I think it could help to a certain extant. They need to be extra cautious about sleeping pills though. They might get depressed from just not being able to sleep and could take too many just because. Could you imagine going through an addiction and then quiting and not being able to sleep. What are they going to do with all that time? They will constantly be thinking about it. For some instances it might kind of be a good thing. If their friends are just getting off of work and they can help kill time with them. Playing video games, or even going to the gym may be better than taking sleeping aids because then their body naturally gets tired.
Sleeping pills are not a good solution because they can lead to dependency. Someone who has an addiction already has the dependency issue going on, so they might get into a problem of dependency on the pills to get any sleep. I think it is just something you have to work through. Exercise is definitely a good way to help sleep better. Tired muscles will help you sleep because your body recognizes that it needs sleep to properly repair and rebuild for the next day.
They say drugs and alcohol are what keep you up at night. But I say, they are what help me sleep. Try telling that to family members or even a doctor. Doctors prescribe sleeping pills for a reason. Those are drugs too, right? It's a catch 22 no matter how you look at it.
Sleeping pills were not a cure for me and my insomnia, but giving up smoking was. As soon as I got used to not smoking, I began to be able to sleep at night. In my particular case, it seemed as though I subconsciously turned into an insomniac just so I could have an excuse to get up and smoke. "Me and cigarettes" had a mutual arrangement going on, I 'loved' them and they talked to me and kept me company. If I was in my bedroom, and a pack of cigarettes was in my living room, I could almost actually hear them talking to me, telling me to come and get them. I used to stay up/get up at night and smoke. Nighttime was peaceful and quiet, so I would go outside on my second floor balcony and chill and smoke and look up at the stars, listen to all the night noises... cars in the distance, a honking horn every now and then, airplanes way up in the sky, somebody playing music far-off in the distance. I would be up smoking at 10 at night, 1 in the morning, 2 in the morning, 3 4...every morning. That became my quiet time. I'd sit and think about my day, my life. I had to give up smoking in order to get a decent night's sleep. I literally could not sleep for more than a few (2 or 3) hours at a time if I had a pack of Newports in my house.
My opinion on this might be regarded as controversial, but from my own experiences, I can say that "suffering" during giving up my smoking addiction has actually helped me to see things clearly. If I had resorted to taking sleeping pills, I might have had more peaceful nights, but at the same time it would have felt like "cheating" to me. I personally needed to work out all the psychological and emotional factors of my addiction to help me overcome it. But I understand that another person might require sleeping pills to reach a certain level of comfort from which they can gather their strength to deal with all the issues that, without doubt, will surface.
UGH, I feel sooo sorry for you and those with insomnia. I had to deal with it for 8 months, and I remember wishing I could just sleep, close my eyes and fall deep asleep. It was too much reality, too much wide awake time. Sleep was more important to me than eating or drinking or anything. I totally, completely agree with the simple idea of wearing yourself out. I personally stay awake until I am dog tired, like usually it's just my eyes that I need to close, and I can rest, while keeping my eyes closed, and then lull into a deep sleep. I so totally recommend wearing yourself out, like reading online, or doing a repetitive thought action, like praying in your thoughts, over and over, repeatedly prayers, same prayers. While you're resting with your eyes closed I mean. I found one good healing for insomnia is most definitely the environment, where sleeping. I need to close our bedroom door, and I have the furnace going, and that sound of the furnace is very soft and lulling. It sounds like I'm listening to a heart beat. Lulling and the feeling tired is a true luxury. The sleeping part just happens, and does not need to be forced, because it is medicine for the body. A wonderful healing medicine for sure!
One thing that helped me was getting out of bed, no matter what, at the same time everyday. Even if I had just fallen asleep a few hours ago, I would force myself out of bed and up for the day, after a few days I started getting more naturally tired at bedtime, and a week or so into it I was having significantly less sleepless nights. If you are having sleepless nights, it's time to think about finding something specific to do with that time, so you're not just sitting around thinking about what you could be doing.
Teens in crisis has some great advice. Something else my doctor told me was to not lay in bed awake. I should get up and do something. Clean the oven at two am if need be. The point is that moving is going to make you sleepy while laying in bed does not.
I can definitely see how insomnia could be a hindrance on recovery. Insomnia itself is a hard thing to deal with. Sleep is a necessary component to function in life. Good sleep is probably essential in helping a person cope with addiction. It will be essential to get the body back to a healthy state.
I've never had an addiction like that before where I would constantly use until I fell asleep. But I would think if you totally burn yourself out during the day then turn in for the night and use sleeping pills, I think you would fall asleep with no problems.
I also have some trouble sleeping at night. But what I do is that I would sometimes watch movies and read books until I fall asleep. They have always worked for me. Anyway, yes, I think taking sleeping pills would be a good idea for overcoming insomnia. It would be much better than smoking cigarettes or drinking.
Insomnia tends to make everything more difficult, I find. So sadly, it does make sense that it may make recovering from an addiction harder, especially as it’s quite common. But I don’t think sleeping pills would necessarily be a good route, more of a last resort. I agree with many of the tips listed previously in this thread, like wearing yourself out during the day, trying a natural remedy or two, and having a good amount of downtime during the night.
Ah, yes - I felt this way too. I'd have trouble falling asleep, so I'd drink, drink, drink until the alcohol made me sleepy enough to fall asleep (or pass out, I guess). Once I decided enough was enough and I needed to sober up, it was hard. My sleeping was all out of whack, and those hours past midnight seemed to feel like days. The rest of the world is sleeping and I know I had feelings of loneliness and boredom that accompanied that time. It was important for me to try and find productive things to do when I couldn't sleep. Read, do household chores (weird, I know, but my house was thankful for it), journal, just anything that didn't involve alcohol.
Insomnia is going to occur it is a common rebound effect of the majority of addictions. It can be very stressful and irritating. Clearly it is a sign that you need to detox. Even if it is just some simple ways. Lots of liquids to flush the system. Sweating or hot baths to force the chemicals out. Exercise, work it out of your system. Getting the blood going and drinking water will make your body function properly. This will get your body to naturally push it out. It's good to just not let it phase you or stress you out as if it is nothing. The more you let it irritate you the harder it is to sleep. Turning to another addiction is not an answer to cleaning up. Cigarettes suppress the appetite and probably distract you from drinking good fluids. Your body needs food and water, not smoke.