Can Alcohol Withdrawal Cause Insomnia?

If you want to know whether you can get alcohol withdrawal insomnia, the short answer is: yes. Struggling ot sleep can be a symptom of alcohol withdrawal. 

Broken sleep can be frustrating, whatever the cause, and can have an impact on your physical and mental well-being. It can be even more difficult to deal with if you are also having to cope with other symptoms and issues associated with alcohol withdrawal.

Why Can Alcohol Withdrawal Cause Insomnia

When you drink regularly, the nervous system adapts to this regular alcohol exposure and changes brain chemistry to compensate. Alcohol acts primarily as a central nervous system depressant, so the brain ramps up excitatory or stimulating neurotransmitters to compensate.

When alcohol is withdrawn, there can be an excess of these chemicals, which is why alcohol withdrawal symptoms can often include effects like tremors, excessive sweating, increased heart rate, nausea, agitation and – crucially when it comes to insomnia – restlessness.

Symptoms like anxiety, sweating, overheating and restlessness can all interfere with your ability to fall or stay asleep.

It should be pointed out that some people believe that drinking helps them to fall asleep, or struggle to get to sleep without a drink. Alcohol may help some people to fall asleep initially, but it almost always disrupts sleep patterns and prevents or disrupts the high-quality deep or REM sleep that we need to feel rested and function properly.

What Might Sleep Disruption Feel Like

The precise patterns and experience of sleep disruption can vary between individuals. Some may have more trouble falling asleep in the first place, while others may wake up frequently, experience poor quality sleep or feel unrested and unrefreshed the next day.

Sleep disruption can be considered to be caused by any symptom or condition that disrupts normal healthy sleep patterns, affecting the quality, timing, duration, or restorative nature of your sleep.

Sleep symptoms alone should not be used to diagnose alcohol dependence or the severity of any withdrawal. Withdrawal can certainly be a factor, but there may also be other contributory causes. Stress, anxiety, physical pain or discomfort, medications, use of other substances and sleep disorders can all contribute to sleep disruption and insomnia.

How Long Can Alcohol Withdrawal Insomnia Last

Sleep disturbance may arise during acute withdrawal – when the body is detoxing and adjusting to the lack of alcohol – but it can also sometimes continue after other symptoms improve.

The time needed for sleep to settle should not be considered to be an indication of recovery from acute alcohol withdrawal, and some other symptoms like anxiety and restlessness may continue for a while afterwards. This is sometimes known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), although this is a description of symptoms rather than a clinical diagnosis.

When Does Withdrawal Need Medical Help

Dependent drinkers should contact their GP or appropriate alcohol treatment services before suddenly stopping drinking. This should also be the case if you did not consider yourself dependent but stop and believe you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Stopping abruptly can be dangerous in someone who is physically dependent, and withdrawal symptoms can be very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. This is why you should always seek advice and shouldn’t rely on DIY detox plans. Supplements and sleep routines cannot prevent or treat serious withdrawal complications.

Call 999 if you or someone else is experiencing seizures, hallucinations, confusion or severe agitation after reducing or stopping alcohol.

Supporting Sleep During Recovery

While they can’t treat acute withdrawal, measures like improving your sleep routine can support long-term recovery and overall well-being.

Build a Consistent Sleep Routine

Try to maintain a regular wake-up time, along with a calm wind-down period before bed and a dark, quiet sleeping environment.

When you are well enough, appropriate daytime activity and exercise can help you feel tired and ready for sleep when it comes time to sleep. Reducing late caffeine and screen stimulation is also generally a good idea as both of these things can disrupt sleep.

Avoid Self-Medicating for Sleep

Avoid using alcohol as a sleep aid, as it disrupts healthy sleep patterns and is almost always counter-productive in the long run. You should doubly avoid it if you have already been through the pain and effort of detox and withdrawal.

You should also avoid taking someone else’s sleeping medication, as it will be prescribed or advised for the individual and their own health and medication history. It’s always best to get a clinician’s or pharmacist’s advice before using sleep aids.

Understanding Sober Relief’s Role

Sober Relief is a UK-based supplement that aims to support positive lifestyle changes, support your wellbeing and make it easier to build and maintain healthier habits:

Review our product information after you have addressed pressing medical needs to consider whether it might help you to maintain your own journey.