What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Using Khat
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Khat is a leafy plant chewed for its stimulating effect, and its fresh leaves contain natural stimulants, mainly cathinone and cathine, which act on the nervous system. In many communities, chewing is a daily social habit that can last for several hours, usually in the afternoon, and over months and years the body learns to expect that regular stimulation. The heart, the brain, the stomach and the sleep system all adjust around it. When the chewing stops, the body does not simply return to normal overnight. It has to relearn how to work without the stimulant, and that readjustment is what people experience as withdrawal. It is uncomfortable, it is often harder than people expect, and it is also a sign that the body is adapting, not a sign that stopping was a mistake.
The first thing to understand is that stopping khat is not like switching off a light. The body has built its daily rhythm around the chewing session: the afternoon lift, the evening meal, the late night, the tired morning, and then the next session to lift the tiredness again. Remove the session, and every part of that rhythm has to find a new balance. Energy, mood, appetite, sleep and concentration all shift at once, and they do not all shift at the same speed. Some things improve quickly, such as the stomach having a chance to rest, while others, such as sleep and mood, can feel worse before they feel better. That uneven recovery is normal, but it can be confusing, and it is one of the reasons people return to chewing in the first days, when the discomfort is at its worst and the benefits have not yet arrived.
This article explains, in plain words, what the body goes through when khat use stops. It covers the first days, the changes in sleep and energy, the mood swings and cravings, the return of appetite, and the slow healing that follows over weeks and months. It is general information only, not individual medical advice. Stopping any regular substance use can be difficult, and if you have other health problems, if you use other substances as well, or if you feel very unwell after stopping, a qualified health professional is the right person to talk to, and support services exist to help.
What Happens When Use Stops
The most immediate change after stopping is that the stimulation disappears. Khat lifts alertness, talkativeness and energy for a few hours, and when that lift is gone, the body feels the gap. Many people describe the first day without khat as flat and heavy, as if a light has been switched off. The afternoon, which used to be the time of the chewing session, can feel long and empty, and the hands and the mind can feel restless, because they are used to having something to do at that hour. That restlessness is not just boredom. It is the brain noticing that a familiar source of stimulation is missing, and asking for it back.
Physically, the first change is often tiredness. During regular use, the stimulant masks tiredness, so a person can feel alert even when they have slept badly. Without it, the accumulated tiredness comes to the surface, and the body wants to rest. That tiredness can be deep and persistent for several days, and it can make ordinary tasks feel harder than they should. Getting up in the morning can feel harder, work can feel slower, and concentration can feel weaker, because the brain is no longer being pushed along by a stimulant. This is not a sign that the body is broken. It is a sign that the body is catching up on the rest it has been missing, and that the brain is learning to produce its own alertness again, without outside help.
The heart and the body also adjust. Khat can raise heart rate and blood pressure during a session, and when it stops, those measures usually settle back towards their usual levels, which is a welcome change. At the same time, the stomach gets its first real break. Without hours of chewing, without the bitter juice irritating the lining, and without the long empty hours followed by a large late meal, the stomach can start to settle. Appetite often returns gradually, and food can start to taste normal again. That improvement in the stomach is one of the earliest positive changes, and it is worth noticing, because the first days are hard in other ways, and a small improvement can be a useful reminder that the body is already healing.
The Body Adjusts Slowly
The body does not adjust all at once, because different systems recover at different speeds. The brain’s chemical systems, which have been pushed by the stimulant day after day, need time to rebalance. The main chemicals involved are dopamine and noradrenaline, which are linked with alertness, motivation and mood. During regular khat use, the brain gets used to a regular boost from outside, and it produces less of its own, or becomes less sensitive to what it does produce. When the outside boost stops, the brain is left with a shortfall, and that shortfall shows up as low mood, low motivation, and a feeling that nothing is interesting or enjoyable. That flat feeling is one of the hardest parts of stopping, because it makes the day feel grey, and it makes the chewing session, which used to bring colour back, seem very attractive.
That adjustment takes time, and it does not follow a neat timetable. Some people feel a little better after a few days, then worse again in the second week, then better again, in a pattern of ups and downs that can be frustrating. The reason is that the brain is not just recovering from the absence of the stimulant. It is also dealing with poor sleep, with changes in appetite, with the loss of a social routine, and with the stress of a major change, all at the same time. Each of those factors can make mood dip on a given day, even when the overall direction is towards recovery. Knowing that the recovery is uneven can help, because it means a bad day in the second week is not a sign of failure. It is a normal part of a slow, uneven process.
