Insomnia with a hangover - what to do about sleep disturbance after drinking alcohol

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Characteristics of breaking out of binge drinking
Why can't a person fall asleep after drinking?
Common forms of insomnia after binge drinking
Treatment of alcoholic insomnia with medications
Treatment of insomnia after binge drinking with folk remedies
Detoxification measures

Insomnia after heavy drinking is a sleep disorder caused by poisoning of the body with ethyl alcohol and its toxic metabolites. This condition is quite natural, because under the influence of alcohol the functioning of almost all vital systems is disrupted. Taking pharmacological drugs and (or) herbal teas helps improve your psycho-emotional state. The use of means to accelerate the elimination of alcohol from the body will improve the quality of sleep.

Why the end of binge drinking is accompanied by insomnia

Too much alcohol-containing drinks entering the bloodstream leads to disruptions in the functioning of the nervous system. The liver, kidneys, and cardiovascular system also suffer. In order for the body recover , it is necessary that during a night's rest there is a change in the phases of REM sleep and slow sleep. This change should occur 3 or 4 times during the night.

Normalization of the functioning of the entire body and the revival of energy potential is carried out during the phases of slow rest. Then melatonin is produced and spinal fluid is synthesized. During exacerbations of alcohol addiction, the sleep mechanism is disrupted, and the phases are sharply reduced or disappeared. A person's sleep is interrupted. This disrupts the functioning of all mechanisms that are designed to restore the body. He is unable to rest properly. Sleep becomes superficial, sensitive - the patient can jump up from the quietest rustle. Poisoning with the destructive elements of alcohol can lead to:

to headaches
increased pressure,
the occurrence of auditory and visual hallucinations,
a persistent feeling of extreme fatigue.

If a person has a chronic disease, then such insomnia causes its exacerbation.

People who believed that alcohol is an excellent sleeping pill begin to be tormented by the thought: “Insomnia with a hangover, what should I do?”

Indeed, alcohol in small portions can cause relaxation of the body. But exceeding the dosage acts as a stimulant. After a short period of time after a person falls asleep, his sleep becomes intermittent and weak. In the morning, after such a dream, a person feels a loss of strength and fatigue.

It is strictly forbidden to mix alcohol with sleeping pills. You should not drink alcohol if a person suffers from snoring or apnea. Impaired breathing during sleep in the presence of poisoning with alcohol-containing substances can be fatal.

It is better not to drink at night, but to consult a doctor.

Causes of insomnia when drinking alcohol

Restoration of T-lymphocytes (strengthens immunity), activation of anabolic processes, comprehensive rest, removal of decay products from the cerebral cortex - some of the many tasks that sleep solves. If it becomes shorter lasting, of poor quality or disappears altogether, this negatively affects the functioning of all life support systems, since everything in the body is interconnected. Several factors can act as causes of insomnia in alcohol addicts, here are the most common:

Cognitive disorders. We are talking about the ability to perceive, assimilate and process information. Against the background of binge drinking, it decreases greatly. A person who drinks for several days in a row loses the ability to build cause-and-effect relationships, remember and analyze simple information. Decreased brain activity negatively affects the quality and duration of sleep.
Chronic poisoning. Severe intoxication triggers destructive processes that destroy the body from the inside. The breakdown products of ethanol enter the blood and spread to all tissues and organs, accumulating in them. Against this background, the acid-base balance changes, and pathological processes develop. In such a state, full sleep is simply unimaginable.
Psycho-emotional exhaustion. Most alcohol addicts are susceptible to acute neuroses and psychoses, chronic fatigue, depressive moods and other manifestations of psycho-emotional exhaustion. They do not allow a person to sleep fully after prolonged continuous libations.
Distortion of circadian rhythms. We are talking about a decrease in the natural biological activity of a person associated with the change of night and day. It often happens that a person who drinks for several days in a row loses the sense of time and ceases to understand what time of day it is at the moment. This effect is familiar to people who change time zones during long flights. But, unlike them, alcoholics are practically unable to adapt to new conditions.

In an alcohol addict, the cause of insomnia due to heavy drinking may be one of the above factors or a combination of them.

Why does insomnia occur after alcohol? Advice from a somnologist

Insomnia after a hangover has several varieties, depending on the severity of alcohol poisoning.

