Alcohol addiction and withdrawal can have several side effects, one of those being alcohol-induced insomnia. Studies show that 36-91% of people with an alcohol dependence experience insomnia or sleep disturbances, so it’s a very prevalent problem for many.
If you’ve started having trouble sleeping due to drinking or after quitting alcohol, we’ll cover why this side effect occurs and how to manage it in the rest of this article.
Understanding Alcohol-Induced Insomnia
The main culprit behind alcohol-induced insomnia is how it affects your sleep architecture. Let’s start by reviewing the normal sleep cycle and then explain how drinking alcohol disrupts it.
The Normal Sleep Cycle
Typically, when you fall asleep, you’ll go through 4 stages that complete an entire sleep cycle. Those are:
- Stage 1 (Light sleep): This is where your body starts to transition from wakefulness into sleep. Stage 1 sleep usually lasts for about 7 minutes.
- Stage 2 (Deeper sleep): Here, your body temperature drops, and your heart rate and breathing slow down. This is when your body starts preparing the building blocks for successful restorative sleep.
- Stage 3 (Deepest sleep): As you enter stage 3, your body becomes very still, and your brain activity slows significantly. It’s typically the most restorative stage for physical health, where a lot of the healing and body growth occurs during sleep.
- Stage 4 (REM sleep): During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, your brain becomes more active again, your eyes dart back and forth, and your body remains perfectly still. You’ll typically experience dreams in this stage. It’s seen as the most restorative stage for mental health and cognitive function, helping you wake up refreshed.
How Alcohol Changes Your Sleep Cycle
When you drink alcohol and then fall asleep, it changes your sleep cycle significantly from the normal progression through the 4 stages.
Initially, drinking alcohol can seem like it’s helpful for sleep. Since it has sedative properties, alcohol can cause you to fall straight into stage 3 sleep (deepest sleep) for the first half of the night.
However, as your body processes the alcohol in your system and its effects wear off, you’ll shift back into stage 1 sleep during the second half of the night. Some people may wake up here and have trouble falling back asleep or only have light sleep for the rest of the night. Either way, you’ll typically wake up feeling unrested and groggy.
You’ll also likely miss the important REM sleep stage, contributing to that poor groggy feeling.
How These Changes in Sleep Architecture Can Lead to Insomnia
If you drink alcohol regularly, especially in high amounts before bed, your body can start to get used to falling straight into deep stage 3 sleep due to alcohol’s sedative properties.
This can lead to a couple of key problems:
- Your body becomes dependent on those sedative effects to fall asleep.
- Your typical sleep cycle becomes misaligned, where your body is no longer used to progressing through the 4 primary stages in order.
Either way, it can leave you tossing and turning at night after stopping alcohol use.
Alcohol Withdrawal and Sleep Problems
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can also worsen sleep problems. Alcohol withdrawal can cause anxiety, agitation, and discomfort that make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep.
That’s why going to a treatment center that offers medical detox can be beneficial when recovering from alcohol use disorder. Medical treatment professionals can help you manage withdrawal symptoms so you stay as comfortable as possible throughout the process.
Duration of Sleep Issues Post-Alcohol
Acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms, such as insomnia, typically last about 1-2 weeks after stopping alcohol use.
However, some people may still experience latent withdrawal symptoms for 8 weeks or more after quitting drinking. This is especially common in people who’ve drank heavily for a long time.
Longer-term residential addiction treatment can be very helpful for anyone experiencing latent effects. This will provide you with around-the-clock support, a consistent structure, and many helpful resources like therapy and life skill-building sessions that help maintain sobriety long-term.
Strategies to Mitigate Alcohol-Induced Insomnia
Improving sleep after quitting alcohol is possible. Along with seeking treatment and support, here are some other great strategies that can help.
Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene
Proper sleep hygiene can help you begin good habits that help you fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Some good places to start are:
- Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
- Stopping caffeine consumption at least 6 hours before bed.
- Avoiding electronics and creating a calming routine about an hour before bed, which could consist of dimming the lights, reading, journaling, and other relaxing activities.
- Keeping your bedroom comfortable, dark, and quiet to facilitate good rest.
Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
CBT-I is a form of therapy that’s focused on helping people manage insomnia. Your therapist can help you create better sleep habits and address underlying issues like addiction, trauma, or mental health problems that may be contributing to poor sleep.
Perform Relaxation and Mindfulness Techniques
Relaxation and mindfulness techniques like meditation, breathwork, or progressive muscle relaxation can help calm the mind and body before bed. Many who struggle with insomnia related to substance use or withdrawal find it helpful to make this a habit before bed.
Medical Consultation
If your insomnia persists after trying different strategies, you should set up an appointment with your doctor or a sleep specialist to diagnose any health issues that might be causing it.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Making positive lifestyle adjustments can also help when trying to manage sleep problems. It’s also a good way to get into better habits when recovering from addiction.
Some great places to start are exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and surrounding yourself with a positive social circle of people who have good habits and want the best for you.
You should also avoid using alcohol as a sleep aid. Even if you’re having trouble sleeping after quitting drinking, it’s better to work on building healthy habits that are more sustainable in the long term.
Conclusion
Tossing and turning trying to fall asleep during alcohol-induced insomnia is frustrating. However, there are steps you can take to manage alcohol withdrawal and build healthier habits that improve sleep quality.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with alcohol addiction and worried about potential side effects like insomnia, there are resources that can help during the recovery process.
We offer medical detox and residential treatment for alcohol and drug addiction at the United Recovery Project. All our programs can be tailored to your needs with our friendly and knowledgeable treatment staff by your side at all times.
Contact us today to learn more about our treatment options.
References
- Chakravorty, Subhajit, et al. “Alcohol Dependence and Its Relationship with Insomnia and Other Sleep Disorders.” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, vol. 40, no. 11, 5 Oct. 2016, pp. 2271–2282, doi:10.1111/acer.13217. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7486899/
- Colten, Harvey R, and Bruce M Altevogt. “Sleep Physiology.” Nih.gov, National Academies Press (US), 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19956/
- Ebrahim, Irshaad O., et al. “Alcohol and Sleep I: Effects on Normal Sleep.” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, vol. 37, no. 4, 24 Jan. 2013, pp. 539–549, doi:10.1111/acer.12006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23347102/
- Saitz, Richard. “Introduction to Alcohol Withdrawal.” Alcohol Health and Research World, vol. 22, no. 1, 2024, p. 5, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6761824/
- Drake, Christopher, et al. “Caffeine Effects on Sleep Taken 0, 3, or 6 Hours before Going to Bed.” Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, vol. 09, no. 11, 15 Nov. 2013, doi:10.5664/jcsm.3170. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.3170
