Importance of Sleep in the Recovery Process

Your body heals best while you’re sleeping. Studies have found that those in recovery who have a sleep disorder are twice as likely to relapse. These people are at a higher risk because of the mental health effects caused by sleep deficiency. Lower energy levels also keep them from actively participating in recovery.

Like most journeys, the beginning is the hardest part. The detox or withdrawal period from many substances is known to come with symptoms like insomnia and nightmares. You would think that once you get the chemicals out of your system, everything else would fall in line. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case for everyone in recovery. One study found that nearly 75% of users reported insomnia for as long as five weeks after starting detox. So, even after seeking substance use treatment, you might find that your sleep patterns remain disrupted for a while.

A healthy diet and exercise are important for success in recovery. However, a new study from Penn State reveals that proper sleep is another key factor to successful recovery. The study focused on 68 patients recovering from opioid dependence at a substance use treatment center in Pennsylvania. The researchers found that adequate sleep affected both positive emotions and the instances of drug cravings after withdrawal. But the study found something even more impressive: People with substance use disorders are up to ten times more likely to battle sleep disorders like insomnia.

Sleep deprivation has also been shown to lead to cognitive impairments. These cognitive impairments include impulsivity, poor judgment, and irritability. This creates another factor to higher risk of relapse. If you’re sleep-deprived, you’re not thinking clearly. Therefore, you’re more likely to engage in risky behaviors.

Dopamine is the “reward chemical” that gets released in your brain after doing something that feels good. These things include exercising, listening to music, or using certain drugs. Dopamine makes you feel happy and motivated. This is why many people use drugs in the first place.

But here’s the problem with dopamine: It’s responsible for making you feel more alert and plays a role in regulating your sleep. It’s actually so good at its job that some dopamine-increasing medications are used in treating conditions like narcolepsy. So, when a person uses powerful dopamine-increasing drugs recreationally, it’s no surprise their sleep cycle is disrupted. And unfortunately, the worse your sleep quality is, the harder it becomes to quit.

Proper sleep is interrupted by chemical use. At a certain point, your judgment is impaired more than it would be just from the effects of substances. After breaking out of the vicious cycle of poor sleep and addiction, your body will have an easier time regulating sleep. And getting restful sleep every night will improve your mental health. This will in turn decrease your desire to use drugs or alcohol in the first place.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that “the way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping.” If you feel triggered or feel a craving to use again, examine your sleep schedule. Start breaking the cycle today.

You can ensure adequate sleep by making these adjustments to your bedtime routine. Over time, the improvement you’ll see will make you wonder why you didn’t make these changes sooner.

If you don’t have a strict sleep schedule, you run a higher risk of not getting enough sleep. Not setting a schedule creates more opportunity to stay up late and end up only getting a few hours. An inconsistent sleep schedule can also leave your body playing catch up. Set times for every day of the week and stick to them. Yes, even the weekends.

Creating calming practices before bed can help get you in the right mindset for sleep. Try turning off your phone an hour before bed, taking a bath, or reading a book. Doing this regularly will train your brain to recognize when it’s ready to rest.

Your environment can play a significant role in your sleep quality. Don’t use your bed to relax, watch television, or work. Only use your bed for sleep. This signals your body that when you lay in bed, you are doing so to get rest. Also, make sure your environment has as little light and sound as possible.

If you missed your morning or afternoon workout, you might feel tempted to get it in right before bed. But remember that exercising increases your dopamine levels which keeps you up and more alert. Stick to working out earlier in the day to help you feel more tired in the evenings.

Similarly to exercising before bed, what you eat, drink, or consume can increase your energy levels. So eating large quantities of sugars, fats, and carbs before bed will make it harder to go to sleep. Avoid large meals, caffeine, and nicotine just before bedtime.