The body’s other systems adjust more quietly. The mouth, which may have been sore from hours of chewing, gets a chance to heal. The gums and the tongue, which were irritated by the plant material, can recover, and the dry mouth that came with the stimulant can ease, which makes eating and speaking more comfortable. The stomach lining, which was irritated again and again, can begin to repair itself, although that repair takes weeks, not days, and it needs regular meals and enough fluid to do its work properly. The bowels, which were often slow and hard during regular use, can gradually return to a more regular rhythm as food intake becomes steadier and fluid intake improves. None of these changes is dramatic on a single day, but together, over a few weeks, they add up to a body that is working more normally.
Sleep Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
Sleep is often the most confusing part of stopping khat, because it can get worse before it gets better. During regular use, khat keeps a person awake late, and sleep is often short, broken and shallow. When use stops, many people expect sleep to improve immediately, and they are disappointed when it does not. The first nights can be restless, with difficulty falling asleep, waking in the middle of the night, and vivid or strange dreams. That restlessness has several causes. The brain is still adjusting to the absence of the stimulant, the daily routine has changed, and the body is tired in a way that does not always lead to easy sleep, because overtiredness can itself make sleep harder.
Vivid dreams are a common experience in the first week or two after stopping a regular stimulant. During khat use, sleep is often too shallow for normal dreaming, and when deeper sleep returns, the brain catches up on the dreaming it has missed, which can make dreams feel intense, strange or unsettling. Those dreams are not a sign of damage. They are a sign that the brain is returning to a more normal pattern of sleep, with its usual cycles of light sleep, deep sleep and dreaming sleep. They usually settle over a few weeks, as the sleep pattern steadies, but while they last they can make the nights feel disturbed and the mornings feel unrested, which adds to the tiredness of the day.
Over time, sleep does usually improve, and that improvement is one of the most important parts of recovery. A person who sleeps properly wakes with more energy, thinks more clearly, and finds it easier to cope with cravings and low mood. But the improvement is gradual, and it depends on more than just stopping khat. Regular meal times, regular waking times, daylight in the morning, movement during the day, and avoiding late-night stimulation all help the body relearn a normal sleep rhythm. The body has a clock, and that clock has been disturbed by late sessions and irregular days. Resetting it takes patience, and it is helped by keeping the days as regular as possible, even when the nights are still difficult.
Energy Returns in Fits and Starts
Energy after stopping khat does not return in a straight line. It returns in fits and starts, with good days and bad days, and that unevenness can be discouraging if a person expects a steady improvement. In the first few days, tiredness is often the dominant feeling, because the stimulant is gone and the accumulated sleep debt is being paid. A person may feel heavy, slow and uninterested in activity, and even simple tasks can feel like an effort. That is a normal part of the adjustment, but it is hard to live through, especially if work or family duties cannot wait for the body to recover.
After the first week, many people notice a change. The deep, heavy tiredness starts to lift, and energy comes back in patches, a good morning followed by a flat afternoon, or a day when work feels easier, followed by a day when it feels hard again. That patchiness reflects the way the brain’s alertness system is rebalancing. It is learning to produce its own energy without the daily push, and like any learning process, it is not smooth. Physical movement can help, even gentle movement such as walking, because movement itself raises alertness and mood, and it helps sleep at night, which in turn helps energy the next day. But movement is hard when energy is low, so it is best to start small, with a short walk rather than a demanding workout, and to build up gradually as energy returns.
Appetite plays a part in energy too. During regular khat use, appetite is suppressed, and the body runs short of fuel. When appetite returns, the body gets more food, and that food provides the energy that the stimulant used to mimic. That is why the return of appetite, which can feel strange at first, is actually a positive sign. The body is asking for food again, and food, eaten regularly, is a far more reliable source of energy than a stimulant. Over weeks, as meals become regular and sleep improves, energy usually becomes steadier, less dependent on the time of day, and less likely to crash in the afternoon. That steadiness is the real recovery, and it is worth more than the sharp, short-lived lift that khat used to give.
Mood Swings After Stopping
Mood after stopping khat can swing widely, and that is one of the reasons the first weeks are so difficult. The most common experience is a low mood, a flatness, and a lack of interest in things that used to be enjoyable. That flatness is linked with the brain’s reward system, which has become used to the regular boost from khat, and which needs time to become sensitive again to ordinary pleasures, such as a good meal, a conversation, or a walk. Until that sensitivity returns, ordinary life can feel dull, and the temptation to chew again, to bring back the colour, can be strong. That temptation is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that the brain is still adjusting, and that it remembers the shortcut that used to work.
