How Substance Abuse is Connected to Sleep Disorders

Substance abuse can have many negative effects on your mental and physical well-being, including poor quality of sleep and sleep disturbances. If we don’t get the recommended amount of sleep on a regular schedule, we can start to develop sleep disorders such as insomnia. This can lead to a vicious cycle of self-medicating and relapses when people turn to substance abuse to address the problem. At Revival Recovery Center in Brighton, MI, we specialize in substance-induced mood, anxiety, and insomnia disorder treatment.  Lisa Perna, our highly skilled board-certified nurse practitioner, can find the right diagnosis or dual diagnosis to get you back to the life you deserve. If you feel like your substance abuse is damaging your quality of life, including sleep disruption, reach out for a consultation today. 

How does substance abuse affect sleep patterns? 

Substance abuse changes the neurological mechanisms in the brain, which can disrupt the sleep-regularity system, or your circadian rhythm. For instance, alcohol is a depressant on the central nervous system and causes brain activity to slow down, which can lead to feelings of relaxation and sleepiness. The quality of this type of sleep is usually poor, and the duration is often short. Because alcohol can keep you from getting your full REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, this disruption causes many people who regularly abuse alcohol to also experience symptoms of insomnia. Once your circadian rhythm is out of sync, substance abusers often turn to depressants and/or stimulants to try to regain control of their sleep patterns. This is not only bad for your physical health but your mental health as well. 

Can I get dual diagnosis treatment for my substance abuse and sleep disorder? 

At Revival Recovery Center in Brighton, MI, we treat the whole person, not just the disease. Once you arrive for your consultation in one of our private treatment rooms or through tele-medicine, Lisa will evaluate your situation based on your past drug use, medical history, mental health, and current lifestyle. From there, we’ll develop a customized plan of treatment to safely detoxify your system while simultaneously addressing your sleep disorder. With a combination of medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia and recovery work for substance abuse our  treatment team will have you on a healthy path to recovery. 

Where can I find treatment for my substance abuse and sleep disorder?  

If you or a family member is suffering from substance abuse and another disorder, such as insomnia, reach out to family nurse practitioner Lisa Perna and the compassionate and caring team at Revival Recovery Center in Brighton, MI. Our practice accepts most forms of health insurance, and we have a 24-hour answering service, as well as online registration, to address your concerns any time of the day. Once you are in our care, we will work diligently to help you achieve sobriety as holistically, and as safely as possible, so you can enjoy a life free from addiction.