Posts Tagged ‘psychiatric counsellor’

Alcohol Insomnia

Sometimes mistaken for a sleep disorder, insomnia is actually about not being able to fall asleep or to stay asleep. There are several different reasons why people may suffer from insomnia, but it is often very difficult to pinpoint the reason it happens. There is usually something that indicate why one has insomnia, but it is usually very tough to figure out.

One type of insomnia that can be easily cured is alcohol insomnia. Many people believe that having a drink of alcohol before going to bed will put them to sleep quickly and give them a restful sleep. However, this is not usually the case. though alcohol will put one to sleep fairly quickly, they are much more likely to wake in the night and have a fitful sleep. An individual may wake in a blur and then not be able to get the needed rest for the remainder of the night.

Usually people who use alcohol to relax them are suffering from anxiety and the use of alcohol to treat this will eventually turn into and vicious cycle and alcohol insomnia will begin to take effect. They will usually sleep fairly well for a few hours and then will wake up and find it difficult to go back to sleep. Alcohol insomniacs also admit to having horrific and vivid dreams and are often afraid to go back to sleep once they wake up. The best way to combat this is to eliminate all alcohol intake before bedtime.

The best thing that an individual who is suffering form alcohol insomnia can do is to completely change their bedtime habits. They need to prepare themselves for sleep and find other ways to channel their anxieties and relax without the alcohol. If the individual is stressing about an event in the future, it will likely work itself out on its own, but if the anxieties are caused by something more serious, there may be other things they will have to do to replace the alcohol in their current routine.

If it is so bad that they are not able to cope without the alcohol, the individual should seek the help of psychiatric counseling. The counselor may be able to work with the individual to find out what is causing the anxiety and with that knowledge they could figure out the steps needed to take to get the patient better and sleeping well and unaided throughout the night.