Why Does Cocaine Make Me Tired?

What Do Atypical Reactions to Cocaine and Stimulants Signify?

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Cocaine is most often known for the surge of energy it gives you, as most stimulants do. But under the right circumstances, it can also have the opposite effect.

We have had many clients ask: why does cocaine make me tired when it’s supposed to give me more energy?

Cocaine allows you to act with boundless energy, but it will eventually catch up with you as it wears off. Your body will start to be worn down by the motion and physical effects of cocaine use, and you’ll start to experience the cocaine comedown. It also impacts neurotransmitters and the circadian rhythm.

Fortunately, all of these issues can be corrected with long-term sobriety and access to treatment. Here at Purpose Healing Center, we help you walk through the early days of a cocaine comedown for clean living. Keep reading to learn more about how cocaine and stimulants impact sleep.

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Cocaine and Sleep: How Crack Cocaine Impacts Your Sleep Cycle

For many people struggling with cocaine addiction, they have a difficult time when they want to achieve restful sleep. The problem is that cocaine use makes it nearly impossible for you to adhere to any kind of regular sleep cycle. Its stimulating effects give you an increased heart rate, feelings of alertness, and sleep disturbances.

Your body may start to feel tired, like you want to go to sleep. But the stimulant effects of cocaine can make it hard for you to lie down and get some shut-eye. Insomnia and general feelings of restlessness are some of the most common initial symptoms for cocaine users.

But it can also lead you to feel tired, especially as cocaine abuse escalates. Here’s what you should know about cocaine withdrawal symptoms and sleep quality.

Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms: What to Expect from a Cocaine Comedown

Substance abuse might feel good when you experience the high of drugs like crack cocaine, but it won’t last forever. Eventually, the withdrawal symptoms will hit you, and you’ll have to decide whether to take more cocaine or deal with your sleep problems head-on.

The first reason that cocaine affects your sleep habits is that it keeps you up and moving. Your body is in a hyper-aroused state that tells you that you don’t really need sleep. When the harmful drug wears off and you start to crash, you might feel even sleepier than you did before.

This crash can last longer than cocaine’s effects ever did.

Cocaine on Sleep: Why Does it Matter?

With all of that in mind, it’s important to realize what cocaine addiction does to the body when you have been taking it long-term. Why does the crash from drug abuse hit so hard?

In part, it’s because of the toll that it takes on your body. Increased heart rate, blood pressure, activity, and more can wear out your physical body. All of this can make you tired, even if you don’t feel it due to your frequent cocaine use. When it finally leaves your system, your body will want to make up for sleep deprivation.

Other studies point to the idea that increased sleep disturbances are also likely to lead to an increase in the use of cocaine. It’s important to establish a healthy sleep cycle for long-term recovery as well as to combat the toll that the drug takes on your body overall, wearing it down with each subsequent use of cocaine.

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Cocaine Use and Drug Use Affect the Balance of Neurotransmitters

Another reason that cocaine addiction impacts your sleep disturbances is through the disruption of your neurotransmitters. It impacts dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in the brain. In particular, you’ll experience more mental fatigue with the dopamine issue caused by cocaine abuse.

In one study, researchers found that the issue with dopamine can impact mental fatigue during tests like the Stroop color test. The midbrain is thought to be most responsible for these tasks. This study demonstrated that clinical staff paying attention to dopamine and the midbrain could work to increase self-control in recovery.

How Cocaine Affects Circadian Rhythms

Maybe you’re finally trying to stop taking cocaine, but you have trouble sleeping. Unfortunately, long-term use of the drug can make it that much harder to fall asleep because it interrupts the brain’s natural rhythms that tell your body when it’s time to sleep and wake up.

Circadian rhythms are natural ways that our body uses to maintain sleep. Exposure to daylight, meal times, and more can all cue your brain and body into realizing that it’s time to sleep.

Unfortunately, cocaine addiction can disrupt these pathways in the brain. If you use it at all hours of the day and night, then your brain no longer has any indication when it should sleep or wake up. Circadian rhythms can be relearned with sobriety and help from a medical team in a skilled cocaine rehab program.

Get Help for Cocaine Abuse or Addiction at Purpose Healing Center

Don’t face the cocaine comedown on your own at home. It might feel like you just need to fall asleep to be through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, but there’s a lot of work to be done to combat your substance abuse.

Dual Diagnosis and Mental Health Help During Cocaine Rehab

Did you know that one in four people with a mental illness will also have a substance use disorder? You may be committed to sobriety, but it will be hard to maintain if you don’t address underlying conditions that drive you to drug and alcohol use. It’s more common than you think to find psychiatric issues with cocaine use.

Purpose Healing Center takes a holistic view of mental health and creates a comprehensive treatment plan for dual diagnosis when needed.

Coping Skills for Cocaine Abuse

You don’t want to be on your own when you start to go through cocaine withdrawal. The early days can be extremely uncomfortable, and you may not know how to cope beyond taking another hit. Multiple factors go into managing your intense cravings for cocaine, and you don’t need to be alone.

We can help you master new skills like relaxation techniques so that you get a good night’s sleep. With a holistic approach to recovery, we offer yoga therapy, art therapy, and more in addition to your individual and group therapy sessions. You never know what might resonate with you when cravings come!

Accredited Care Covered by Insurance

Dealing with cocaine addiction isn’t all gentle stretching and talking about your feelings. Medical help from a skilled team of doctors, nurses, and clinicians is often necessary to kickstart your recovery. If that sounds expensive, don’t worry: Your insurance may cover up to 100 percent of the cost.

Purpose Healing Center accepts many different insurance plans and can easily verify your benefits for you to determine what they will cover. All it takes is a quick, confidential call with our admissions team to see what you might owe out of pocket, if anything at all.

Up To 100% of Rehab Costs Covered By Insurance

Choose Purpose Healing Center Today for Help with Cocaine

If you’re tired of the extreme fatigue that comes with a cocaine comedown, then it might be time to seek professional help for your substance abuse. Purpose Healing Center is here for you whenever you’re ready to face your drug or alcohol problem.

We offer a holistic approach to care with a comprehensive and customized treatment plan.

Let our admissions team answer questions about the effects of cocaine, the early days of recovery, and what your sobriety will look like. We’re here to support you when you need it most, so give us a call and learn more about our accredited and proven program today!