Sleep, insomnia and addiction: a self-feeding cycle

Sleeping badly and using a substance have more in common than we usually think. For a long time insomnia was described as a simple consequence of addiction, a nuisance that showed up when things were going wrong. Today we know the relationship is far closer and, above all, that it works in both directions. People who sleep badly are more likely to seek relief in alcohol, in tranquillisers or in some other substance; and people who use almost always end up with broken, shallow, unrefreshing sleep. This is not coincidence or a weakness of character: it is how the brain and body respond when they are deprived of the rest they need.

At Reconectar, the centre for the treatment of addiction and codependency in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, we see this cycle repeat itself again and again. People who have spent months or years sleeping only a few hours, who have normalised waking in the small hours with a racing mind, who cannot remember the last time they got up feeling genuinely rested. Understanding how this loop feeds itself is the first step to breaking it, because when sleep returns to its place, recovery becomes far firmer and more sustainable.

A self-reinforcing cycle

The relationship between sleep and addiction is what specialists call bidirectional: each problem makes the other worse. On one hand, sleeping badly wears down the ability to self-regulate. A tired brain tolerates discomfort less well, seeks quick rewards and loses part of its natural brake. In that state, the substance appears as an easy way out: alcohol to switch off, cannabis to "relax", a stimulant to perform despite exhaustion. On the other hand, sustained use deeply alters the architecture of sleep, so the person sleeps worse and worse and needs to use even more to compensate. That is how the loop closes, and each turn makes it harder to break on your own.

How each substance affects rest

Not all substances disturb sleep in the same way, but none truly improves it. It is worth knowing their effects, because many people believe a drink or a cigarette helps them sleep, when in fact they are sabotaging their rest.

• Alcohol. This is perhaps the most common deception. It helps you fall asleep sooner because of its initial sedative effect, but once it is metabolised it produces a rebound: sleep fragments in the second half of the night, awakenings increase and deep sleep is reduced. You fall asleep faster, but sleep far worse.
• Cannabis. It can bring a feeling of drowsiness, but it reduces deep sleep and, very characteristically, REM sleep, the phase linked to dreaming and emotional processing. On stopping, many people experience a rebound of vivid dreams and insomnia that can push them back towards use.
• Stimulants. Cocaine, amphetamines and also caffeine activate the nervous system and delay or prevent sleep. They cause outright insomnia, sleepless nights and a later exhaustion that is sometimes masked with more of the substance or with depressants.
• Tobacco and nicotine. Although many smokers associate it with calm, nicotine is a stimulant. It disturbs rest, makes sleep lighter and, in the early hours, the drop in nicotine can cause micro-awakenings that are not even remembered.

Insomnia as a trigger and as a relapse factor

Sleeping badly is not only a consequence of use: very often it is its trigger. After a sleepless night, tolerance to stress falls, irritability rises and willpower suffers. It is well documented that lack of sleep reduces self-control and increases craving, the intense desire to use. Someone who has rested copes better with a hard day; someone who has not slept a wink reaches the evening exhausted, with fewer resources and more vulnerable to temptation.

That is why insomnia is one of the great relapse factors. A run of bad nights can undo weeks of effort if it is not addressed in time. In recovery, looking after sleep is not a luxury or a secondary detail: it is a central part of treatment, as important as working on emotions or relationships.

The trap of hypnotics and benzodiazepines

Faced with insomnia, the temptation to reach for a sleeping pill is enormous, and sometimes it even comes recommended. Hypnotics and benzodiazepines can be useful on an occasional basis and under medical supervision, but they carry a risk worth knowing: they readily produce tolerance and dependence. What begins as help for a few difficult nights can become, within a few weeks, a new substance that is hard to do without.

The problem is heightened in people with a previous addiction, because the brain has already learned to seek immediate chemical relief. Swapping alcohol or cannabis for a dependence on tranquillisers does not resolve the root of the problem: it only shifts the cycle. That is why, whenever possible, it is worth building healthy sleep without relying on medication, and reserving drugs for specific situations, for just the right length of time and with professional follow-up.

Sleep during abstinence

The first weeks without using tend to be hard precisely because sleep rebels. The body, used to a substance, needs time to relearn how to sleep on its own. It is very common to go through a phase of insomnia, intense dreams, frequent awakenings or the feeling of not resting even after hours in bed. It helps to know this in advance so as not to be alarmed or to read it as a sign that "this isn't working".

The good news is that it is almost always temporary. As the body readjusts, sleep tends to recover its rhythm and depth, and many people discover, perhaps for the first time in years, what it is to truly sleep. That process is much easier to get through with support, with clear guidance and with the reassurance of knowing that what is happening is to be expected and will pass.

Sleep hygiene: drug-free alternatives

Before thinking about pills, there is a great deal that can be done to recover rest naturally. So-called sleep hygiene brings together simple habits that, kept up over time, make a real difference:

• Regular hours. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, weekends included, helps reset the internal clock.
• Mind the light. Getting natural light in the morning and reducing bright lighting at night tells the body when to be active and when to rest.
• Screens out of the bedroom. The light from phones and computers and the constant stimulation delay sleep. It is best to switch them off at least an hour before bed.
• Watch the caffeine. Coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks can disturb sleep many hours later. Better to avoid them from mid-afternoon onwards.
• Exercise, but at the right time. Regular physical activity improves rest, though it is best not to do it just before bed, as it activates the body.
• Relaxation routines. Slow breathing, quiet reading, a warm shower or relaxation exercises help wind down and prepare the body for sleep.
• A bedroom for sleeping. Dark, quiet, cool and tidy. Keeping the bed for rest, and not for working or turning problems over, reinforces the link between bed and sleep.

None of these measures works miracles on its own, but together and sustained they create the conditions for sleep to return without forcing it with substances.

When to seek professional help

There comes a point where sleep hygiene is not enough. If insomnia drags on for weeks, if every night becomes a struggle, if the urge appears to use again in order to sleep, or if tiredness starts to affect your mood, your work and your relationships, it is worth seeking help. Asking for it is not giving up: it is recognising that the cycle between sleep and use is too strong to break alone, and that it can be done far more effectively with support.

The Reconectar approach

At Reconectar we work with an open method, without residential admission, which allows each person to carry on with their life while making progress in their recovery. Care is direct, provided by the therapists themselves, with no intermediaries, in person in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or by video call for those who prefer it or live far away. The whole process is confidential, respectful and adapted to each person's pace.

We approach sleep as an integral part of recovery, not as an isolated matter. Understanding why someone sleeps badly, accompanying the hardest weeks of abstinence, building solid habits and, when needed, coordinating the responsible use of any medical support, is part of a wider piece of work on emotions, bonds and the reasons that sustain substance use.

If you have been sleeping badly for a long time and feel that rest and substance use have become tangled in a cycle that is hard to leave, you do not have to face it alone. At Reconectar we would be glad to listen to you, without judgement and at your own pace. Taking that first step and asking for help may be exactly what gives you back your quiet nights and, with them, a little of the life that addiction has been taking away.