sleepless still on day 8 normal??

[banana911]

hi guys.  i really thought this was going to be the night i got some more than 2 or 3 hours sleep - but no.  i just  slept from like 11:30 - 2:30 and woke WIDE awake.  I did just lay in the bed for the next few hours - i may have dipped out for another little doze but i was pretty concious the entire time.  

oh, and this is with taking 2 tylenol pms.  

i am also stressed out about money issues, etc - so i am not sure where the detox starts & the normal life stress begins (who does!!!!)    but i haven't slept more than these little 1 1/2 hour - 3 hour spurts night since day 3.  

[jenny8575309]

I am on day 40 something of no vicodin and I still can't sleep worth a ****!  Seriously the last good nights sleep I got was Saturday, and I got maybe 5 hours, and that was after laying in bed for at least 12 trying.  Last night 1 hour..... Night before maybe 2 hours... I average 3 or 4 hours per night i think, waking and tossing and turning..... I hope there is an end to this hell.  My eyes are red, and I have a low grade headache.  Just want to close my eyes....now i want to close my eyes, when I'm sitting at work already?    Is this normal, serious sleep issues at day 40+?  BTW I quit counting the vicodin free days, cos I was still using alchol for awhile.My official clean date is 11.3.07  I used to be sooo good at sleeping, it was like one of my favorite hobbies... I miss you old freind, come back.... (just not while I'm driving please)

[flmagi]

Sleep does seem to be one of the last things to come back. And lack of it, can cause depression, anxiaty etc.  I'm at day 35 and only sleep about 5-6 hours a night....but thats actually normal for me.  The other thing that seems to take a while is energy and motivation. I gets spurts of it, but its short lived.   Wish there was better news about this for the new ones, but it's all part of what we've done to ourselves.
In the early withdrawls the over the counter sleep aids don't help to much, but after around day 10, they seem to help alittle more.

[banana911]

oh thank you so much for answering.  i needed some words this morning.  
4to4 - that is genious.  a little sad that day 8 was no better than...day 7 (where i am) but good to know it gets continually better.  
alex fox - haha - you are funny.   yeah, you & me are in the same boat.  i slept day 1 & i think day 2 also - - maybe woke up early-ish.  but since day 3 this has sucked.  

[banana911]

i am starting my day 8 here.  i spent first 3 days miserable - - days 4 & 5 alot of the physical symtoms were getting more toned down.  days 6 & 7 (the last 2 days) my body feels ok (no pain, just more like lazy) and lots of anxiety.  

ambien sounds great - but a dr appt & a presription is out of the budget.  tylenol pm seems to bring me to those 1 - 2 hours sleep thing, but i still wake up.

thanks for your words.  those damn neurostransmitters!!!!

[alexandra fox]

Hello my nocturnal friend - it is now evening for me on my day 8, and sorry to say but sleep has been getting worse and worse. My first night of detox ironically was the best - last night up like lightning at 3am in the horrors. Now half past 10 at night and feeling mighty perky and awake, regardless of a tylenol pm equivalent.

sorry - I do hope it changes for you soon, the sleeplessness is one of the worst things because it makes the day sooooo much longer. I feel for ya!

Miss Fox

[4tolive4]

The last time i went clean (winter 06) i kept a journal in which i detailed every single sickness, symptom, good, bad, and ugly. It was theuraputic and helped to pass the time. i made entries into this Word file for nearly a month and saved it to remind me of the madness that i put myself through.

anyway.....to get to the point. i looked at the jounal after reading your post to see how long it took me to return to normal sleep patterns. i recalled that it took some time. here's what i found:

day1 - 1 hour
day2 - 1 hour
day3 - 3 hours
day4 - 2 hours
day5 - 3.5 hours
day6 - 4 hours
day7 - 4 hours
day8 - 4 hours
day9 - 5 hours
day10 - 4 hours
day11 - 5.5 hours
day12 - 6 hours
day13 - day20 - averaged 6.5 hours
day21 - 7 hours
.
.

day25 - 8 hours

sounds like your reading right outta my journal!! so, yes, i guess it is normal. hang in there. day11 seemed to be the break for me.

[Jennifermarielib]

OH God I can I relate... The same thing happened to me when I started detox and I was exhausted, up day and night pacing the halls for the 7 days time in the hospital.  When I got home I started doing what your doing, 1 1/2 -2 hours sleep....then WIDE AWAKE! It sucked, but now at 24 days out I am sleeping again.....but my Doc also put me back on ambien because it was really affecting my depression.  I relapsed 3-4 days ago some, and I am restless agin. The Doc explained that wide awake feeling was a result of the neurotransmitters being overly active now since they had been heavily sedated with opioids/morphine/benzo....Are you starting or in withdrawal? I believe you will sleep again, hang in there!