Lack of sleep increase the risks of relapse

On one level, it's easy to understand why insomnia and disturbed sleeping patterns could increase the risks of relapse. A lack of sleep makes us tired, irritable, cranky, fatigued, lethargic…all feelings and emotions that don’t lend themselves well to the introspection and recovery planning needed for long term sobriety. When we are tired and irritable, our defense mechanisms away from abuse are weakened, and in a moment of thoughtlessness and weakness, it's too easy to react without thinking.

On a deeper and subconscious level, sleep seems to have some influence over reward systems in the brain linked to drug seeking behavior. Sleep remains one of the most mysterious of the cerebral processes, but researchers have linked the newly found neurotransmitter orexin, which is linked to sleeping patterns, with changes in the reward centers of the brain. At the moment, scientists know that sleep plays a role in drug cravings and drug seeking behaviors, but they can’t yet explain exactly why it's all happening.

In any case, the message is pretty clear; sleep deprivation makes us emotionally predisposed to abuse, and it also influences subconscious processes which can induce drug seeking behaviors. The answer is to get a good night's sleep…which can be an elusive thing to the recovering alcoholic.