Cocaine use and insomnia can simultaneously occur because the effects of cocaine work to speed up the central nervous system. Like any other health issue related to addiction, insomnia has to be treated differently because of the potential dependency issues at play. Check out our blog posts and resource links for the latest information on substance abuse. Why does cocaine make rats (and people) more tired after the initial period of energy? The truth is, people can feel tired after cocaine use for many different reasons. A trusted healthcare professional can suggest local support groups and offer further resources to help a person overcome addiction.

• We’ll cover everything you need to know, like what to expect from the high, potential risks, and what to do if things go south.
• An example of this is a meta-analysis exhibiting different results depending on whether authors controlled for those variables or not 26.
• The protracted sleep disturbance has implications for maintenance of abstinence based on correlational evidence of long-lasting risk for relapse (measured up to 6 weeks; Angarita et al., 2014).
• Cocaine’s effects include increased heart rate, restlessness, increased blood pressure, and hyperactivity.
• The SCN maintains the daily rhythm of body temperature, feeding, hormone secretion and immune function.

Table 1.

Persistent alterations in sleep/waking behavior following withdrawal from chronic self-administered cocaine (self-administration during the dark phase for 6d followed by weekly polysomnography at withdrawal days 1, 7, 14, 21; Chen et al. 2015 rodents) have also been demonstrated. Specifically, delayed decreases in NREM (withdrawal days 14, 21) and protracted decreases in REM (withdrawal days 1, 7, 14, 21) are seen (Chen et al., 2015) with shorter NREM and REM episode durations and fewer NREM to REM transitions alongside more NREM to waking transitions. Using PSG data, Xiao et al. showed an inverse relationship between the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores and SWS time in patients with heroin use disorder who were in early methadone treatment 215.

What Are the Symptoms of Cocaine-Induced Sleep Problems?

A comprehensive treatment plan should involve addressing both the addiction and the sleep problems concurrently. This may include therapy, detoxification, and establishing healthy sleep habits. People who co-use cocaine and cannabis may report reduced sleep time relative to those who only use cocaine. Co-use of cannabis may exacerbate sleep difficulties in people who use cocaine by decreasing total sleep time, although it is important to note that the groups each reported similar sleep quality. Implications for treatment and directions for future research are discussed. In regards to the ability of sleep disturbance to influence cocaine reward, additional studies are necessary to provide a mechanistic understanding and to better characterize the conditions under which sleep disturbance alters cocaine reward.

• Long-term chronic cocaine users might face disruptions in their sleep cycles and circadian rhythms, stemming from the drug’s influence on melatonin production and brain pathways tied to sleep regulation.
• Addressing sleep issues in tandem with addiction recovery is crucial, as sleep disruptions can pose significant challenges during the early withdrawal phase and process and increase the risk of relapse.
• Loss of orexin, through the disorder narcolepsy in humans or genetic modification in mice, causes sleep fragmentation (Chemelli et al., 1999; Hungs and Mignot, 2001) due to an inability to maintain waking.
• Problems in these rhythms can disturb sleep patterns, causing circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
• Just be sure to tell them about the specific symptoms so they can send the appropriate response.
• You can also feel sleepy if you mix other substances with crack cocaine, such as alcohol or opioids.

Sleep abnormalities associated with alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and opiate use: a comprehensive review

Stages 1 and 2 are considered light sleep, stages 3 and 4 are considered deep sleep, and REM sleep is a period of deep and regenerative sleep where the body repairs itself and the brain dreams. When most people think about cocaine, they think of the crack epidemic of the 1980’s and 1990’s. However, cocaine is still very popular in the United States- especially among young people. It is oftentimes referred to as a “party drug” because it is a stimulant that causes a burst of energy in those who use it.

