What are the effects of addictions on sleep and rest?

These are the imbalances that addictions generate in the ability to sleep well.

It is estimated that we spend a third of our lives sleeping, being during sleep when we can recover both physically and psychologically.

In this article we will look at the effects of addictions on sleep and rest.In this article we will see the effects of addictions on sleep and rest, anticipating that all of them have a detrimental impact on it, highlighting a marked lack of rest and insomnia, as well as some imbalances in the different phases of sleep.

How do addictive disorders affect sleep?

Here we will see a breakdown of the sleep disturbances that addictions promote.

1. Effects of prolonged alcohol consumption on sleep and rest.

To date, it is widely known that alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and, as such, produces negative effects on people who consume it for prolonged periods of time on several levels, one of them being rest. and, as such, produces negative effects in people who consume it on a prolonged basis at various levels, one of them being rest.

When alcohol is consumed on an occasional basis, it has been found that it can even cause drowsiness, so that it has not been found to cause difficulties for the subject to fall asleep.

Sleep problems occur when alcohol consumption exceeds "reasonable" amounts.Among the studies carried out on the effects of addictions on sleep and rest, alcoholism and its effects on sleep is the subject on which most studies have been done.

Sleep phase problems associated with alcohol consumption

When alcohol is consumed in excess, nighttime awakenings are common. There is also a decrease in sleep latency, which leads to a mismatch in the duration of the different sleep phases, so that the REM phase is reached earlier than it should be, causing an increase in this phase.

In the case of patients with chronic alcoholism, research has found that they have less deep sleep and also a shorter duration of REM sleep, as well as more fractionated sleep.

In addition, other research has found that excessive alcohol consumption decreases electroencephalogram (EEG) activity during sleep and various brain wave mismatches in the different phases, and REM sleep may be absent.

Effects of alcohol withdrawal on sleep and rest.

In addition to the effects of addictions on sleep and rest, there are also the effects caused by addiction withdrawal.

When people with alcoholism are trying to stop drinking, this is when the withdrawal syndrome occurs. During this phase, it is common for sleep and rest to be disturbed, with a high percentage of cases of insomnia.

As they tend to sleep less than necessary, their sleep is even more fragmented.On the other hand, the REM phase and rapid eye movements increase, and the latency to reach this last phase of sleep is affected, so that rest is not restorative.

These withdrawal symptoms usually appear between 7 and 48 hours after the cessation of alcohol intake.The greatest degree of discomfort occurs around the 3 days of abstinence; being common that these symptoms remit after staying sober for a week, although insomnia could last longer, especially if the person suffers from depression and/or anxiety problems.

2. Effects of excessive cell phone use on sleep and rest.

Among the effects of addictions on sleep and rest, it is worth highlighting those caused by the excessive use of cell phones.

In recent years, addiction to the use of cell phones and social networks has only increased, with the adolescent population and those in early adulthood being the most vulnerable to this addiction.

This is why numerous studies have been done on the subject, highlighting the day-to-day problems caused to these young people by excessive use of their cell phones, such as poor school performance, anxiety, depression and insomnia..

There are studies that show that adolescents with addiction to the use of cell phones tend to have a worse quality of sleep than those who do not suffer from this addiction; insomnia being one of the main consequences of the abusive use of these devices.

Furthermore, in these cases, the frequency of eye movements during REM sleep has been found to be reduced, as well as a shortening of sleep latency and an increase in the activity shown in the electroencephalogram (EEG). This is why their rest is not usually restorative and they present drowsiness in the mornings, which can affect their performance.

A study of 400 high school students found a positive correlation between feeling lonely and increased cell phone use, as well as another positive correlation between cell phone use and poorer sleep quality.

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3. Effects of other addictions on sleep and rest.

This section will briefly explain the effects of addictions on sleep and rest in those subjects who consume the different substances listed below.

Cocaine

Cocaine, being a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, decreases and can even suppress the need for sleep and rest.. A person addicted to this substance may suffer an imbalance in circadian rhythms, so that he/she does not get enough sleep and, therefore, his/her sleep is not restful; waking up drowsy, which could trigger a greater need to consume this stimulant, so this would become a vicious circle.

