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Internet is a handy tool for finding sleep aids try you tube meditation videos, audio books, even some documentaries you can listen to them but you don't have to watch them it has worked for me ocationally.
It sounds like you are already doing lots to help yourself. Great work! You may want to avoid caffeine for the next little while as this may help you to sleep. Also, you might want to talk to a doctor about short term options that may help you sleep. Medication, herbal teas or supplements may help you sleep while you are going through withdrawal. I also recommend relaxation techniques before bed. Some techniques to help shut down the brain before bed can be good too. I personally like deep abdominal breathing coupled with reciting the ABCs in my head. For each letter of the alphabet I try to think of a name for example - A for Ashley, B for Beth, C for Cindy etc. I have also read repeating the word "the" to yourself in your mind can help with shutting your brain down for sleep. It's worth a shot! Let us know what you find helps you to sleep.
I totally can relate to using alcohol to turn off an overactive brain. It works for a while until it doesn't. Are you in your first few weeks of quitting? I found the first few weeks really the toughest. Although I didn't have sleep issues, I had lots of other triggers calling to me to drink. Have you tried meditation? I found meditating for a bit each day when I first stopped drinking, a very helpful and calming tool. The meditation combined with journalling helped to quiet my ruminating mind.
I do wake up now and sometimes lie awake for a while at night, but it is not like the despairing hours I spent when drinking. Things will get easier for you. Hang in there!
I haven't been alcohol free very long, but I found my sleep has improved with the exception of waking up an hour earlier. And I did have a few whole body jerking motions while lying in bed, it was like my whole body flinched. I did start taking Melatonin before bed and take another if I wake up during the night. You might also try some "sleepy time" tea before bed that seems to help me.
I have been drinking myself to sleep for over ten years. It began while I was working a job that was totally over taxing my coping level. It was my way of shutting off my brain so I could just rest. Like Paul Newman in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", i was hooked on the "clickety-click" of the thoughts shutting off after enough alcohol had been in jested. I have a health care back ground and was completely aware that alcohol not only would not help me rest, it would interfere with the quality of my sleep. But I was at rock bottom and just wanted my brain to stop. I am no longer at that job. My current job presents challenges, but I am actively working to strengthen my toolbox and my ability to conjure the tools i need when i need them. Surprisingly enough, I've been able to overcome the mental and emotional urge to drink with a minimum of frustration. However, The last week, I have had a very difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep. The only real temptation I have had to drink is around 2 am when I really just want to rest....which is what got me here in the first place. I have been walking daily and giving myself some quiet time before i retire. I make it a habit not to go to bed until I am fairly sleepy. Any suggestions on how to get through this withdrawal period? I really don't want to go back to self medicating. I need a "clickety-click" that is more sustainable and honest.
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