The importance of sleep has been proven time and again; it improves the mind’s memory and its ability to learn, it regulates the body’s metabolism, and it can also aid the alcohol recovery process. In addition to physical activity and eating healthy, an emphasis on regular sleeping patterns during alcohol recovery is a focus on holistic alcohol addiction treatment.
Alcohol abuse disrupts the body’s rest cycles. Following a 2009 British-funded poll that found many people are unaware of alcohol’s effects on sleep, the BBC issued an article that lays out alcohol’s ill effects on the body’s rest, including dehydration and a disruption of the REM cycle, or deep sleep, long considered by sleep researchers to be necessary for the body’s rejuvenation.
Although sleep interruption may occur during the early stages of alcohol recovery, whether from withdrawal symptoms or because of the stresses of a new alcohol addiction treatment environment, as part of a holistic idea of treatment it is important to stress a healthy sleep cycle. Below are a few ideas that can aid in sustaining a productive sleep pattern during the alcohol recovery process and beyond:
Regular sleep schedule
Our bodies recognise habitual action, especially when it comes to sleep. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule – that is, going to bed and waking up around the same time each day.
Pre-sleep routine
Sleep is a transition from the activities of the day to the inactivity of a night’s rest. A pre-sleep routine should nurture this transition, and be calming; listening to music, reading a book, or knitting are all excellent examples of pre-sleep routines.
Exercising regularly
It’s difficult to fall asleep when you’re not tired. Daily exercise will mean that your body is fatigued, and hopefully your mind will follow suit.
Because a user’s sleep often suffers at the hands of alcohol abuse, it is one more aspect of daily life that needs to recover. In encouraging holistic alcohol addiction treatment, it’s imperative that sleep be considered, not only to provide for an efficient alcohol recovery but also to ensure a healthy future outside of alcohol addiction treatment.
