How to Get Better-Quality Sleep in Addiction Recovery
These days, almost every adult seems to be sleep-deprived, but lack of sleep is a particular challenge for people in recovery. Loss of quality shut-eye can not only leave you feeling irritable and sluggish the next day, but can also have effects on your health ranging from weight gain to decreased sex drive. To help you get a good night’s sleep in recovery, follow this advice.
Work With Your Body’s “Clock”
As much as you may try to trick yourself into believing you can function on less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night, your body won’t let you get away with it. To complicate the issue, you can’t catch up on sleep, which means many people are chronically losing out, night after restless night.
Prolonged substance use can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns. One strategy for restoring a healthy sleep-wake cycle is to rely on light. When it’s time to start winding down for the day, start dimming the lights in your home. Likewise, to feel more alert in the morning, use bright lights. You can also reset your body clock by going to bed and waking up at the same times every day.
Avoid Blue-Screen Light
We all love gadgets like phones and tablets, but you should keep them out of your bedroom if you’re trying to promote healthy sleep. The blue light these devices emit could fool your body into thinking it’s daytime, disrupting your sleep-wake cycle and making it more challenging for you to drift off to dreamland.
Create a Bedtime Ritual
If you have chronic insomnia, you may begin to dread the idea of going to bed. Look forward to sleep by developing a soothing routine that helps calm you down and relaxes your body and mind. Whether you prefer drinking a cup of chamomile tea, listening to instrumental music, taking a warm bath, having your partner read to you or practicing yoga poses in your bed, you can look forward to the end of your day instead of worrying about lying awake all night.
Be Physically Active
Physical activity can also help bring your sleep-wake cycle back in line. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, and if you are struggling with insomnia, schedule your daily workout three to four hours before bedtime. While it can be challenging to get moving if you’re chronically tired or struggling with depression, daily workouts give you an energy boost that can help you stay motivated.
Establish a Healthy Pattern
If you are not accustomed to having good sleep hygiene, you may find it takes you more time to discover what helps you get that much-needed nightly rest. However, addiction recovery is about committing to changing your lifestyle for the better. Don’t hesitate to try new things if you think they will benefit you in the long run.
When you are ready to explore treatment options to get to the root of your addiction, Seabrook is here for you. At our accredited addiction campuses, we offer a proven treatment model for adults who need help regaining control of their lives. Contact us for help today.
