Question:
Since quitting, it seems like I've had much more
trouble falling asleep than usual. In fact, I've
resorted to using a prescription sedative that I had
left over for dealing with the insomnia associated
with another drug I was on for a while.
I'm not sure nicotine-withdrawal is entirely to
blame, because I think I may have upped my
caffeine intake slightly -- but not a lot.
Has anybody else experienced insomnia as a
symptom of nicotine withdrawal? If so, any
strategies on how to cope?
Answer:
Insommnia as a problem for many at the start. You may have identified
your problem. Stop drinking caffeine in the evening No more coffee, tea,
collaetc. Light exercise may help. Heavy heart pounding exercise will
rev you up so try that earlier. A warm bath before bed may help as well
as a warm drink. Seditives are not a great solution as they seem to
aggravte the problem when you stop taking them. Hope these ideas help.
If these don't help, try sex.
I've read that people tend to be more sensitive to caffeine after quitting
than they are while smoking. I'm something of an insomnia expert
-( despite the fact that I'm only *preparing* to quit, and have found a few
tricks that really help me. Phil S has already given good suggestions, but
I'll just add that the best time to exercise, sleep-wise, is before dinner.
Take a walk or something, then eat a fairly light dinner that doesn't have
too much (indigestible) fat or (high energy) protein or refined sugars or
flours. Complex carbohydrates are good -- whole grains, etc. Milk is good
for some people, too, especially warmed.
The thing that has helped me the most with beating insomnia is going to bed
and getting up at exactly the same time, every day. Sleeping late on
weekends will really throw you off. And I have a "bedtime routine" that I
start the hour before bedtime, which gets me psychologically more relaxed
and ready to sleep. I turn the lights down, turn off the TV, take a hot
bath, have some hot tea or milk, put a glass of water on the bedstand, and
read something that's not too terribly interesting. Then I shut out the
light at *exactly* the same time every night. If I can't get to sleep in 15
minutes, I turn the light back on and read, but I still make myself get up
at the usual time the next morning.
Sex? Harumph......easy for you to say, my dear. It's not available over
the counter.
jane/catella1...has to stick to PICKLES and an occasional cucumber
Smokefree: Three months, one week, one day, 23 hours, 31 minutes and 18
seconds. 3499 cigarettes not smoked, saving $481.15. Life saved: 1 week, 5
days, 3 hours, 35 minutes.
Another great example of how it affects different folks differently -
my last quit I was sleepy almost constantly. A friend said it affected
her that way too. Damned strange and powerful stuff.
