Addiction and sleep share a problematic bidirectional relationship, where each influences the other. Many people treat sleep problems with drugs and alcohol, which can lead to addiction. People who are already addicted to drugs and alcohol undergo changes in their sleep architecture and sleep needs, forcing them to increasingly rely on their addiction in order to sleep. Once in recovery, one of the main reasons many people relapse is the discomfort and insomnia they experience, compounded by the long period of time it takes for the body to adjust back to normal sleep without drugs and alcohol.

In this guide webll explore the common sleep disorders associated with addiction, the cyclical relationship between addiction and sleep, and suggested resources and strategies for managing sleep during recovery.

Addiction and sleep deprivation

Individuals with addiction experience sleep deprivation in two ways: they get less sleep than normal, but they also experience lower sleep quality, since they donbt spend the same amount of time in the various stages of sleep as a healthy individual would.

Unfortunately, sleep deprivation itself can lead to drug use, dependence and abuse. Only a quarter of adolescents, for instance, get the recommended 8 or more hours of sleep per night (adolescents need slightly more sleep than the recommended 7 to 8 hours for adults). Research shows these sleep-deprived teens are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, perform worse in school, and use drugs. Worse, those who regularly slept less than 6 hours per night were three times likelier to start using drugs than those who got sufficient sleep on a consistent basis. Experts believe this is due to the reduced ability to regulate your emotions and make good decisions when youbre sleep-deprived. Sleep-deprived people also have lower levels of dopamine, drawing adolescents towards drugs that can boost those reduced levels.

Drug- and Alcohol-Related Sleep Disorders

People who abuse drugs and alcohol often suffer from the following substance-induced sleep disorders during their addiction or into recovery. Such disorders are labeled as bsubstance-inducedb because the substance abuse causes the sleeping problem and interferes severely enough with the individualbs normal life, often to the point of requiring medical intervention:

  • Insomnia describes difficulty falling or staying asleep. Because of the way drugs and alcohol affect the brain and body, nearly all individuals (97 percent) who abuse these substances experience poor sleep quality. Numbers vary, but severe insomnia is experienced  by 17 percent of individuals with addiction, and moderate insomnia by 40 percent. While alcohol and drugs like cannabis can aid in initial sleep onset, they result in less restful sleep and an increasing dependence on the addictive substance.
  • Hypersomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness is the opposite of insomnia, although the two are often linked. Hypersomniacs sleep too much or too late, and they donbt feel refreshed upon waking. To counteract these effects, they try to sleep more, interfering with their life, or to induce sleep by relying on certain addictive substances.
  • Parasomnias such as sleepwalking, nightmares, or night terrors are more prevalent in individuals who abuse drugs, especially hallucinogens. Fear of these activities can create bedtime anxiety and insomnia, further lessening the individualbs overall amount of sleep.
  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) describes a condition where the individual literally stops breathing during sleep because their airways have been blocked, whether due to obesity, the muscles relaxing in the back of the throat, or another factor. The brain briefly wakes them up to get them to start breathing again, disrupting sleep and lessening sleep efficiency. More than half of individuals with addiction also have sleep apnea. Alcohol causes the throat muscles to relax, worsening symptoms of sleep apnea, and the resulting lower levels of oxygen in the bloodstream worsen hangovers.
  • Restless legs syndrome (RLS) occurs when individuals are in a supine position, such as when theybre in bed. People with RLS experience an uncomfortable tingling or numbing sensation in their legs, accompanied by an uncontrollable, irresistible urge to move them in order to find relief. These symptoms are painful and disruptive when the individual is trying to fall asleep. RLS affects one-third of individuals with addiction.

addiction and sleep infographic

The Relationship Between Sleep and Addictions

Substance abuse is on the rise, and disrupted sleep, poor sleep, and sleep disorders are along for the ride. Some people may rely on depressants like cannabis or alcohol to fall asleep, and eventually they canbt sleep without these substances. Others, who abuse stimulants like cocaine or amphetamines, experience such a boost in alertness that they feel like they donbt need sleep, and end up sleep deprived without realizing it. Once they come down, they may feel so fatigued that they take more drugs in order to stay awake.

This roller coaster of a sleep-wake cycle gets worse when you take into account that chronic drug and alcohol abuse disrupts sleep architecture and the way the brain experiences sleep. Below webll review how different drugs interfere with sleep.

