Your brain heals most while you sleep. 9+ hours is not laziness in early recovery — it is medicine.
Tonight's Affirmation
"Tonight's discomfort is tomorrow's strength."
Tonight's Sleep Log
Nightly Sleep Log
Log how you slept. Saved to your device only.
Bedtime
Wake time
Sleep quality
Dreams last night
Night sweats?
Wake-ups during the night
How do you feel this morning?
30-Day Sleep Trend
30-Day Sleep Trend
Tracking your recovery sleep over time
Weekly Summary
Avg Hours This Week
7.2h
vs 6.1h last week
Avg Quality This Week
7.4/10
↑ vs 5.8 last week
Best Night
Mon 4/1
9.1/10 quality
7+ Hour Streak
4
consecutive nights
The Science of Recovery Sleep
Why Addiction Destroys Sleep
What's Happening Now
Why This Matters for Sobriety
The Growth Hormone Window
Circadian Rhythm Repair
The HALE Sleep Protocol
9 evidence-based steps for recovery sleep. Add one per week if you are starting fresh.
Set a fixed wake time — every day
Wake time is the #1 circadian anchor. Your body builds sleep pressure across the day. Consistency — even on weekends — resets your clock faster than any supplement.
No screens 60 minutes before bed
Blue light delays melatonin production by up to 90 minutes. Use a book, stretching, or breathing instead. If you must use a screen, enable night mode and maximum brightness reduction.
Cool room: 65–68°F / 18–20°C
A drop in core body temperature is the biological trigger for sleep onset. This is non-negotiable for deep sleep. A cool shower 1 hour before bed accelerates this.
Total darkness
Any light — even a faint LED — signals the brain to suppress melatonin. Blackout curtains or a quality sleep mask. Cover all device lights.
Magnesium glycinate 300–400mg
Reduces cortisol, relaxes muscles, improves deep sleep quality. Glycinate form has best absorption and lowest GI impact. Take 30–60 min before bed. Consult your doctor.
Melatonin 0.5mg — low dose only
Low dose (0.5mg) is most effective — not 10mg. Higher doses cause next-day grogginess and blunt your natural production. Use for the first 2–4 weeks of recovery to reset circadian rhythm.
L-Theanine 200mg
Calming without sedation. Excellent for anxiety-driven insomnia common in early recovery. Found naturally in green tea. Non-habit forming. Can stack with magnesium.
Limit caffeine after 2pm
Caffeine has a 6-hour half-life. A 3pm coffee still has half its stimulant effect at 9pm. In early recovery, consider cutting to noon.
REM rebound is progress
Disturbing or vivid dreams in weeks 1–8 of recovery are your brain reactivating suppressed REM sleep. Not danger — the most concrete sign of neurological healing you can observe.
Wind-Down Routine Builder
Build Your Wind-Down Routine
Pick 3 alcohol-free activities for your nightly wind-down. Consistency trains your brain to associate these with sleep.
Wind-Down Timer
Nightly Wind-Down Timer
Set your bedtime. We'll tell you when to start winding down.
Set a bedtime above to activate your wind-down countdown.
Dreams & Recovery
REM Rebound is Healing
In weeks 1–8 of recovery, vivid and sometimes disturbing dreams are nearly universal. This is called REM rebound — your brain catching up on years of suppressed REM sleep cycles. Substances compress or eliminate REM sleep. When the substance is removed, the brain overcorrects.
This is not a relapse warning. It is the most concrete neurological sign of recovery you can directly observe. Your brain is processing years of suppressed experience, emotion, and memory. REM sleep is where emotional regulation is restored.
Week 1–2
Vivid, often disturbing. Very common.
Week 3–4
Still intense, beginning to normalize.
Week 5–8
Tapering. More ordinary content.
Month 3+
Normal REM architecture restored.
What to do with disturbing dreams
Write them down
Journaling a dream reduces its emotional charge. The act of naming it gives your brain closure. Don't analyze — just record.
Tell your therapist
Dreams in recovery are clinically valuable. They reveal what the brain is processing. Share them at your next session.
Morning grounding
After a difficult dream, orient yourself: name 5 things you can see. This activates your prefrontal cortex and quiets the amygdala.
Normalize it in your community
Ask anyone in early recovery — they're having them too. You're not alone and you're not going backwards.
Dream Journal
Write down what you remember from last night. Details fade fast — even a few words help.
Prompt: Who was there? Where were you? What feeling did you wake up with?
Insomnia Rescue Toolkit
When sleep will not come
These are evidence-based techniques used in CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) — the gold-standard treatment. Work through them in order.
4-7-8 Breathing
Activates the parasympathetic nervous system. 4 rounds total. Use when sleep will not come.
The 20-Minute Rule
If you have been lying awake for 20 minutes, get up. Go to another room. Do something calm in dim light — reading, journaling, gentle stretching. Return to bed only when you feel sleepy. This prevents your brain from associating the bed with wakefulness and frustration.
The bed is for sleep only. This association is the core of stimulus control therapy — one of the most effective long-term insomnia treatments.
Sleep Restriction Therapy
Paradoxically, restricting time in bed builds sleep pressure — making it easier to fall and stay asleep. Used in CBT-I for chronic insomnia.
Start with a fixed, slightly shorter window (e.g. 11pm–6am). Only go to bed when sleepy. Keep a strict wake time. Gradually expand the window as sleep efficiency improves above 85%.
Note: Sleep restriction is intense in the first week. Do this with a therapist or sleep specialist if possible.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Clinically proven for insomnia. Systematically tense and release each muscle group. Takes 8 minutes.
Recovery Sleep Sounds
Curated soundscapes for recovery sleep. Opens free YouTube search — no account needed.
Brown Noise
Deeper and warmer than white noise. Excellent for masking intrusive thoughts and settling an overactive nervous system.
▶ Open YouTubeDelta Wave 2Hz
Binaural beats tuned to 2Hz promote deep sleep architecture (NREM stage 3). Best with headphones.
▶ Open YouTubeRain on Leaves
Natural ASMR-style soundscape with proven anxiety-reduction effect. Activates the default mode network.
▶ Open YouTubeOcean Waves 0.1Hz
Infrasonic rhythm at 0.1Hz matches the natural respiratory cycle. Entrains breathing to a calm, deep pattern.
▶ Open YouTubeSupplements Reference
Educational references only. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, especially during active recovery.
Melatonin
0.5–1mg
Low dose is most effective — not 10mg. Use for first 2–4 weeks of recovery to reset circadian rhythm. Non-habit forming.
Magnesium Glycinate
300–400mg
Reduces cortisol, relaxes muscles, improves sleep quality. Glycinate form has the best absorption and lowest GI impact.
L-Theanine
200mg
Calming without sedation. Excellent for anxiety-driven insomnia common in early recovery. Found naturally in green tea.
Phosphatidylserine
300mg
Reduces evening cortisol spikes, which are common in early recovery. Helps normalize the circadian cortisol curve.
"Every night of sleep is a night of healing. You do not have to earn rest. Rest is recovery."
Your brain is rebuilding. Keep showing up for it.