Last Updated:
October 4th, 2024
Insomnia and Addiction
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up feeling rested. This constant struggle with sleep can lead to daytime fatigue, affecting concentration, mood and overall well-being. While some may experience insomnia for a short period, lasting days or weeks, others may struggle with it for months or even longer.
Are there different types of insomnia?
Many people often think of insomnia as simply the inability to sleep, but it’s actually more complex than that. While difficulty sleeping is certainly a key feature, insomnia comes in different forms, each with its own unique challenges.
Understanding these different types is important when considering treatment options and finding the right approach to improve sleep quality.
- Acute insomnia: This is short-term and usually occurs due to stress, life changes or an upsetting event. It typically lasts a few days to a few weeks and often resolves on its own once the stressful situation improves.
- Chronic insomnia: This type lasts for at least three months, with difficulty sleeping occurring at least three times per week. Chronic insomnia may be related to ongoing stress, medical conditions or mental health disorders.
- Onset insomnia: This refers to difficulty falling asleep. People with onset insomnia often lie awake for long periods before eventually falling asleep.
- Maintenance insomnia: This is when a person has trouble staying asleep. They may wake up frequently during the night or too early in the morning and have difficulty falling back asleep.
- Comorbid insomnia: This occurs alongside other health conditions, such as depression, anxiety or chronic pain. Treating the underlying issue often helps alleviate insomnia.
- Behavioural insomnia of childhood (BIC): This is seen in children and is usually due to difficulty setting and sticking to a sleep routine. It can occur if children rely on specific conditions, such as being rocked or held, to fall asleep.
What causes insomnia?
Insomnia can be frustrating, especially when you’re lying awake at night wondering why sleep feels so elusive. It’s a common issue that many people experience, but the causes can vary from person to person.
Stress and anxiety
One of the most common causes of insomnia is stress. Whether it’s work-related, family concerns or financial pressures, stress has a way of keeping the mind too busy to relax. Anxiety can work in much the same way, with worries about the future or overthinking past events making it hard to drift off.
Poor sleep habits
Sometimes, our own habits can be the culprit. Things like irregular sleep schedules, napping during the day or using electronic devices before bed can interfere with the body’s natural sleep cycle. The bright lights from screens can trick the brain into thinking it’s still daytime, making it harder to fall asleep when you want to.
Diet and caffeine
What we eat and drink can also impact sleep. Caffeine is a major factor here. Whether it’s coffee, tea or even chocolate, consuming caffeine too late in the day can keep you wired for hours. Similarly, eating large or heavy meals right before bed can cause discomfort, making it harder to relax and fall asleep.
Medical conditions
Certain medical conditions can also contribute to insomnia. Chronic pain, asthma or conditions like acid reflux can make it difficult to get comfortable. Hormonal changes, particularly during menopause, can also disrupt sleep patterns. In some cases, medications used to treat other conditions may have side effects that interfere with sleep.
Mental health disorders
Mental health disorders such as depression or PTSD can greatly affect sleep. While depression can cause people to sleep excessively, it can also lead to trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night. PTSD, with its intense nightmares and hyperarousal, often leaves sufferers lying awake, unable to settle into a peaceful rest.
Environmental factors
Lastly, your surroundings can play a role. A noisy neighbourhood, a partner who snores or even an uncomfortable mattress can make it tough to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sometimes, simple changes to your sleep environment can make a big difference.
Are insomnia and addiction linked?
Insomnia and addiction are often linked and can fuel each other in a vicious cycle. Those struggling with addiction may use substances to cope with sleeplessness, while insomnia can be a symptom of withdrawal or prolonged substance use. When both conditions coexist, they may be diagnosed as a dual diagnosis or codependency, requiring treatment that addresses both issues simultaneously for more effective recovery.
What comes first: insomnia or addiction?
In some cases, addiction fuels insomnia. For example, people might use substances like alcohol or stimulants to cope with stress or anxiety, initially believing it helps them unwind. However, over time, these substances disrupt natural sleep patterns.