Cocaine interferes with the brainbs ability to absorb dopamine, so it gets flooded with it and the individual experiences euphoria. Chronic cocaine use may increase the circadian rhythm and permanently damage the bodybs ability to sleep well. Even low doses of cocaine can increase wakefulness, decrease restorative slow wave sleep, and alter the amount of REM sleep, critical to cognitive processing. The energizing effect of cocaine causes insomnia, while withdrawal causes hypersomnia.

Amphetamines boost energy and when crushed, can produce effects similar to cocaine. Amphetamine users share similar sleep problems to those who abuse cocaine, experiencing insomnia when theybre high, and hypersomnia during periods of withdrawal. Over time, chronic amphetamine abuse can disrupt the circadian rhythm.

MDMA is another energizing drug that reduces the serotonin nerve endings in the brain over time. Serotonin is involved in melatonin production, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Because of this interference with serotonin, MDMA abusers experience the effects of sleep deprivation sooner and more severely than others, especially in regards to cognitive functioning.mdma serotonin

Hallucinogens mimic serotonin and stimulate brain activity, the opposite of what is supposed to happen when your body prepares for sleep. As a result, hallucinogen use can result in insomnia or delayed sleep.

While alcohol helps people fall asleep, their sleep isnbt as restful and they are more prone to nightmares, snoring and sleep apnea (because the throat muscles collapse), enuresis (nighttime urination), and night sweats. Alcohol also causes early waking b the alcohol makes your body temperature drop, inducing sleep, but once the alcohol wears off, your body responds with a rise in temperature, making you wake up. Alcoholics experience more alpha and delta brain waves than normal sleepers, interfering with their ability to sleep. They spend less time in REM sleep, too, a stage of sleep critical for mood, motor skills, and concentration. Up to 20 percent of people use alcohol as a sleep aid, which over time can lead to dependence. The poor sleep from alcohol withdrawal can last as long as several months or even years, depending on the severity of the addiction.

Marijuana is another sedative like alcohol. It doesnbt impact total sleep quantity, but it does reduce REM sleep (especially THC strains) and users experience insomnia at double the rate of the general population. Less REM sleep means less quality sleep, and when users stop chronic use, they experience a REM rebound effect with especially vivid dreams for up to 2 months after quitting.

While behavioral addictions such as gambling, internet and smartphone addiction donbt have the same physical symptoms of drug addiction, they share many similarities, including negative symptoms such as sleep problems. Gamblers often experience poor and/or disrupted sleep, as well as many mood or anxiety disorders that are comorbid with sleep disorders like insomnia. Addictive gamblers in particular have higher rates of daytime sleepiness to recreational gamblers. Sleep deprivation in turn reduces focus and makes gamblers more prone to mistakes and poor bets, which can result in negative behaviors or emotions. Smartphone addiction is correlated with higher rates of depression and anxiety, which often go hand in hand sleep problems. Finally, internet addiction is associated with higher rates of suicide, difficulty falling and staying asleep, daytime sleepiness, and hypersomnia.

Opioid Addiction and Sleep

opioid addiction and sleepAbout 2 million Americans are addicted to prescription opioids, according to the CDC, and overdose deaths from opioids have more than quadrupled in the past 2 decades. The most common opioids involved in death from overdose are methadone, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. 25 percent of people who receive opioids for non-cancer long-term therapy purposes end up becoming addicted.

Opioids are prescribed to help individuals with severe or chronic pain, since the body doesnbt create enough opioids naturally on its own to block intense pain. Opioids are depressants that attach to receptors in your brain to block pain, slow breathing, and create an overall sense of calm. They share a similar structure with the natural neurotransmitters in your brain, allowing them to attach to dopamine receptors, but because they are artificial and not quite the same, they can lead to negative outcomes when a person becomes addicted.

Opioids are addictive because, like cocaine, they flood the brainbs dopamine receptors and create a sense of euphoria when theybre not used as directed. The more a person abuses opioids, the worse their body becomes at producing opioids naturally, so their body becomes dependent on the opioids to block out lesser amounts of pain.

When a person is using opioids, they experience up to 30 to 50 percent reduction in REM and slow-wave deep sleep. REM, the dream state of sleep, is essential for memory consolidation and cognitive processing, while slow-wave deep sleep is what restores the body. Without sufficient amounts of either of these, an individual has trouble focusing, regulating their mood, and remembering things. Even individuals taking opioid medications as prescribed experience these adverse changes in sleep architecture, so taking them in the long term can result in chronic fatigue.

