7 Ways to Overcome Insomnia During Opioid Withdrawal
Insomnia is one of the most common side effects of opioid withdrawal, and can often make recovery more stressful, difficult, and uncomfortable. Without the proper amount of sleep, the body can take days, weeks, or months longer to recover and repair itself from substance abuse. Fortunately, there are several ways to overcome insomnia during opioid withdrawal that can help recovering addicts stay straight on the path to improved health and sobriety.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with heroin or painkiller addiction, call our 24/7 confidential helpline right away at 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?). Our caring addiction treatment specialists will help you find drug rehab centers that specialize in opioid withdrawal and addiction.
Here are seven effective ways to overcome insomnia while going through opioid withdrawal.
1. Take Medication
Most rehab centers that treat opioid addiction offer medications that reduce opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms, including insomnia. Buprenorphine and methadone are highly effective at treating insomnia from opioid withdrawal, as well as clonidine. Opioid addiction patients who suffer from insomnia should ask their doctors about medications that specifically treat this condition.
2. Avoid Caffeine
Taking a hot bath before bedtime can help you relax so you can sleep better.
The effects of caffeine can last for up to several hours and interfere with sleep patterns. Recovering addicts should avoid consuming caffeine at least seven hours before bedtime, and swap out high-caffeine beverages such as coffee and energy drinks with water and tea.
3. Avoid Looking at Screens
Screens on computers, smartphones, and televisions emit blue light, which interferes with sleep hormone melatonin and disrupts sleep patterns. Recovering opioid addicts are encouraged to stop looking at screens that emit blue light for at least two hours before bedtime.
4. Take a Hot Bath
A hot bath taken two hours before bedtime promotes relaxation and slows down the body. Opioid addiction patients who relax in a hot bath can better prepare their bodies for a healthy night of sleep.
5. Exercise Daily
Exercise naturally helps regulate sleep patterns, especially when performed earlier in the day. Recovering addicts who exercise daily are more likely to sleep longer hours throughout the night. Health experts recommend exercising no less than two hours before bedtime to prevent adrenaline from affecting sleep.
6. Use White Noise
White noise such as that produced by fans and waterfalls can block outside noise and distractions, and muffle certain sounds in a sleeping environment. Patients who prefer falling asleep to white noise can benefit from using a white-noise machine, or from running a fan while sleeping.
7. Keep a Journal
Insomnia is sometimes caused by thoughts of anxiety and worry that race through a person’s head as they’re trying to fall to asleep. Keeping a journal allows recovering addicts to transfer thoughts of anxiety onto paper — a practice proven effective at combatting insomnia and sleep problems.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with opioid withdrawal and addiction, understand that help is just one phone call away. Call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?) to receive more information about drug rehab centers that can help you or your loved one successfully overcome opioid addiction.
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