Alcohol, for instance, may make you feel drowsy, but it interferes with the deeper stages of sleep, leading to restless nights and frequent awakenings. Stimulants, on the other hand, directly keep the brain alert, making it hard to wind down, which perpetuates sleeplessness. As the person struggles to sleep, they may turn to the substance even more, seeking relief, only for the insomnia to worsen.
On the flip side, insomnia can fuel addiction. For someone battling chronic sleeplessness, the desperation to rest may lead them to seek relief through prescription sleep aids, alcohol or drugs. While this might offer short-term relief, over time, a dependency can develop.
For instance, taking sedatives like benzodiazepines may start as a way to fall asleep, but the body builds tolerance, needing higher doses to achieve the same effect. As the dependence grows, addiction becomes a reality. The person then finds themselves stuck, unable to sleep without the substance, and potentially facing the harmful effects of addiction.
Both scenarios are intertwined, and it’s essential to understand that neither issue should be ignored. If you’re facing both insomnia and addiction, seeking help can address both sides of this cycle, offering a path to recovery and better rest.
How is insomnia and addiction treated at Primrose Lodge?
At Primrose Lodge, treating insomnia and addiction involves a comprehensive, integrated approach designed to tackle both issues simultaneously. Our treatment begins with a medically supervised detox to help safely manage the withdrawal process, as we understand that detox can often exacerbate sleep difficulties.
To address insomnia, we offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBT-i), a highly effective treatment that helps you retrain your body to develop healthier sleep habits. Unlike sleep medications, CBT-i has no side effects and lowers the risk of relapse, making it an ideal solution for those recovering from addiction.
In addition to CBT-i, our holistic therapies, such as yoga, meditation and aromatherapy, play a key role in reducing stress and promoting relaxation, which are essential for improving sleep quality. These therapies work alongside our counselling and group therapy sessions to help you build healthy coping mechanisms and improve your overall well-being.
Aftercare is another critical component of our treatment at Primrose Lodge. We offer ongoing group therapy and support to ensure that the tools and techniques learned during your stay continue to help you achieve restful sleep and long-term sobriety.
What’s next?
If insomnia and addiction are making life unmanageable, Primrose Lodge is here to help. Our programme is designed to address both issues with professional care and support. Don’t let sleepless nights and addiction take over your life. Reach out to Primrose Lodge today and take the first step toward recovery and restful sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
(Click here to see works cited)
- Kalmbach DA, Anderson JR, Drake CL. The impact of stress on sleep: Pathogenic sleep reactivity as a vulnerability to insomnia and circadian disorders. J Sleep Res. 2018 Dec;27(6):e12710. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12710. Epub 2018 May 24. PMID: 29797753; PMCID: PMC7045300.
- Gardiner C, Weakley J, Burke LM, Roach GD, Sargent C, Maniar N, Townshend A, Halson SL. The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2023 Jun;69:101764. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101764. Epub 2023 Feb 6. PMID: 36870101.
- Koffel E, Khawaja IS, Germain A. Sleep Disturbances in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Updated Review and Implications for Treatment. Psychiatr Ann. 2016 Mar;46(3):173-176. doi: 10.3928/00485713-20160125-01. Epub 2016 Mar 10. PMID: 27773950; PMCID: PMC5068571
- Park SY, Oh MK, Lee BS, Kim HG, Lee WJ, Lee JH, Lim JT, Kim JY. The Effects of Alcohol on Quality of Sleep. Korean J Fam Med. 2015 Nov;36(6):294-9. doi: 10.4082/kjfm.2015.36.6.294. Epub 2015 Nov 20. PMID: 26634095; PMCID: PMC4666864.
- Stein MA, Weiss M, Hlavaty L. ADHD treatments, sleep, and sleep problems: complex associations. Neurotherapeutics. 2012 Jul;9(3):509-17. doi: 10.1007/s13311-012-0130-0. PMID: 22718078; PMCID: PMC3441938.