Additionally, opioid addicts spend less time asleep overall, experience a higher number of transitions between sleep stages, and spend more time in light sleep.  30 percent of people with chronic opioid use also have central sleep apnea, which further disrupts their sleep, and some studies have linked RLS with opioid dependence.

For opioid addicts in recovery, withdrawal is especially intense. Their nervous system goes haywire, resulting in symptoms like anxiety, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, and insomnia. Because their body and mind are weakened emotionally, energetically, and physically, it is even tougher for them to cope with the insomnia, and lack of sleep only exacerbates all the other symptoms. Yet sleep is critical for regulating mood, rebalancing the bodybs hormones, and strengthening the immune system and restoring energy. Opiate withdrawal can last a week or longer, and symptoms such as these explain why relapse is so common.

Sleep Medication Addiction and Overuse

Prescription sleep aids use has increased significantly in the past 20 years, with 4 percent of Americans reporting having used them within the last month. These sedative-hypnotics, or bz-drugs,b include benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and hypnotics, and they all induce sleep. Benzodiazepines are anti-anxiety medications that increase drowsiness, while barbiturates cause a sedative effect by depressing the nervous system. The three most prescribed sleep medications are Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta. Between 2006 and 2011, 38 million prescriptions were written for Ambien alone.

Most sleep medications arenbt approved for long-term use, because of how they interact with the brain and the dangerous side effects that can occur, such as driving while asleep. Scarily, even prescribed amounts as low as 18 doses per year result in a threefold increase of mortality rates.

Like opioids, prescription sleep medications are easy to become addicted to, in part because they work so well. Once the individual stops using them, they often have trouble falling asleep, so they start to use them again or increase their dose. They may even begin craving the medication, experience memory loss, or start seeking out prescriptions from multiple doctors in order to meet their higher dosage needs.

Recovering from sleep medication addiction requires tapering down the dose slowly and should be done under guidance from a doctor. Withdrawal can cause seizures.

Addiction Recovery

Recovery brings drastic changes to all aspects of an individualbs life, including their emotions, their focus, their behaviors, their routines, and their sleep. Their brain and body have developed a tolerance to the substance which resulted in adjusted sleep patterns or problems, and the sudden withdrawal wreaks havoc on the system as the body learns to adjust to a normal sleep cycle again. Meanwhile, the physical symptoms of withdrawal can be extremely painful or uncomfortable, and anxious thoughts often accompany the road to recovery.

Unfortunately, the lack of sleep associated with recovery worsens mood, increases depression and irritability, and makes it tougher to focus and make sound decisions. Life is suddenly and considerably more challenging. The individual feels terrible physically and emotionally, and their decision-making is impaired from the sleep deprivation. They may start to think they were better off with the substance, increasing their risk of relapse.

This is why it is important to include sleep as part of the overall treatment plan. In the following sections webll discuss options for facilitating good sleep during recovery. Research shows that getting sufficient sleep aids recovery. Individuals who sleep well during recovery feel better overall and experience fewer cravings.

Insomnia and recovery

For most individuals in recovery, however, insomnia is a constant challenge. Insomnia is 5 times more prevalent in individuals in recovery than the general population, making it that much harder to return to sober life.

Alcoholics in recovery experience higher rates of insomnia, and have difficulty establishing a regular sleep cycle. As many as 75 percent of alcoholics experience insomnia during detox, and those with a sleep disorder are twice as likely to relapse than those getting restful sleep. Even if they sleep through the night, it doesnbt feel as restorative. The exhaustion is one of the main reasons for release. Insomnia is such a persistent problem for recovery that itbs included one of the acronyms for the 12-step program, HALT. HALT is the acronym for relapse risk factors, and stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.

Some addicts, such as cannabis smokers, used the drug specifically to help them fall asleep. Theybve trained their mind to associate falling asleep with using marijuana, so they have trouble falling asleep without it. The resulting poor sleep during withdrawal causes 65 percent to relapse.

The bad news is that consistently good sleep is often one of the last things to return to an individual in recovery. Of course, that means the good news is that when you do find yourself sleeping better, thatbs often one of the first signs youbre adjusted to sober life.

Treatments for Sleep During Recovery

Sleep is critical to a successful recovery. If youbre having trouble sleeping, youbre not alone. Fortunately, there are many behavioral changes and therapies you can try to get better sleep as you adjust to sobriety.

