S.B.T.O. #24:
I am now 4 days into my non-drinking binge and aother S.B.T.O. comes into focus: I’m a friggin insomniac! (Boooo!)
Over the last few years I’ve forgotten that this is probably how I ended up in the nightly ritual which typically ends in waking up the next morning, not knowing exactly when/how I got to bed. And then I get up, shower, get dressed, go to work (sometimes hungover) and do my job as expected of me. In short, a productive member of society. Who happens to have one or two drinks nightly.
I’ve also been reminded that I get bored easily. Very easily. No wonder I’ve got 40 hobbies! Each of which, isn’t quite as cool or fun when you’re sober (Ed. note: This statement only refers to those activities that do not require leaving the house).
For the last four days, I’ve been up until 1, 2, 3 o’clock in the morning, keeping busy as I wait for the Sandman to visit. Eventually I’m so tired that I lose interest and go to bed. Tired, but not sleepy. And so begins 3-4 hours trying to fall asleep. Plenty of time for all the things that bug and worry me and stress me out to take turns at the forefront of my mind. Which results in… yep. Less sleep.
I manage to sneak in one or two hours of light sleep now and then, but then just wake up for no apparent reason. And then I get upset and cranky because I’m tired, etc. In short, insomnia.
We’ve all read that drinking alcohol *causes* sleep issues (usually overthrown by drunken stupor. I’m just sayin’). Why do we never hear the other side of the story, when people stop drinking alcohol? I’ll end this post with a particularly unsettling quote from the
Psychiatric Times website, from the article, "Treating Insomnia in Patients With Substance Use/Abuse Disorders"
"In actively drinking alcoholics, specific sleep disturbances are reported, such as increased time required to fall asleep, frequent awakenings and a decrease in subjective sleep quality associated with daytime fatigue (Aldrich, 1998). Further, these individuals undergo a vicious cycle when they attempt to stop drinking since an abrupt reduction or end to drinking usually triggers alcohol-withdrawal syndrome accompanied by pronounced insomnia and sleep fragmentation. Decreased SWS during withdrawal may reduce the amount of restful sleep. Beyond withdrawal, sleep patterns may never return to normal in people with alcoholism (Aldrich, 1998). After years of abstinence, alcoholics tend to sleep poorly, with decreased amounts of SWS and increased nighttime wakefulness contributing to daytime fatigue. When heavy drinking recurs, it leads to increased SWS (restful sleep) and decreased wakefulness. This apparent improvement in sleep continuity may promote continued drinking by associating the return to drinking with improved sleep (NIAAA, 1998). Unfortunately, as drinking continues, sleep patterns get disrupted, closing the cycle (Aldrich, 1998)."
Karam-Hage, Maher. "Treating Insomnia in Patients With Substance Use/Abuse Disorders". Psychiatric Times. Monday, November 9, 2009 <http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/54141?verify=0>.
Enjoy more content like this at Searching for Treasure
© all original content copyright 2009
