AAS and Sleep Disturbance

trynagains

New Member
Sleep problems are super common for anyone using AAS, but how bad it gets really depends on the compound. I’ve have wildly different experiences on different compounds. Some steroids mess with sleep indirectly, like by causing high blood pressure, water retention, or crazy estrogen swings, while others basically jack up your nervous system and make it impossible to chill. From what users and research report, here’s a rough ranking from most to least likely to screw with sleep (I’m curious if y’all have different experiences):

  1. Trenbolone
  2. Halotestin
  3. Anadrol
  4. High-dose Testosterone
  5. Dianabol
  6. Winstrol
  7. Equipoise
  8. Masteron
  9. Anavar
  10. Primobolan
  11. Nandrolone
Below I break down what the sleep effects actually look like for each one and what happens when you come off them.


Trenbolone​

Tren is basically legendary for wrecking sleep. Most users get insomnia, night sweats, and wake up a bunch at night, sometimes with super vivid dreams. You can be dead tired physically but mentally wired because it keeps your sympathetic nervous system on high alert. Deep sleep and REM sleep take a hit, so even if you sleep, it’s not restorative.

When you stop tren, things can get even worse for a while. In my experience it took a couple weeks to get normality and quitting sleep was worse than on. Rebound insomnia, fragmented REM, and early mornings are common. Your testosterone is probably tanked (trt level test recommended), cortisol rhythms are off, and your brain chemistry is adjusting—so sleep may stay rough for a few weeks until everything stabilizes.


Halotestin​

Halotestin’s sleep disruption is mostly difficulty falling asleep and shortened total sleep time. The strong androgenic and CNS stimulant effects can create a sense of restlessness and hyperarousal. Users may also experience frequent nighttime awakenings and shallow REM sleep, so even a full night doesn’t always feel refreshing.

After stopping, withdrawal usually brings fatigue, difficulty staying asleep, and occasional weird dreams while your body adjusts to lower androgen levels.


Anadrol​

Anadrol tends to mess with sleep indirectly. Water retention, high blood pressure, and estrogen fluctuations can make you wake up hot or uncomfortable. People report restless nights, night sweats, and multiple awakenings.

Coming off anadrol can also bring restlessness, vivid dreams, and tiredness, as your hormones rebalance and testosterone starts coming back.


High-dose Testosterone​

High-dose test can give you night sweats, REM fragmentation, and sometimes trouble falling asleep because of high sympathetic activity and blood thickening. Some people also get snoring or mild sleep apnea if hematocrit spikes.

After stopping, expect low energy, insomnia, and vivid or disturbing dreams while your HPG axis recovers. Sleep usually improves gradually as testosterone comes back to normal.


Dianabol​

Dianabol often causes restless nights, fragmented REM, and early waking. Estrogen swings mess with body temperature at night, so night sweats are common. Water retention can also make you uncomfortable or snore.

Withdrawal brings fatigue, insomnia, and sometimes weird dreams, until your hormones settle back down.


Winstrol​

Winstrol tends to give lighter sleep, frequent awakenings, and harder REM cycles. Joint dryness can wake you up too. Users sometimes describe feeling restless or wired, especially at higher doses.

When stopping, sleep issues are usually mild, but some people still deal with temporary insomnia or difficulty falling asleep for a few days or weeks.


Equipoise​

Equipoise causes moderate sleep issues over time. Sleep might feel lighter and you could wake up a few times per night. Most users notice this gradually rather than right away.

Coming off equipoise is usually pretty smooth. Some report temporary insomnia or lower sleep quality, but it usually fixes itself as natural testosterone recovers.


Masteron​

Masteron usually has minor sleep effects, mostly if estrogen gets too low. Users might get lighter REM sleep or wake up early.

Withdrawal is minor. Most people just get temporary light sleep until hormones adjust.


Anavar​

Anavar is generally sleep-neutral. Some users feel a little restless or take longer to fall asleep at higher doses. CNS stimulation is pretty mild compared to other compounds.