Natural Sleep Aids During Recovery

  1. Having a solid support system in place is especially helpful during recovery. Being with people who love and care about you can help you stay on track, especially when you are feeling exhausted, depressed, or one of the many other uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal. See if you can stay with friends and family during this time, or arrange regular check-ins and meetups with close ones.
  2. Create and follow a consistent bedtime routine that helps you wind down and train your mind and body to prepare for sleep. Drink a warm cup of chamomile or lavender tea, take a warm bath, read a book, and stay away from electronics in the hour before bed. Avoid napping during the day and stick to a regular sleep schedule, even on your days off from work.
  3. Improve your diet and exercise. Exercising improves mood and alertness, helping to offset the effects of sleep deprivation. Certain foods, like those rich in tryptophan, carbohydrates, calcium, and melatonin can help promote sleep. Avoid eating large meals or exercising later in the day as they can energize the body, upset the stomach, and make it tougher to fall asleep. Also avoid overly fatty, sugary, or spicy foods which can mess with energy levels and cause additional discomfort that makes it difficult to fall asleep.
  4. Set up your bedroom to promote sleep. Remove electronics, and invest in products that help block out distracting noise and light, such as blackout curtains, eye masks, and white noise machines. Make sure your pillow and mattress provide proper support for your spine and lower back, and feel great to sleep on.
  5. If youbre experiencing RLS as part of your recovery, a weighted blanket can help provide relief. Get a blanket that weighs 10 percent of your bodyweight plus 1 pound.

CBT

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps patients learn to recognize their problematic or harmful thoughts and habits, and replace them with better thoughts and coping strategies. Itbs often used to help individuals with a range of problems from anxiety and eating disorders to insomnia. CBT-I focuses specifically on helping individuals with insomnia adjust the thoughts and behaviors that prevent them from getting restful sleep.

Various techniques may be used in CBT-I, including:

  • Stimulus control therapy focuses on stimuli your brain has associated with not falling asleep, and retrains the mind to view them differently. For example, someone who works from their bed or watches a lot of TV may be encouraged to only use the bed for sleep and sex, or to stay out of the bedroom altogether except when engaging in those activities.
  • Sleep restriction therapy sets strict bed and wake times for an individual, and theybre only allowed to stay in bed during those prescribed times, regardless of how much sleep they get. The idea is the body and brain eventually learn to sleep during the appropriate schedule.
  • Sleep hygiene is about promoting sleep-healthy behaviors, such as avoiding caffeine later in the day, exercising regularly, eating healthier foods, and avoiding blue light in the hours before bed from electronics like TV or computers.
  • Sleep environment improvement focuses on making the bedroom conducive to sleep, such as keeping it dark with blackout curtains or eye masks, cooling the temperature to somewhere in the mid-60 degrees Fahrenheit, and removing stimulating electronics.
  • Relaxation training techniques include meditation, deep breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and visualization strategies to calm the mind and body to prepare for sleep.
  • Remaining passively awake helps the mind stave off anxiety or stress about not being able to fall asleep, and instead become comfortable just lying in the bed, allowing sleep to come naturally instead of worrying about it.
  • Biofeedback monitors the patientbs heart rate and muscle tensions so they and their therapist can observe biological reactions that may be inhibiting sleep.

Over-the-counter sleep aids

Because of the tendency towards addiction, over-the-counter sleep aids are not recommended for individuals in recovery. Both over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids can create side effects and dependency that interfere with recovery or adjusting back to sober sleep.

Melatonin can be helpful as a sleep aid and is generally considered safe, but individuals should still consult their medical professional first, just to ensure they experience no adverse effects based on their individual addiction. The side effects of melatonin on teens in puberty also hasnbt been fully evaluated.

Additional Resources

Addiction and recovery resources

  • AddictionsandRecovery.org has a comprehensive resource list for individuals seeking recovery, including websites for advocacy organizations, online forums, treatment finders and directories, and government agencies.
  • The National Institute on Drug Abuse provides links to government groups focused on drug prevention and recovery as well as checklists for seeking a reliable treatment provider. They also published an easy-to-read guide to recognizing if you have a problem.
  • Recovery.org offers a local state-by-state directory of recovery resources and treatment centers.
  • Individuals can find treatment providers via SAMHSAbs online directory or 24/7 toll-free hotline (800-662-4357).
  • Addiction Resource shares information on various addictions, and answers common FAQs regarding recognizing and treating addiction. The site also has a local directory of rehab centers, treatment facilities, and hotlines.

Sleep resources for recovery

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