What do you think is the single most powerful weapon in fighting addiction recovery?
A brand new therapy breakthrough? The latest medication?
Nope. Nothing like that.
It’s something you do every single night, or at least should be doing.
Yep, you got it. Sleep is an absolutely critical element of successful addiction recovery that is often overlooked.
Here’s the problem:
The majority of people who struggle with addiction don’t realize that sleep deprivation is derailing their recovery efforts. Without proper rest, decision-making, impulse control, and other key factors are much more difficult to maintain. And when all those things start to slip…
Relapse becomes much more likely.
So today we’re going to uncover…
So today we’re going to uncover:
- Why Sleep Matters For Recovery Success
- The Connection Between Sleep & Relapse Rates
- How Addiction Disrupts Your Sleep Patterns
- Practical Ways To Improve Sleep During Recovery
Why Sleep Matters For Recovery Success
If you’ve ever slept in a warm, cozy bed on a cool, breezy night, you know how rejuvenating a good night’s sleep can feel. But beyond the nice-to-have feeling of rest, sleep plays an absolutely critical role in successful addiction recovery.
Sleep gives the body and brain a chance to rest, repair, and restore themselves after a long day. These restorative processes reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood and overall cognitive function, and support emotional and physical wellbeing.
If someone is struggling with addiction, these are exactly the things they need to help get their life back on track and stay sober long-term.
Many professional treatment programs, such as rehab centers in Newton NJ, understand the critical role of sleep in addiction recovery. They work hard to ensure clients get the rest they need to heal.
Here’s why sleep is so important:
Quality sleep helps to lower stress and anxiety levels. Stress and anxiety are two of the biggest triggers for people in recovery. The less stressed and anxious someone feels, the less likely they are to seek out drugs or alcohol to cope.
Sleep also helps with mood regulation. When someone is getting enough restful sleep, they feel more positive emotions and overall wellbeing. Good moods make it much easier to stay on track during recovery and avoid negative coping mechanisms.
Beyond mood, sleep helps to sharpen focus and cognitive function. Memory, information processing, attention span, and problem-solving abilities all increase with a good night’s sleep.
Some pretty important stuff there, right?
The Connection Between Sleep & Relapse Rates
Before we dive into sleep solutions, take a look at this…
The recovery success rate for people with alcohol addiction drops by more than half if they are sleep deprived. This isn’t a minor difference; this is a serious risk factor that can determine whether someone stays sober or returns to drinking.
Sleep problems in recovery are a major issue. Studies have found that 36% to 91% of people with alcohol use disorder experience insomnia. Even at the low end of that range, over one-third of people are struggling with severe sleep problems.
Here’s what happens when sleep goes:
Decision-making abilities are significantly impacted. Someone who is exhausted will make much more impulsive decisions. For someone in recovery, those impulsive choices could lead right back to substance abuse.
Impulse control gets much weaker with lack of rest. The part of the brain in charge of self-control (the prefrontal cortex) doesn’t function optimally when sleep-deprived. This makes resisting urges and cravings much more difficult.
Emotional regulation starts to break down, too. Anxiety, depression, and irritability all increase when someone is not getting adequate sleep. These negative emotions increase the risk of relapse.
The cycle is a dangerous one. Lack of sleep leads to negative emotions and weaker self-control, which causes an increase in cravings. Those cravings lead to relapse, which further disrupts sleep.
How Addiction Disrupts Your Sleep Patterns
Substance use and sleep do not mix well.
Abuse of any substance (drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine) has a significantly negative impact on the body’s natural sleep rhythms and patterns. Different substances impact sleep in different ways.
Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine cause extreme sleep deprivation and exhaustion. These drugs have a severe impact on the dopamine neurotransmitters, resulting in days without sleep. The lack of sleep becomes a major relapse trigger in early recovery.
Alcohol causes sleep disturbances by blocking REM sleep and causing fragmented sleep cycles. While it might help someone fall asleep, it significantly reduces the quality of sleep.
Opioids have also been found to change the body’s sleep architecture and induce sleep apnea. The same is true of benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium.
Even cannabis can negatively impact sleep patterns, despite its use as a sleep aid by some people. Cannabis abuse has been shown to decrease total sleep time and reduce restfulness.
But here’s the thing…
Sleep problems during recovery don’t go away when someone stops using. In fact, they often get much worse at first.
Withdrawal has a whole host of sleep disturbances associated with it. Insomnia, nightmares, restless legs syndrome, and fragmented sleep are all very common during withdrawal. Sleep issues may persist for months or even years into recovery.
In fact, one study showed that people in recovery were five times more likely to experience insomnia than the general population.
Practical Ways To Improve Sleep During Recovery
We’ve established that sleep is extremely important during recovery. We also know that sleep deprivation causes major relapse risk and is a common problem in recovery.
But how do you sleep better during recovery? What can someone do to improve sleep habits?
Good news is that there are a ton of things you can do to prioritize quality rest and build healthy sleep habits. It just takes some consistency and commitment.
Start with a consistent sleep schedule.
Going to bed and waking up around the same time every day helps the body’s internal clock regulate itself. This is super important for establishing healthy sleep patterns.
Have a relaxing bedtime routine. Reading, taking a warm bath, listening to calming music, gentle stretching, etc. All of these can help the brain wind down and prepare for sleep.
Make the sleep environment as comfortable and relaxing as possible:
- Cool, dark, and quiet
- Comfortable bedding
- Remove distracting electronic devices that emit blue light
- White noise machines if needed
Avoid caffeine and nicotine, particularly in the afternoon and evening hours. Both of these are stimulants and can have a major impact on someone’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Reduce screen time before bed. Blue light from phones, tablets, and computers suppresses the body’s natural melatonin production. Limit screen time for at least an hour before bed.
Try some relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided meditation are all great ways to relax the body and prepare for rest.
Exercise regularly, but avoid vigorous activity close to bedtime. Physical activity during the day helps to improve sleep, but too close to bed will be too stimulating.
If sleep problems continue despite these efforts, it might be time to seek professional support. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or chronic insomnia may need to be treated medically.
Bringing It All Together
Sleep is so much more than just a nice-to-have feature in addiction recovery.
It’s a critical component of the recovery process. Quality sleep helps to lower stress and anxiety levels, improve mood and overall cognitive function, and regulate emotional and physical wellbeing.
Without adequate rest, all the work being done in therapy sessions, support meetings, and 12-step programs is much less likely to be successful.
To quickly recap:
- Sleep provides essential physical and mental restoration during recovery
- Poor sleep more than doubles relapse risk for people recovering from alcohol addiction
- The majority of people with substance use disorders experience severe sleep disturbances
- Building healthy sleep habits is a process that requires consistency and effort
- Professional help may be needed for persistent sleep problems
Addiction recovery is challenging enough without adding chronic sleep deprivation to the mix.
Prioritizing sleep and creating healthy sleep habits and environment can give people in recovery the best chance at successful, long-term sobriety.
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