When you stop, sleep disruption is usually small, maybe slightly fragmented sleep or fatigue, which clears up in a few days to a couple weeks.


Primobolan​

Primobolan tends to cause minimal sleep disruption. Most users notice no major changes, maybe a tiny bit of lighter sleep if doses are high.

Withdrawal is generally uneventful, with normal sleep returning quickly.


Nandrolone​

Nandrolone is among the friendliest for sleep. Some users even feel more rested. If prolactin rises, you might get slightly lighter sleep, but in general it’s mild.

After stopping, some people see temporary insomnia or mild sleep fragmentation, especially if testosterone is low, but sleep usually stabilizes fast.


Citations​

Basaria, Shehzad. “Androgen Abuse in Athletes: Detection and Consequences.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vol. 95, no. 4, 2010, pp. 1533–1543.

Kicman, A. T. “Pharmacology of Anabolic Steroids.” British Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 154, no. 3, 2008, pp. 502–521.

Liu, P. Y., et al. “The Short-Term Effects of High-Dose Testosterone on Sleep, Breathing, and Function in Older Men.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vol. 88, no. 8, 2003, pp. 3605–3613.

Pope, Harrison G., et al. “Adverse Health Consequences of Performance-Enhancing Drugs.” The Lancet, vol. 384, no. 9950, 2014, pp. 107–119.

Pope, Harrison G., and David L. Katz. “Psychiatric and Medical Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use.” Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 51, no. 5, 1994, pp. 375–382.
 
I sleep fine on tren other than the occasional night sweat. But I still sleep through it. Npp can give me night sweats too though so I'm not sure about friendliest
So on Tren I only get night sweats for a week or two. As long as I don’t raise the dose. But sleeping on Tren for me is like falling asleep with a Zyn in my mouth. I have vivid dreams and wake up restless. It’s coming off of Tren that makes it so I can’t stay asleep. I’ll wake up 5+ times per night plus night sweats.
 
I've had chronic sleep issues my whole life.

I start getting some minor sleep disruption even past 150 test.

Deca/NPP seem to help with sleep, but cause other undesirable mental sides for me.

Even a tiny 60mg dose of Masteron to see how I'd respond wrecked my sleep. 3-4am awakening and unable to fall back asleep. Took quite some time to recover. I had never heard that this was a potential side effect, so I was surprised.
 
I have been dealing with some wonky sleep issues, I feel like I may have some things worthwhile to contribute to this thread.

Tren wrecked my sleep even at low doses of 35-105 a week. Dropped it entirely, but next run I'll be using Mirtazapine for sleep with it. I used Trazodone, but to no avail. I felt my heart beating so hard to the point it was hard to sleep. EVEN with Gabapentin. Additionally, I had histamine induced itchiness often on Tren. I attribute some issues too to the histamine funk, so I'll have to try again with an Anti-Histamine in the future

High dose Testosterone overstimulates me aswell. Anything that overstims me I tend to smoke it off. Some Indica as needed to relax me into sleep is better than getting stoned. CBN combined with it, and my sleep stays unaltered (not many awakenings) and the CBN will actually improve my sleep quality. Usually take a 10-20mg gummy or a tincture. It really does help.

But also Mirtazapine is amazing for staying asleep, albeit I haven't use it long term. I struggle with awakening early and not staying down. Mirtz helped me stay down and get over 7 hours of sleep as of recent, which, for me, is fucking huge. I can barely manage over 4.5 hours on a consistent basis. I need to keep using it for longer and really have long-term use to understand it, but so far? It's amazing and it's one of the few things that's helped me. I don't deal with much grogginess at 15mgs, however that's subject to change per genetics.

Combining Weed and Mirtazapine seems like a (VERY hunger inducing) yet potent combo to unwind and stay asleep, albeit dependency and tolerance may cause issues to arise. Plus, I wouldn't do it everyday, only when I really need to get myself down to earth to chill.

