Close to 60 days clean and not getting good sleep

So thursday, I'll have 60 days (off heroin), and I was wondering if my sleep is going to get better... ever. I can sleep, 6-7 hours even, but its shitty. I wake up feeling exhausted, groggy, dehydrated (when I'm definitely not), and just overall not rested. I tried melatonin, and it made me wake up every few hours, and I had really fucked up dreams that had a negative impact on the rest of my day. Any thoughts/suggestions?

 

first, congrats on getting clean. i know first hand getting off opiates is not an easy thing to do. taking a smallish amount of a benzo at night would probably help you out a lot, however the last thing you want to happen is swapping one addiction for another.

Try getting some exercise. This does 2 things. It naturally increases the brains endorphin levels and will legitimately tire you out for a good nights sleep. Of course some hits of weed will help calm the nerves and may help you sleep as well.

The longer you stay sober the longer your body and mind will have to adjust to its new natural form and way of thinking.

 

the dreams ...oh man i hated the dreams..congrats..
everything...and i mean everything...will get better

 

Hey Weal- Congrats on getting clean. It's a frigging hellwalk, but 60+ days is awesome! As for the sleep, benzo's work well but they can also add agitation and can increase the intensity of your dreams. If you're main concern is sleep, I'd recommend a benzo with a longer half-life such as Valium or Restoril. Short acting benzo's (Xanax, Ativan) may not help you get a restful night's sleep because they can alter your sleep architecture. This means you are not getting enough REM sleep, thus not feeling rested when waking up. One thing that worked amazingly well for me when I was at the latter stages of getting clean was Valerian Root Extract. It's an over the counter homeopathic sleep aid and it works much more effectively than melatonin. You can buy it at any pharmacy or wallmart. It smells aweful, but it really helped me get a restful nights sleep. It also doesn't have the addictive potential of benzo's, and doesn't alter your sleep architecture. Hope this helps man. Best of luck to you!

 

valerian root definitely does help, but DO NOT take extremely high doses (more than 800 mg).

it can make you extremely constipated for weeks.

once I took 3200 mg, and then 4800 mg the next day and some more a few days, and the following week I had the worst constipation I ever had (at the time I didn't know it was from the valerian root, until I discovered it had the potential to do so after).

 

Nice work on the 60 days! Really though... thats only 2 months. I'm 6 months clean and still sleep fucked up every once and a while, BUT much better then the 2 month mark. I would wake at 4:30-5 am EVERY DAY and have this restless/ non peaceful feeling and could never go back to sleep. If you lay awake and cant fall asleep for more then 30 minutes, get up and go do something for 30 minutes and try again. If you're sleeping 6-7 hours with no aid, I would suggest not taking anything to. Time will make it better. Stick it out. Depression and insomnia are the final phases. Good Luck!

 

Thanks alot man! You're right about the depression... holy shit. And just plan old insanity. But its definitely been getting better. And congrats on the 6 months! These 2 feel like the longest 2 months in history. Hopefully I'm not discouraging anybody from quitting... it's definitely worth it in the long run. I talk to former addicts who are living life and, while not blissfully happy all the time (who is?) they are content.

 

And yeah I hear ya on the waking up mad early with the restless/ non peaceful feeling... I've never been able to describe it before...

 

Depression sux... heh... but keep doin what you're doin man. The first few months are the roughest (lets not forget the first 2-4 weeks physically =] ). Surround yourself with POSITIVE shit and you'll feel better mentally. I come hear to read and remind myself of the misery I was in. I'm so fuckin glad I'm done with it. Without a doubt it was fun, but everything always must come to an end. Best of luck to you!

 

get some zopiclone from a doctor, maybe take that for 2 weeks to get you a little more distance from the oppies. Zopiclone is not a benzo and not very addictive and will be easy to stop (trust me)

Start by taking a full pill (it will knock you out) the second week take half a pill ( will still make you have a full great sleep)

I have had imsonia for my whole life untill I found opiates, Im on methadone now and it has released me from the personal hell that is insomnia, plus cruring my oppie addicttion it has literally saved my life.

fin

 

I would just like to say Great Work to all of you who have quit using opiates for recreational use. It is a HUGE challenge and I admire all of you.

Great Work, and I wish you all clean and happy futures off Opiates. Congratulations. Peace to all.

 

amitriptilyn will knock you out and not for no 3 hr's like melatonin. suboxone gives me a good night sleep but theres no need to go back to opiates if you are 60 days clean

 

You said it man. Things are getting better, I'm slowly findind ways to enjoy life without using any drugs at all. I surround myself with positive people, and do my best not to let the bad shit get to me. The depression hasn't been sticking around as long as it used to, and I feel like I have more control over it. Life is good

Thanks!