep medication. It’s not ideal to rely on sleep medications long-term because they become habit-forming and the sleep is not as restorative, but it may be an option on the most intense days.
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2. Establish a Sleep Routine
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. Your body will fall in line if you stick to the schedule.
Wind down before bed with quiet activities, like reading or doing anything that will relax you before going to sleep. Try to limit your television watching before bed. If you do watch TV, keep it light. Maybe watch a comedy that puts you in a good mood.
You can also try drinking a warm cup of caffeine-free tea before bed. Meditation or yoga can also put your mind at ease.
And, stay active during the day. Creating a daily routine not only keeps your mind occupied, but it can make you more tired at the end of the day and help you get to sleep.
3. Be Careful with Naps
Naps aren’t always helpful. Avoid taking any long naps, and limit to 20 minutes maximum. If it’s already after 2 PM, it’s too late for a nap, because it could ruin the sleep patterns you’re working hard to build.
Naps are also better proactive than reactive. So, nap on days where you know you won’t get as good of sleep rather than days after you already missed sleep. And, limit time in bed to form the association of sleep with the bed.
4. Reserve the Bed for Sleep
“If you have insomnia you should train your brain that your bed is only for sleeping and sex. Don’t lay in your bed watching TV, be on your phone or even just relaxing during the day. Train your brain that bed is only for sleep and do any other relaxing activities on the couch or chair in another room. That way, your brain only sees the bed for its intended purposes and helps to associate sleeping with laying in your bed.”
5. Set the Right Mood
Our sleep schedules are naturally synced with light. Try to keep it bright during the day and less so in the evening, and fully dark as you sleep. Turn your phone light to the lowest setting if using before bed, but try to avoid screen-time whenever possible.
And, keep the room cool. Your body temperature naturally decreases by a few degrees when you sleep, and a cooler room can help you avoid waking up from being too hot.
6. Use Substances with Care
Avoid Caffeine after 10AM
Caffeine is common in recovery. But, keep in mind that twelve hours after you drink it, a quarter of the caffeine can still be in your system. That’s like drinking a quarter of that coffee or energy drink right before you go to bed and expecting to fall asleep. You can still have caffeine, but try to cut it off before 10 AM.
Alcohol Won't Give Good Sleep
If you’re withdrawing from alcohol, staying away from alcohol is obvious. It may feel like the sedative effects of alcohol will help get to sleep, but your sleep quality will be much worse and the sleep will be shorter than without alcohol. Alcohol is known to throw off REM sleep cycles and produce disrupted sleep. You will wake up feeling better without using alcohol.
Melatonin Can Be Helpful
Melatonin is produced naturally in the body to help tell your body it’s time for bed. If your clock is off, melatonin in liquid, pill or gummy form can help. The downfall is that if you rely on it too much, your body may stop producing melatonin naturally.
Many Melatonin Doses Are Too High
Many U.S. melatonin products have way too much per dose because consumers perceive that more means better. Instead, try to take the lowest dose that still works for you (around 3mg should be fine). It’s not meant to put you to sleep, but to as an aid to your other sleep hygiene habits.
Other Sleep Medicines Won't Give Good Sleep
Some patients use ZzzQuil to help with sleep. On rough nights, sleep medications can be a reasonable option for the short term. But, like alcohol, these medications have been shown to reduce sleep quality.
Don't Use Kratom
While some on Reddit cite the use of Kratom for withdrawal insomnia, this drug is addictive and also comes with physical withdrawals. And, these withdrawals are actually commonly treated with Suboxone.
Using Kratom for sleep is more likely to lead to relapse than healthy sleep!
7. Learn to Still Your Mind
Instead of trying to control racing, stressful or random thoughts, try to have no thoughts. If a thought comes to your mind, don’t get frustrated or run with that thought. Let it gently float away until you’re back to having no thoughts. If you’re having trouble, focus on your breathing. Don’t fight against your mind, but quiet it peacefully.
Learning to still your mind is the most transformative mental health exercise. Unlike chasing happiness, it teaches you how to feel peace regardless of your circumstances. It makes you more resilient against relapse and also helps you get to sleep quicker.
Combining these sleep hygiene tools and recommendations will help you establish good sleep habits and can even eliminate sleep issues. Early recovery is the perfect time to make these changes part of your nighttime routine. Once you develop good sleep patterns, it is much easier to stay consistent.
8. Understand the Importance of Sleep
Some of the tips above you already knew, but were not applying. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix. Getting good sleep after addiction takes practice and discipline.
While it can be hard to not use your phone in bed and to practice meditation, sleep is an important pillar of good health. It’s worth it!
The Healing Properties of Sleep
- Triggering the release of hormones that repair cells and tissues
- Supporting the entire immune system
- Slowing brain aging
- Helping you process and regulate your emotions. (This is why you feel less extreme about your feelings the next day. The expression "sleep on it" is actually true).
Also, patients’ sleep gets better over time. Sometimes it takes weeks or months, but your body should adjust. Don’t assume you will have to live with these issues forever.
Just like in addiction, accepting your sleep issues and being proactive but gentle with yourself is the best advice.
44 Comments
I started tapering off methadone by a doctor. started at 100 now I’m down to 4 mg at their 10 months and I cannot sleep. will I ever get to sleep? it’s been 3 days in a row now.
I have a natural resistance to opioids, took 20-40 mg oxycontin a day for a couple of weeks and quit cold turkey, slept 17 hours after last dose, PAWS all the way, 8 days after and I’m still immune to sleep.
I tried all above suggestions from day 1, all except melatonin and prescription drugs, nothing helps not even staying up 2 days in a row, twice.. Not even marijuana and pure thc or getting drunk helped, I just wake up after a couple of hours with electroshock surges through my body, which continue every time I’m even close to falling asleep. I can only fall asleep around 6 in the morning, despite all other symptoms having passed (loss of apetite still dwindles). Any suggestions? I will try melatonin and valerian tea tomorrow but speaking from experience I doubt they’ll put a dent in my problem.
Do you think that sleep restriction may help insomnia withdrawal?
I used fentenal for 9 weeks for sholder ingury unprescribed quit cold turkey 3days clean started buoroephrine for 40 days tapered some and quit cold turkey have all symptoms but insomnia is bad day nite five was worst how long will I feel like I’ve been run over by truck
I’ve been on methadone for 5 years from opiate addiction. I tapered down over the past year and I am now off of it completely tomorrow. I have normal withdrawal symptoms, but the last couple nights I have not been able to sleep at all. I’ve tried smoking weed, I’ve tried hot showers before bet. I’ve tried shutting the TV off. I’ve tried different medicines to ease the restlessness, but nothing is working. I’ve been getting maybe 2 hours of sleep a night, but it’s all broken up. I have a physical job and it’s taken a toll on me. I toss and turn all night, but am so exhausted. I can handle it during the day if need be, but the sleep part is getting to me. My whole body is exhausted and my mind is too. My emotions are everywhere, which I know is normal, but lack of sleep is affecting it too. Taking off of work to sweat it out is not an option. What can I do to help me sleep? And how long will I be going through withdrawal?