Sleep

Sleep and substance use can affect each other. Understanding disrupted sleep, body clocks and sleep disorders can help people seek appropriate care during recovery.

Difficulty sleeping can make daily life and recovery harder. Alcohol, other substances, withdrawal, medicines, illness and the conditions around us can all affect sleep. A bad night does not establish a diagnosis or mean recovery has failed. Persistent problems deserve assessment and treatment, rather than an instruction to wait indefinitely.

Someone who is difficult to wake, breathing slowly or irregularly, or struggling severely to breathe needs emergency medical help. Sudden confusion or a seizure also needs immediate medical help, whatever the suspected cause. Do not assume these are ordinary sleep or harmless withdrawal.

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