We all know that sleep is essential. We’ve heard it from our parents, seen it on TV and in movies, and even read it in some of the best-selling self-help books of all time. Still, you may be wondering, how does sleep affect recovery from addiction? Additionally, why should we care? Well, here’s why! Getting enough quality sleep helps with pain management in addiction recovery. It can make you less sensitive to physical and emotional pain, which helps prevent relapse.
Sleep, Pain, and Substance Use
Sleep is a significant part of recovery from addiction. Sleep deprivation can cause you to be more sensitive to pain, making it harder for you to stay away from the drugs or alcohol that hurt your body in the first place. It also leads to depression, anxiety, and negative thinking patterns associated with addiction.
Additionally, sleep is vital for recovery because it allows our brains and bodies time to heal after all of the stress they’ve been through while we were using drugs or alcohol. It also helps us form new connections between neurons in our brains. These are relationships that help us learn new skills and behaviors related to staying sober!
Sleep and pain are closely related. Sleep is part of a feedback loop that includes both sleep and pain. Pain can cause sleep problems, and vice versa. For example, you might have trouble falling asleep because your back hurts so much. In other cases, maybe your pain wakes you up in the middle of the night and interrupts your sleep.
In addition to its direct effect on how well we sleep at night, chronic pain also affects our ability to get rest during the day. It makes us more sensitive to stimuli such as noise or light. Things that would normally not bother us at all can become distractions when we’re trying to relax or rest our minds while awake.
Poor Sleep Can Impair Your Ability to Manage Pain
Sleep deprivation can also be a serious problem for people with chronic pain. It’s estimated that 50% of people with severe chronic pain have insomnia or another sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation can make pain management more difficult because it increases the risk of developing new injuries and exacerbates existing ones, leading to increased stress in those who experience both conditions at once.
Sleep is an essential part of the body’s natural healing process; without adequate restful sleep each night, your body will not function at its full capacity. This means you may find yourself struggling more than usual when trying to manage your chronic pain symptoms or addiction recovery treatment program.
You might be surprised to learn that sleep deprivation can actually make you more sensitive to pain. This is because your body’s ability to cope with pain is tied up in your circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms are the natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness that helps regulate your body’s hormones and other functions. When this system gets disrupted by not getting enough shut-eye, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and negative thinking patterns associated with addiction.
Sleep Hygiene and Quality of Sleep
Sleep hygiene refers to the behaviors you practice before going to bed that affect your ability to get restful sleep. Individuals can have either healthy or poor sleep hygiene. Examples of factors that contribute to healthy sleep hygiene include:
- Avoiding caffeine in the evening
- Avoiding bright lights (including electronics) in the bedroom
- Using your bedroom for only sleeping purposes
Poor sleep hygiene can make it difficult for people who have chronic pain conditions or other health issues that require treatment with medications, especially when such medications cause side effects like drowsiness during the day. It also makes it more likely that they’ll have difficulty falling asleep at night, meaning there’s less time for restoration and healing. All of these things make a difference as you battle your addiction while managing your pain.
Your quality of sleep also matters. This involves how long you stay asleep and how deeply you sleep throughout the night. It is vital for you to get good quality sleep for your pain management in addiction recovery. Some say the quality of sleep is much more important than the quantity.
Using Sleep for Pain Management in Addiction Recovery
Sleep is important for your body and mind to heal. As you sleep, your body gets a chance to rest and repair itself. During this time, it can also help reduce stress levels and improve your mood. Sleep also helps you remember things better so that you don’t forget what happened during the day or the week before.
When you’re not getting enough sleep, it makes it harder for the brain cells in charge of memory creation and storage to work properly. That means less information gets stored in long-term memory! This makes it harder for us to remember things later on down the road. All in all, working on your sleep hygiene is vital for lasting sobriety and effective pain management in addiction recovery.
While it may be difficult for you to get sleep in recovery, it is crucial for lasting healing. Your body needs time to heal and recover from the effects of addiction, and insufficient sleep can make this process more difficult. Sleep also plays an important role in managing chronic pain. This is why it is critical to establish good sleep habits as soon as possible after entering recovery. Here at Buena Vista Recovery, we want to help you learn the importance of sleep and how to create a successful sleeping schedule for the best chance of long-term recovery and pain management. For more information and support, call us today at (480) 741-9414 or complete an insurance form.
