Once a person has decided to get help recovering from drug or alcohol abuse there are some very important factors to pay attention to. This factors can mean the difference between and quick recovery and a long one or sometimes can even determine the effectiveness of the program altogether.
The body suffers a lot while under the effects of drugs or alcohol. A person who is abusing usually doesn’t pay too much attention to their body, one of the reasons being that they may feel euphoric or numb. These two emotions while being at opposite ends of the scale both can cause the same result. The body ends up neglected, worn out, malnourished and abused. It is usually difficult to feel this until the point where things are really bad. The point where a lot of work will be required to build things back up to the way they were.
Luckily it is possible and people do it all the time.
One very important aspect of this rehabilitation is sleep. The body not only regenerates itself during the sleep cycle but also goes through several detoxifying stages. Ever wonder why you have bad breath when you wake up? You may have brushed your teeth before bed but it doesn’t seem that way in the morning does it? The body uses it’s nighttime slumber to eliminate things from the body that it wouldn’t normally have time to detox. During the day the body is moving and working, not giving it too much time or attention to do anything else. But at nighttime it has its own time to heal, repair, and regenerate. But in order to do this the body must be asleep.
Lack of sleep has been the focus of many studies, the conclusions of which are all similar. Lack of sleep not only slows the body down but can cause many other side effects in itself. Someone who isn’t sleeping well will usually have more problems than others. They are out of it and sometimes don’t even realize it. This can cause accidents, poor decision making, and inability to focus, among many other obvious problems. Some studies have shown that a lack of sleep can affect metabolism which in turn then effects weight and energy levels. Other studies have proven that by not getting enough sleep you could in fact be altering your everyday personality. People who are tired have been proven to be more irritable. They get angry quicker, are less patient and their overall tolerance for life can be very poor. This in turn can cause things to be much more difficult for someone than it needs to be.
Narconon Rehab Recommends Regular Sleep During Treatment
Now add in the extra factor or rehabilitation and you can see why it is so important to make sure you catch your Z’s. Being able to get through rehabilitation is a task in itself. If you talk to other people who have conquered this challenge you will start to see that they have a sense of pride and accomplishment in themselves just for being able to have done it. Not everyone can and not everyone tries. Those who succeed are more confident in themselves and have a better sense of self-worth than others who have not faced such a difficult challenge.
So it is important that after you or someone you love decide to take on rehabilitation after a life of drug or alcohol abuse that all of the important factors be given proper attention. It would seem silly to fail over something which seems so insignificant but good food and sleep actually go a long way in a successful rehabilitation. Many facilities know this but not all of them put the proper stress on ensuring that it is actually known about by their patients and that the proper amount of sleep is gotten.
For more information on the components of our program, visit our forum on Narconon that breaks down each area of our treatment services.
Source: http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health