Help!!! 😫(my title is too short? Eat me)

I recent stopped smoking weed…31 days sober today…but the insomnia I was smoking it for has returned with a vengeance. Zzzquil still gets me to sleep, but without the weed I’m waking up every hour or so the entire night and am just a zombie the next day. Any suggestions to stay asleep? Nothing prescription…those tend to make me feel worse than insomnia does.

Thanks!

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OogieBoogie · F

Ive gone through those nigjts of waking up every hour too.

It sucks.

But somwone here told me sleep health . Its about setting regular bed times, routines before sleep.
Being conscious of all the things that can un'prepare you for sleep like food, types of drinks, screen time ....even lack of energy expenditure during the day.
Wake up times are important too.

Now ....im no guru in this , nor habe i perfect sleep patterns yet.
But they are better.

He also stressed that substances , are not the solution. He said he spoke from experience, and that they eventually become a problem within themselves and eventually , you end up with broken sleep AND a drug issue.

He was all for finding natural ways to help sleep.

I only have a few habits installed in my routine atm....and admittedly, i break them every now and then .

But i must admit ....what he said is true . I get more sleep. The nightmares were the hardest phase.
Apparently drugged sleep isnt tje same as natural sleep ....you dont get that dream phase .

And its taken quite a time to achieve it.

But a year later, im in bed for 8 hrs, and get a range of like maybe 5 (bad night ) to 7 (good night) hours of sleep.

Which is so much better than 3 out of ten hours in bed .

So look up 'ways to improve sleep health'. And take a tip from me , choose to implement one habit at a time , like:
Stop drinking caffine after x o'clock.
No eating after a particular time , or maybe you are one of those people whi need to eat before bed , so eat the right thing.

Master one , make it a habit , then pick another one .

Even sensory stuff , like making your bedroom nicer to sleep in helps .

Also ...one more thing . ASMR is a good tool to use . Ive found its brilliant at slowing my mind down .

Zaphod42 · 46-50, M

Insomnia has been a constant thing since I was a kid. It’s actually the reason I smoked weed for 32 years. And I do have a regular sleep routine…brush teeth at 8pm, settle in and lights out at 9pm. I wake up at 5 am regardless of when I get to sleep so 9pm is mandatory bed time. No caffeine after noon is another big rule I follow. Also, no eating after 8pm and not more than a sip or two of water before bed. The bedroom is as black as possible too…even very dim lights keep me awake.

But now I’m trying without the weed and I just can’t sleep. The insomnia is just as bad as when I was younger, but after so many years of relatively good sleep I think it’s even harder to get through the days than It was in my younger years. 😫 @OogieBoogie

Monday · F

@Zaphod42 why did you stop?

Zaphod42 · 46-50, M

@Monday My GF wanted me to. She’s not opposed to me smoking, just prefers that I didn’t. And I like making her happy

OogieBoogie · F

@Zaphod42 tried ASMR ?

Zaphod42 · 46-50, M

@OogieBoogie I’m not familiar with what that is, but after a cursory search it seems my GF does that for me when she sleeps over…runs her fingers lightly through my hair until I fall asleep, and honestly I never sleep better than when she does that. But she only sleeps over one night a week, and my cat and puppy don’t seem willing to do that for me in her stead 😂

Monday · F

@Zaphod42 I dont smoke it but I am not opposed to medicinal use. I worked night shift for years and now I am on prescription sleep meds. The med I take is not a controlled substance but to stop taking it now would be impossible. Idk you have a tough choice and I wish you the best in your decision. Just keep in mind that weed is a natural medication.

Zaphod42 · 46-50, M

@Monday Her sister has mild insomnia, and she’s going to ask her what she takes for it. I’ve told her I’ll try anything in earnest and if it helps I’ll do that instead, but I need to sleep so if nothing else works I’ll be going back to what I know does the trick. She’s ok with that.