Problems falling asleep. The inability to sleep while hungover is a traditional complaint of people who have taken large amounts of alcohol the day before or for an indefinite period of time. Falling asleep for a long time while intoxicated or with a hangover provokes hypertension, anxiety, tachycardia, and myalgia. These conditions lead to severe chronic overexcitation. The person becomes fearful. There are categories of chronic patients who cannot fall asleep without alcohol. But taking it before bed only makes the situation worse.
Not a sound sleep. Anxiety and sleep disturbance after drinking looks like an intellectual disorder. The patient has visions. This is the cause of emotional disturbances. Without medical help, the phenomenon of insomnia after a hangover leads to severe nervous disorders.

You need to understand that sleep disturbance is a consequence of alcohol poisoning.

Content:

Why there is insomnia after binge drinking: the main reasons.
What is the danger of insomnia after heavy drinking?
Insomnia after heavy drinking: what to do: 3.1. Self-medication.

Usually, after drinking alcohol (in moderation), the phase of acute alcoholic intoxication, manifested by euphoria, complacency, fun and relaxedness, is replaced by severe drowsiness. A person falls asleep quickly enough, and his well-being after waking up directly depends on the amount he drank the day before. Some people wake up and go about their business in a great mood, while others suffer from a painful hangover. However, with systematic drunkenness, the picture changes radically: for stages II–III of addiction, various sleep disorders are typical, which intensify against the background of many days of drinking. But insomnia after heavy drinking is far from harmless, since such a condition is a serious risk factor for the development of severe mental disorders, which can only be dealt with in a specialized hospital.

How to normalize the situation

To restore normal sleep, you need to consult a somnologist. to solve instantly . First, a person must be cleansed of toxic substances. This will take from 1 to 3 days.

The use of sedative medications should occur exclusively under medical supervision. The situation cannot be improved with Valocordin or Corvalol. Taking these medications 2 or 3 hours after drinking an alcoholic drink will worsen a person’s poisoning and lead to liver damage.

Everyone should know that not only drug therapy alone, but also conservative therapy will help correct the situation.

A contrast shower will help ease the situation. In 10 minutes the person will feel better. Alcohol poisoning contributes to disruption of water and salt balance. To correct the situation, you need to drink more:

clean water,
fruit and vegetable juices,
kefir,
mineral water.

The more drinks enter the body, the faster the breakdown of alcohol will be removed by the kidneys.

Important

No matter how good folk remedies may be from the words of friends and no matter how much advertising praises miracle drugs that can solve all problems after one dose, it should be understood that in reality things are often different. Severe alcohol withdrawal, exacerbation of chronic diseases, and the presence of pain of various types often complicate the situation. To this we can add the presence of contraindications, allergies and individual intolerance to certain medicinal components. As a result, uncontrolled use of medications or experiments in the form of folk remedies may not only not lead to the desired result, but also aggravate the condition of the alcohol addict. Against this background, it is much safer and more expedient to contact specialists. Professionals will quickly and effectively relieve a person from insomnia caused by heavy drinking, without harming him along the way.

Sleep restoration

You can use medications to restore sleep. They will eliminate the consequences of a hangover, help a person save energy and speed up the recovery process.

As a rule, the next morning after drinking libations, your head hurts very much. The following will help eliminate pain:

aspirin,
analgin,
Mexidol.

It is better not to take paracetamol or citramon, as these drugs have a negative effect on the liver.

Medicines during a hangover should be taken with great caution , as a side effect or overdose can have a strong effect on the liver. Sleeping pills or sedatives should be purchased on the recommendation of a doctor. First of all, this applies to such medicines as:

diphenhydramine,
Valium,
Elenium.

These products help regulate the depth of sleep. But their highest efficiency will play a cruel joke and cause serious poisoning. It is better to buy medicines that have less power and strength, and are softer. You can take the following as sedatives:

motherwort,
afobazole,
glycine,
novopassitis,
valerian.

These drugs are best taken in small dosages directly at night. But you shouldn’t hope that taking medications will instantly help you improve your sleep. The effect of restorative procedures will be noticeable a few days after the start of therapy.

Melatonin helps well in eliminating insomnia. Melatonin is a hormone that is responsible for the sleep-wake cycle. It is a derivative of serotonin and is produced only at night or in the dark.