It should be noted that daytime drowsiness is one of the most common symptoms of cocaine withdrawal syndrome, as well as insomnia.

Opioids 3.2.

Among the effects of addictions on sleep and rest, the damage caused by the consumption of opioids is very significant. These are a group of substances that severely damage the lives of those who use any of the drugs classified in this group, such as heroinincluding severe sleep and rest impairment.

As happens in people with prolonged alcohol addiction, people with opioid addiction have a shorter duration of REM sleep and deep sleep, so it is an addiction that also affects sleep and rest.

In addition, when a person is addicted to this type of substance, circadian rhythms are altered and it has also been found that these subjects have altered Muscle activity during sleep and move more than normal.

As it happens with other addictions, when trying to get out of opioid addiction, withdrawal symptoms appear, withdrawal symptoms appear, which often include insomnia, as well as awakenings at night.The symptoms of withdrawal are often insomnia, as well as awakenings throughout the night, so that the person does not get a good quality of sleep.

On the other hand, it has been seen that when under methadone treatment to maintain opioid abstinence, they are better able to fall asleep than those who do not receive methadone and try to remain abstinent without the aid of this substance. than in the case of subjects who do not receive its administration and try to remain abstinent without the help of this substance.

3.4. Cannabis

Cannabis addiction is also not without negative effects on sleep and rest. Studies with people addicted to cannabis use have found that they suffer a decrease in REM sleep, as occurs with opioids, as well as a decrease in REM sleep, as occurs with opioids.It has also been found that their sleep is more fragmented, so that they do not get a fully restful rest.

When trying to stop using cannabis, it has been found that most of the subjects suffer from insomnia, among other symptoms characteristic of withdrawal syndrome. In addition, it has also been seen that the duration of the REM phase increases, returning to a correct duration of the different phases of sleep.

Prevalence of insomnia in patients addicted to different substances.

In a study conducted in Spain by Grau-López et al. in 2016 with 481 patients who had some substance addiction, it was highlighted that 64.3% of them suffered from insomnia, with fragmented sleep being also very common (in 49.9% of cases). It was also found that patients with addiction with a comorbid anxiety disorder and an onset of use at an early age were the most likely to suffer from insomnia.

On the other hand, there are studies that highlight that there is a bidirectional relationship between addictions and insomnia, so that people with sleep problems were found to be more likely to develop some type of addiction later on.

• Related article, "How does self-deception work in addictions?"

Phases of a correct and restful sleep

In order to better understand the effects of addictions on sleep and rest let's see the different phases and their duration of a correct and restful sleep..

As we have seen, the effects of addictions on sleep and rest have a negative impact on the quality of life of people who suffer from any of them.

We will now see how nighttime sleep should be subdivided for it to be restful, consisting of 5 phases, which in turn are classified into REM and non-REM sleep.

The phases from the first to the fourth are those that make up non-REM sleep, while the fifth phase is where REM sleep occurs.

Phase 1

This is the phase with sleep in a light state, when the subject begins to sleep.when the subject begins to sleep, the duration of which is only a few minutes.

The body's activity gradually begins to decrease and the person may still wake up easily.

Stage 2

In this phase, sleep begins to deepen, lasting 10 to 20 minutes.The body's physiological activity continues to decrease.

The physiological activity of the body continues to decrease and here the person can still wake up easily, although it would be more complicated than in phase 1.

Phase 3

This phase lasts between 15 and 30 minutes.In this phase, the muscles are in a state of complete relaxation, with no normal movement of the body or limbs, and it is difficult to wake the person up.

Phase 4

This phase usually lasts approximately the same time as phase 3, being the deepest stage of sleep.It is the deepest stage of sleep, so it is very difficult to awaken the person while going through this phase.

Phase 5 or REM sleep

To reach this phase, in a sleep that follows a correct course, approximately 90 minutes must have elapsed and its duration is about 20 minutes.. It is also a stage in which it is relatively difficult to awaken the person.