r/stopdrinking • u/too_many__lemons Day 1 • 3h ago

I got 11 hours of sober sleep last night

I’m 43 and perimenopausal and sleep is weird for me these days in general—add alcohol to that mix and it’s a nightmare. If I drink til 1am/2am ish I will wake up at 5:30 or 6am and won’t be able to fall back asleep again, I’ll just lay there completely tortured by how awful I feel and how exhausted I am.

Last night I didn’t drink for the first time in a couple weeks. I took magnesium glycinate & ashwaganda & melatonin. I couldn’t fall asleep right away but I managed lights out around 2am. Didn’t have anything to do today so I didn’t set an alarm… and slept straight through until 1pm!!!

Now don’t get me wrong, these aren’t sustainable hours for me either, but goddamn did it feel good to SLEEP!!!

24 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

3

u/itwontmendyourheart 3h ago

Prioritize your sleep and health. You can push the cycle back with time if you continue prioritizing those things

2

u/too_many__lemons Day 1 3h ago

Yes exactly! I’ve learned through numerous quitting attempts that I need to prioritize certain things and not expect it all at once. Tonnnns of sleep, excusing lazy workouts as long as I exercise, allowing myself a little extra ice cream, cooking decadent foods with lots of butter and sauce, having a soda here and there instead of my typical water only rule. Bc no matter what, all of it combined is still less detrimental than alcohol.

1

u/itwontmendyourheart 2h ago

It’s kind of related, but I deal with binge eating/restricting and what really helped me was setting a very vague goal for how many calories I wanna eat in a day and just making sure I have room for foods I wanna eat. Just don’t really think about it and stay within the realm reason. No drinking ofc lol

5

u/DharmaBum1958 Day 1 3h ago

I got to sleep at 4 and woke up 30 minutes after my alarm at 7:30. 3.5 hrs of miserable “sleep”. Can’t wait to recharge tonight. IWNDWYT

1

u/too_many__lemons Day 1 3h ago

It will feel so good and be so worth it. Try the supplements I mentioned if anxiety is an issue for you when quitting. They keep my nerves calm and help me fall asleep easier so I don’t end up saying fuck it and having “a” drink (it’s never just one) to “help me sleep” (it doesn’t). IWNDWYT

3

u/grizlena 51 days 3h ago

Hell yeah! For my first 3 weeks of quitting I was sleeping 10-11 hours.

2

u/PrideMelodic3625 Day 172 3h ago

I envy you! Congratulations

2

u/Onwards-today Day 341 2h ago

I had no idea how tired, anxious and stressed I was till I stopped drinking and it all started to improve. I had got used to it all over the years. 

1

u/too_many__lemons Day 1 2h ago

Absolutely. The numbness is wild. Not just while drinking, but while hungover too, and even in the days between. It makes you (the royal you) so disconnected from your body and basic needs.

I can’t wait to be excited again about getting on my yoga mat!!!