Something else that may disrupt it (and is common around here) is a GLP1. Reta and Tirz both induce natriuresis which may cause more frequent urination, and that can alter sleep. I do find myself peeing a ton when I sleep on GLPs. Additionally, Reta's glucagon aspect can alter sleep and cortisol patterns, albeit I'm not an expert, just someone who had their sleep fucked by it. I find pinning in the mornings fixes some issues.

All other anabolics don't really alter my sleep, which is surprising, as for I'm a very sensitive person to sleep issues

But this is all my experience and I think a lovely "YMMV" may finish this post up well.
 
I have been dealing with some wonky sleep issues, I feel like I may have some things worthwhile to contribute to this thread.

Tren wrecked my sleep even at low doses of 35-105 a week. Dropped it entirely, but next run I'll be using Mirtazapine for sleep with it. I used Trazodone, but to no avail. I felt my heart beating so hard to the point it was hard to sleep. EVEN with Gabapentin. Additionally, I had histamine induced itchiness often on Tren. I attribute some issues too to the histamine funk, so I'll have to try again with an Anti-Histamine in the future

High dose Testosterone overstimulates me aswell. Anything that overstims me I tend to smoke it off. Some Indica as needed to relax me into sleep is better than getting stoned. CBN combined with it, and my sleep stays unaltered (not many awakenings) and the CBN will actually improve my sleep quality. Usually take a 10-20mg gummy or a tincture. It really does help.

But also Mirtazapine is amazing for staying asleep, albeit I haven't use it long term. I struggle with awakening early and not staying down. Mirtz helped me stay down and get over 7 hours of sleep as of recent, which, for me, is fucking huge. I can barely manage over 4.5 hours on a consistent basis. I need to keep using it for longer and really have long-term use to understand it, but so far? It's amazing and it's one of the few things that's helped me. I don't deal with much grogginess at 15mgs, however that's subject to change per genetics.

Combining Weed and Mirtazapine seems like a (VERY hunger inducing) yet potent combo to unwind and stay asleep, albeit dependency and tolerance may cause issues to arise. Plus, I wouldn't do it everyday, only when I really need to get myself down to earth to chill.

Something else that may disrupt it (and is common around here) is a GLP1. Reta and Tirz both induce natriuresis which may cause more frequent urination, and that can alter sleep. I do find myself peeing a ton when I sleep on GLPs. Additionally, Reta's glucagon aspect can alter sleep and cortisol patterns, albeit I'm not an expert, just someone who had their sleep fucked by it. I find pinning in the mornings fixes some issues.

All other anabolics don't really alter my sleep, which is surprising, as for I'm a very sensitive person to sleep issues

But this is all my experience and I think a lovely "YMMV" may finish this post up well.
Funny you mention that. I was prescribed mirtazapine when I was in my 20s. it was prescribed as an antidepressant but I remember I had to take it at night because it knocked me out. Maybe I should try it again with gear. I really hate tren sleep. I get no other sides. mentally it actually helps me in many ways. but it just charges my CNS so I'm not getting any real rest.

I can't take any of the stuff other people take. No narcotics or mind altering substances for me. been clean from that stuff for over a decade.
 
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Funny you mention that. I was prescribed mirtazapine when I was in my 20s. it was prescribed as an antidepressant but I remember I had to take it at night because it knocked me out. Maybe I should try it again with gear. I really hate tren sleep. I get no other sides. mentally it actually helps me in many ways. but it just charges my CNS so I'm not getting any real rest.

I can't take any of the stuff other people take. No narcotics or mind altering substances for me. been clean from that stuff for over a decade.
@bananafeet would very much advocate for Mirtazapine on tren. It's amazing as a sleep aid. I advocate for it too, why not give it a shot?

Doses of 7.5mg to 15mg are ideal for sleep, higher doses are more energizing.
 
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