I feel like many people can understand eating when you are bored, which is a habit that I am working very hard to break. Now however, I seem to be having a completely different problem. I have had some degree of insomnia for most, if not all, my life. Recently, it seems to have gotten worse. I used to have a drink or two before bed and I would find myself getting sleepy, falling, and staying asleep. I would stay up late, but my work schedule allowed it so there was no problem. After concerns from a friend and a bought of gastritis, I have decided to mostly stop drinking. Now the problem is finding a way to get to sleep and stay asleep. I have tried melatonin and Benadyrl (diphenhydramine). Both relax me to some degree, and sometimes they do help me fall asleep, but then a 3-4 hours later I am awake again. And I mean WIDE awake. Worse yet, as soon as I wake up all I want to do is eat. I don't know that I am truly hungry. It is more of a strong craving for things such as trail mix, but in large enough amounts to be considered more of a small meal. I HAVE TO get my sleep schedule back in control. Please, if you have any advice, I need it! Thank you.
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GymBunny7
I Have Stopped Drinking, but Now I Can't Sleep. All I Want to Do is Snack. Help!
That is your body reacting to the lack of alcohol. It WILL even out and your sleep will become normal again but you need to keep to your schedule and give it time.
Alcohol can really fuck with your brain.
Alcohol can really fuck with your brain.
That is exactly how I started drinking as well, I know what you are going through!! First of all, congratulations on not drinking, it is very hard to stop! Second, talk to your doctor about a sleep medicine. I tried Benadryl as well and no luck, my doctor had me on trazadone, that worked to help me fall asleep. As for the snacking, there can be a couple reasons this is happening. A lot of people crave the sugar/carbs they get from alcohol. Try having some sugar free and carb free snacks around, sugar free jello and some baby carrots. Also, boredom will happen, going from drinking to not drinking frees up some time! I would work on getting extra exercise in, it will tire you out more for bedtime and occupy some time so you aren’t snacking. And if you do snack, it would be ok since you burned some calories! Good luck!!
I have tried trazadone in the past and it worked, but unfortunately started to trigger my migraines. I will think about going in to see if there is something else they can give me. Thank you, that does explain a lot. I am glad I am not just going crazy. Those are absolutely wonderful tips. I didn't even know they had sugar free jello.
I use promethazine which herenin the uk you can get over the counter (phenergan). I like it as there's very little dependency or hangover effect. Low cal snacks is a good plan, or maybe allow for some midnight munchies in your total?
Congrats on cutting back...not having that drink at night is hard. I try not to but sometimes I give in. I take 'natural calm' before I go to sleep sometimes and it helps, it's a magnesium powder you can mix in water. Just makes me feel a little relaxed. Also even though it sounds stupid, the whole sleep hygiene thing helps, keeping lights off, limiting screen time right before bed, and if u do wake up get up and do something until you feel tired again instead of just laying in bed awake. I think the cravings are probably just a reaction to not having the alcohol and will probably pass with time.
I myself think I am an alcoholic. I drink everyday however when If I don't drink I don't withdraw. If I can't sleep and I know I'm not longer going to throw up I take a gravel Imodium or a tylenol 1 (which in Canada, you can buy over the counter)
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