Sleep, Wellbeing and Recovery

Sleep and wellbeing in recovery are closely connected. If you’re new to recovery, you may have trouble getting enough rest. Your body and brain work to detox as you spend more time substance-free. It can be hard to establish sleep patterns. As a person in recovery, you’re probably processing more emotions than you once did in the past. You’re learning to weigh choices and work toward goals. Life can be stressful. However, working through stress helps create resilience. Slumber can be an important part of this equation.

How Sleep Deprivation Harms

Sleep deprivation effects can take a toll on your mental state as well as physical health. Without sleep, you are more likely to develop a mental health disorder. People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to make mistakes at work. And in general, without enough nightly rest, you are more likely to make bad decisions.

Chronic bad sleep can cause you to feel more negative and less enthusiastic about the things that are going wrong in your life. Depression and complacency can set in if you’re not taking care of this critical aspect of wellness. Without enough regular rest, you'll even drive poorly – almost as if you’re drunk. People who don’t get enough slumber have trouble learning new things and remembering instructions.

In recovery, almost everything seems foreign or new at first. Without sleep, you’re going to have more trouble adjusting to new routines and learning new behaviors. Adequate rest can help make your day-to-day routines easier.

Getting Enough Sleep

Millions of people don’t get enough slumber every day. While many people suffer from sleep disorders, others just have trouble falling asleep. You can modify your behavior to get better rest. For example, never drink caffeine in the afternoon because it can keep you up at night. Don’t exercise late in the day, either, because it can keep your adrenaline pumping.

Commit to using your bed only for sleeping and have a routine every night before bed. Brushing your teeth, setting your alarm, and getting into your nightclothes will signal to your brain that it’s bedtime. Setting patterns like these may seem simple, but humans can be simple creatures sometimes! Creating a routine helps put triggers in your subconscious that it needs to be ready for bed.

Getting Help for Addiction

Do you or somebody you love have a problem with substance use? Recovery is possible! Get the help you need in a safe, empathetic, professional environment. Hundreds of people come to Present Moments to begin their new life in recovery. We’re here to get you started by calling 619-363-4767.