When using medications , the following recommendations must be followed:

You cannot take both medicinal and sedatives at the same time;
you must follow all the doctor’s recommendations;
strictly adhere to the dosage and regimen.

Forms of sleep disturbances after binge drinking

The main forms of manifestation of such a severe disorder are:

Insomnia. It is expressed by poor sleep, headaches, dizziness. Night rest is poor quality, intermittent, not allowing for full recovery. May manifest in a chronic form.
Complete insomnia. Night rest is superficial, sensitive, anxious. The sleepless person experiences a feeling of fear, nervousness and hallucinations.
Restless guy. Falling asleep comes quickly. But the patient wakes up immediately at the slightest sound or rustle.
Mental disorders. Visual and auditory hallucinations prevent sleep and often become the main causative factor of disorders. They must be treated. But as? More on this below.

Detoxification of the body

An absorbent will effectively help cope with poisoning. Some people consider activated carbon harmless and use it in unlimited quantities for poisoning. But it's not right. Activated charcoal is a powerful remedy, so you should drink it in moderation. It is taken at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. Penetrating into the body, charcoal removes from it not only poisons, but also trace elements and beneficial substances. This can aggravate some chronic diseases and lead to intestinal problems.

Having decided to stop drinking, how not to return to your previous lifestyle

It is very difficult to overcome withdrawal symptoms, but it is even more difficult not to give up halfway, when you have almost managed to get out of this state. Below are some effective tips that will help you overcome the desire to drink again when a difficult situation arises.

Enlist the support of your loved ones and loved ones. Don’t be afraid to ask them for help and support when you need to get out of binge drinking.
Remove all stashes. Try to ensure that the alcoholic does not find ethanol anywhere. This will help you get out of your drunken state. And don't give his behavior any negative comments.
Drink more water than usual before meals. This will help achieve a feeling of fullness in the stomach, and the craving for alcohol will decrease.
Start playing sports. Even a short walk can trigger the production of endorphins - the hormones of happiness.
Understand that binge drinking not only harms you, but also poisons the lives of others, and therefore try to get out of it quickly
Try to change your thoughts. Think about something good, not about alcohol.
Remember that due to the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, not only the brain suffers, but the entire body as a whole.

One of the reasons for the appearance of withdrawal syndrome is that after prolonged consumption of alcohol, toxins are produced in the gastrointestinal tract. Ethanol helps overcome this intoxication. The result is a vicious circle; in order to break it, alcoholic drinks must be replaced with enterosorbents (enterosgel, activated carbon).

And the methods on how to behave correctly during heavy drinking and what to do during withdrawal symptoms will not be useful to you.

Author of the article: Yakovlev Evgeniy Anatolyevich

Narcologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences.

ethnoscience

Folk remedies show good results in eliminating insomnia after a hangover. First of all, to restore sleep, you need to get your nerves in order. Herbs such as:

valerian,
motherwort,
mint.

It is better to use a decoction or infusion, but not an alcohol tincture. The infusion is prepared as follows: pour boiling water over the collection, place in a water bath for 10-15 minutes, and then infuse for 40 minutes or one hour. Decoctions and infusions will help eliminate irritation and fatigue.

A good remedy is brine. It will help retain fluid in the body and saturate the tissues with water.

St. John's wort tea has an excellent effect. It helps to get rid of insomnia. St. John's wort plant extract includes the following components:

activating blood supply to the brain,
soothing,
improving liver function.

Weak black tea with a small amount of honey added can also quickly get rid of a hangover.

All these drinks will help restore the nervous system, improve health and improve the general condition of the body.

After this, it is necessary to replenish the supply of vital nutrients. They are retinol acetate, tocopherol acetate, ascorbic acid. B vitamins are considered powerful antidepressants. They eliminate anxiety and the consequences of stress, such as a hangover. These substances are found in required amounts in vegetables and fruits:

cabbage,
lemon,
orange,
mandarin,
black and red currants,
rosehip,
bananas,
carrots,
plums.

Everyone should know that visiting a bathhouse helps improve metabolic processes. This procedure can be used by everyone except people with heart disease.

Hop cones help eliminate insomnia. An infusion is made from them: 2 tablespoons of cones are poured with a glass of boiling water. Take a third of a glass after meals.

To calm down and sleep soundly, you can use the following recommendations.