How we reviewed this article:

See table 1 for a brief description of the experimental design with notable features, outcome measures used, population of cocaine use and control group details, and notable outcomes. This table includes published articles of original research or meta-analysis featuring human subjects with sleep-related outcomes under cocaine use/withdrawal/abstinence. As with orexin, adenosine is also modulated by cocaine exposure and, unlike orexin, is heavily implicated in the homeostatic control of sleep (Bjorness and Greene, 2009; Porkka-Heiskanen and Kalinchuk, 2011) which is the portion of sleep need that is influenced by prior waking time. Homeostatic sleep rebound is absent in mutant mice that lack adenosine A1 receptors in forebrain glutamatergic neurons (Bjorness et al., 2009).

A Phase I clinical trial investigating the effects of Suvorexant on cocaine reinforcement in humans is ongoing (PI, Dr. William Stoops, University of Kentucky). Orexin receptor antagonism (SB , selective orexin receptor 1 antagonist) reduces sleep deprivation-induced enhancement of cocaine conditioned place preference in rodents (Bjorness and Greene, 2020). While outside the scope of the current review focusing on cocaine reward, orexin receptor antagonists may also provide therapeutic benefits for alcohol, opioid, and polydrug abuse (for review, Moorman, 2018; James et al., 2020; Zarrabian et al., 2020). Currently, dual orexin receptor antagonists are promising with a clinical trial currently underway. Another medication that has been tested is tiagabine, a GABA-reuptake inhibitor. Since tiagabine is known to increase slow-wave sleep time, which is implicated in improved cognitive performance in sleep-restricted persons 203, it was hypothesized that tiagabine may improve slow-wave sleep time in chronic cocaine users 146.

Side effects of a single cocaine dose

Few young people understand the true dangers of cocaine because they have become desensitized to the substance. These symptoms can lead to daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) and other health problems. If you’re struggling with a cocaine-induced sleep disorder, it’s crucial to seek professional help. Detox depends on how long a person has been using cocaine and which withdrawal symptoms they are experiencing. After this, individual and group therapy sessions can begin in inpatient treatment or outpatient treatment programs. Treatment for cocaine use begins with a detoxification process to help flush the drug out of the body.

• Just like with using powdered cocaine, the high will wear off and you will feel sleepy as the body tries to rebound to where it was before.
• Nevertheless, alternate mechanisms of adenosine modulation including allosteric modulators or indirect modulation of the adenosine system have gained attention as possible therapeutic avenues (Peleli et al., 2017; Jacobson et al., 2019).
• One study suggests that buprenorphine is comparable to methadone in improving sleep quality in patients involved in long-term treatment 133.
• Check out our blog posts and resource links for the latest information on substance abuse.
• To improve sleep after quitting cocaine, seek professional help, establish a sleep schedule, and practice relaxation techniques.

They reported poor initial quality of sleep based on the PSQI scores which were significantly correlated with their methadone dosages 102. PSQI score were also found to be significantly correlated with average diary-reported sleep time, subjective ratings of feeling rested, and PSG sleep efficiency in MMT patients 179. Overall the high prevalence of sleep complaints in this population along with documented abnormal objective findings argue that these complaints are more likely to be secondary to pathology rather than sleep misperception. how long does cocaine stay in your system Short-term opioid use can cause sedation and daytime drowsiness 130, 159, 216, 217. Dizziness and sleepiness are common side effects of opioid pain medications 41, 109.

Cocaine-induced alterations of sleep: limited exposure.

You could also feel tired after cocaine use if you abuse it while drinking alcohol or taking other illegal drugs, including opioids. This is dangerous and can lead to serious physical harm or even death. If you feel sleepy after using coke or after mixing it with other substances, including alcohol, you should seek medical treatment. Objective measurement of sleep in persons with alcohol use disorders confirms self-reported sleep problems in many respects, and provides additional insight into the nature of the underlying sleep abnormalities.

Levels of Care

If you use it, are considering using it, or are around anyone who does, read on. We’ll cover everything you need to know, like what to expect from the high, potential risks, and what to do if things go south. There are therapies and nonaddictive medications (see Treatment section below) that may help with sleep in recovery.