Struggling to get a good night’s rest? If you’re addicted to alcohol, quitting can improve your sleep significantly. Let’s get into the details of how quitting alcohol improves your sleep patterns.
It’s fairly common for people to start drinking alcohol as a way to beat sleep issues like insomnia. The logic seems sound at first – you might find yourself drifting off after a few drinks. However, once you become dependent on alcohol, sleep issues tend to become much worse. And, even the first few times you drink in an attempt to get to sleep, the quality of your rest is likely to be very poor no matter how quickly you fall asleep.
Quitting alcohol will not solve any sleep issues you had before you became addicted but it will resolve the negative impact caused by addiction. Once you are sober, you can more easily find a healthy route towards getting a good night’s rest.
How Alcohol Disrupts Sleep
At first, alcohol causes drowsiness, creating the illusion that it helps with sleep. However, since it interferes with the body’s natural sleep patterns, it leads to fragmented and less restorative sleep. In particular, it suppresses REM sleep, the stage necessary for cognitive processing and emotional regulation, leaving you feeling restless and out of sorts.
Alcohol also reduces the deep sleep stages which are restorative for your body. Not only do you sleep lightly, but you also wake up frequently, especially in the second half of the night. This is due to dehydration, the need to urinate regularly, and general discomfort. You end up feeling exhausted during the day.
Another significant way alcohol affects sleep is by impacting breathing. It relaxes the muscles in the throat and airways, increasing the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This condition causes breathing interruptions, snoring, and poor oxygen intake, leading to grogginess, headaches, and increased long-term health risks such as cardiovascular disease. If you already have sleep apnea, your symptoms might worsen with alcohol use.
What Happens to Sleep During Alcohol Detox?
Unfortunately, quitting does not immediately help you sleep as it is necessary to go through the detox process. This refers to the withdrawals that occur as your body becomes used to the absence of alcohol. It needs to take over functions that it had started expecting the alcohol to facilitate.
In the initial stages of withdrawal, sleep generally gets worse. Many people experience insomnia, frequent night awakenings, night sweats, and even vivid or disturbing dreams. These effects occur because the body is trying to rebalance its natural neurotransmitter activity, which had been altered by alcohol consumption.
Melatonin and cortisol levels in particular fluctuate. Melatonin regulates sleep and its disruption makes it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Meanwhile, increased cortisol, the stress hormone, can contribute to heightened anxiety, restlessness, and difficulty relaxing at night. The severity of these sleep disturbances depends on the duration and intensity of alcohol use.
The good news is that withdrawal-related sleep disruptions are temporary. Within a few weeks to months, sleep patterns gradually normalize, with individuals experiencing deeper, more restorative sleep cycles. However, the timeline varies from person to person, and some may require professional guidance to manage the detox process effectively.
The Benefits of Quitting Alcohol on Sleep
Over time, quitting alcohol leads to major improvements in your sleep quality. One of the most significant benefits is the restoration of natural sleep cycles. REM sleep, which was previously suppressed by alcohol use, returns to normal levels, allowing you to regulate your emotions more effectively, remember events and responsibilities, and think more clearly. Additionally, your deep sleep stages become more stable, contributing to improved physical recovery and immune function.
As sleep efficiency increases, you find yourself waking up more refreshed and well-rested. Even those who developed alcohol-induced sleep apnea often notice a reduction in symptoms, leading to better breathing patterns and overall cardiovascular health.
Better sleep patterns improve your mental well-being in addition to your physical health. Your mood remains stable, you feel less anxiety, and your energy levels rise and last throughout the day.
Treating Pre-Existing Sleep Disorders
But what about people who struggled to get a good night’s rest before they started drinking?
Quitting alcohol may improve sleep patterns but it won’t resolve your pre-existing sleep disorders. Nonetheless, it sets you in good stead to get proper treatment for insomnia and other sleep issues.
Difficulty falling or staying asleep can be very distressing. It can lead to anxiety, agitation, and a sense of dread around going to bed. It is not a minor issue that can be ignored, which is why some people resort to using alcohol in an attempt to sleep.
However, sleep disorders can be effectively treated. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for treating chronic insomnia and considered the front-line treatment. Since CBT is used, albeit in slightly different ways, in addiction treatment, it is an excellent option for people quitting alcohol.
Medication is also available and can be prescribed by a psychiatrist. Although many people assume that all prescribed sleeping medications are addictive, there is a range of non-addictive alternatives. Some of the most recent additions to the psychiatric treatment arsenal are non-addictive sleeping pills like lemborexant for chronic insomnia.
Conclusion
Alcohol leads to or exacerbates difficulty sleeping. Quitting alcohol will gradually improve your sleep patterns once you have gone through detox. If you have pre-existing sleep disorders, the good news is that treatment is available and more effective than ever before.