Following heavy libations, you can drink a glass of milk.
A non-hot bath with thyme will help you relax and improve the functioning of your digestive system.
To improve your perception of what is happening, you need to drink a glass of kefir with a spoonful of honey added to it.
Hawthorn decoction will make it easier to fall . It will also improve the functioning of the entire body and have a general strengthening effect.

If a person has completely lost sleep, then only a doctor can help him.

How to quit binge drinking: abruptly or gradually

This issue causes a lot of controversy. There are opinions that you need to quit immediately, saying that reducing the dose every day will not bring anything good. But this is a fundamentally erroneous opinion; it is better to do everything gradually. Reducing the dose softens the hangover syndrome, it will be less noticeable. In addition, this will help prevent the occurrence of “delirium tremens” and elliptical seizures.

Correct dose reduction

You need to act in so-called “sobering up” moments. After all, when a person feels bad, it is easier to persuade him to undergo treatment.

During a hangover, the patient should only drink a little alcohol. For example, 150 ml after meals for two days.

Note! It is best to have a hangover with the drink that was consumed during the binge. The main thing is to reduce the dose or number of doses. It is important here that the patient does not give up everything and drink again.

And the next step will be cleansing the body of drunk alcohol.

Medicines you shouldn't take to improve your sleep

Once ethanol has entered the body, sufficient time is required for it to be broken down and eliminated. Therefore, only stopping drinking alcohol will help restore sleep.

During an exacerbation, the following medications should never be taken (even if there is a good goal to normalize sleep):

Phenazepam. It is one of the most powerful tranquilizers. Side effects include psychosis, depressive states, a decrease in intellectual acuity, and disruption of the process of memorizing information. This drug should never be used without medical supervision. The same group includes Relanium, Sibazon, Elenium.
Products containing phenobarbitals. These include Corvalol and Valoserdin. Uncontrolled use can lead to damage to the central nervous system. The person may fall into a coma. The outcome will most likely be fatal.

Using the right treatment techniques is the key to health. The use of medications under the supervision of a physician will help quickly normalize sleep and speed up the body’s recovery process.

How to determine that a person is a binge alcoholic

You can determine that a person is a binge alcoholic by the following signs:

A person does not perceive reality adequately;
He has no control over how much he drinks;
Even being in the stage of acute intoxication, his desire to drink does not weaken;
A person doesn’t care about the quality of alcohol;
If he is not allowed to miss the next glass, then the person is overcome by panic and a feeling of anxiety. If he has not drunk for several days, then he is driven by the desire to take the next dose.

If you notice such symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor . Unfortunately, you won’t be able to just quit. In this case, the help of a professional psychologist or even a rehabilitation course is necessary. In rare cases, compulsory treatment is carried out in a clinic, however, this requires either a court decision or certain circumstances in the life of the patient himself.

How different organs recover after long-term drinking in men and women

In order to return to a normal lifestyle, it is not enough to simply stop drinking alcohol. To avoid complications, you need to properly restore the body after binge drinking. First of all, of course, you need to take care of the liver, kidneys and heart, then the nervous system. Restoring electrolyte balance and symptomatic treatment are of great importance.

For both men and women, binge drinking causes heart palpitations and also increases blood pressure. Some very sensitive people develop arrhythmia caused by low electrolyte levels. All disorders can and should be corrected with the help of special medications. For example, high blood pressure is treated with β-blockers, which also have a positive effect on arrhythmia, if any.

The liver and kidneys are more often affected equally in both men and women. The recovery period for these organs can be very long. Binge drinking can even lead to liver or kidney failure, nepathosis and cirrhosis. To reduce the load on these organs during the period of their recovery, it is recommended to carry out detoxification , as well as follow a special diet: do not eat salty and spicy foods, and also exclude fatty foods.

The female nervous system is more stable , and the male nervous system is more flexible. However, long-term exposure to ethyl alcohol damages both female and male brains almost equally. After binge drinking, millions of nerve cells die, which greatly affects memory and concentration.

As a rule, binge alcoholism, if left untreated, will sooner or later lead to alcoholic encephalopathy - a disease with very pronounced psychoneurological disorders. To avoid this, after each binge it is necessary to restore the brain and the activity of the nervous system by taking medications prescribed by the doctor (most often these are nootropics). Powerful detoxification of the body will also help restore the brain, provided that the person forgets about alcohol once and for all. Otherwise, the person will suffer from very negative consequences.