Irritability is also common. A person who has stopped may find themselves snapping at small things, feeling impatient with family or colleagues, or feeling restless and on edge for no clear reason. That irritability is partly the brain’s response to the absence of the stimulant, and partly the result of poor sleep, low energy and the stress of change. It can strain relationships, because the people around the person may not understand why they are suddenly short-tempered, and they may take it personally. Explaining the change, in a calm moment, can help, because it lets the people around know that the irritability is part of the adjustment, not a new attitude, and that it will pass as the body settles.
Anxiety can also rise in the first weeks, especially in the afternoons, when the chewing session used to happen, and in social situations, where the session used to provide a structure and a reason to meet people. Without that structure, social occasions can feel awkward, and the person may feel unsure how to spend the time that used to be filled by chewing. That awkwardness is understandable, because the session was not just about the plant. It was also about friendship, conversation and belonging, and losing it means losing a social habit as well as a chemical one. Finding new ways to spend that time, and new ways to meet people, is part of the recovery, and it takes time, because new habits do not replace old ones overnight.
The Body Can Begin to Heal
Healing after stopping khat is slow, but it is real, and it happens in the body as well as in the mind. The stomach, which was irritated day after day, gets a chance to repair its lining. That repair is not instant, because the lining has been inflamed for a long time, and it needs regular meals, enough fluid and enough rest to do its work. But over weeks, the burning pain, the nausea and the bloating that were part of daily life can start to ease, and meals can become enjoyable again, rather than something to be endured. That improvement in the stomach is one of the clearest signs that the body is recovering, and it is worth paying attention to, because it is a change that can be felt every day.
The mouth also heals. Soreness, cracking and irritation from hours of chewing can settle, and the teeth and gums can benefit from the absence of the plant material and the return of normal saliva, which protects the mouth. The heart and blood pressure, which were raised during sessions, can settle towards their usual levels, which reduces the strain on the heart over time. The bowels can return to a more regular rhythm, as meals become steadier and fluid intake improves, and the bloating and constipation that were part of regular use can ease. Weight that was lost because appetite was suppressed can gradually return, as the body gets the food it needs, although that return should be gradual and based on regular meals, not on overeating to make up for lost time.
It is important to be honest about the limits of healing too. Some effects of long-term khat use, such as damage to the stomach lining that has become long-standing, may take a long time to improve, and some may need medical attention rather than time alone. Healing is not a promise that everything will return to exactly how it was before, and it is not a reason to ignore symptoms that persist. If stomach pain, weight loss, or other problems continue weeks after stopping, they should be checked by a health professional, because they may have another cause, or they may need treatment to heal properly. Stopping is the first step, not the whole treatment, and it is a step that gives the body its best chance, not a guarantee on its own.
The First Days Are the Hardest
The first three days after stopping are usually the hardest, and it helps to know that in advance, so the difficulty is not a surprise. Those days bring the strongest cravings, the deepest tiredness, the lowest mood, and the most restless sleep, all at once. The body is adjusting to the sudden absence of the stimulant, and the mind is adjusting to the sudden absence of a daily habit that filled hours and provided social contact. The combination can feel overwhelming, and it is in those first days that most people who return to khat do so, not because they have failed, but because the discomfort is at its peak and the benefits have not yet arrived.
The first week is a little easier, but still difficult. Cravings usually become less frequent, although they can still arrive suddenly, triggered by a time of day, a place, a smell, or a feeling of stress or boredom. Tiredness starts to lift in patches, sleep starts to become a little more regular, and appetite starts to return. But mood can still be low, and concentration can still be weak, and the afternoon can still feel long and empty. That is the period when planning matters most. Having something to do in the afternoon, having someone to talk to, having a walk or a task to fill the time that used to be the session, can make the difference between getting through the day and giving in to a craving. The plan does not need to be perfect. It needs to be ready before the craving arrives, not invented in the moment when the craving is strongest.
By the end of the first month, most people find that the hardest part is behind them, although the recovery is not finished. Cravings are usually weaker and less frequent, sleep is usually more regular, energy is usually steadier, and mood is usually less flat. But the first month also brings its own tests, because the novelty of stopping wears off, and the daily effort of staying stopped can feel tiring in a different way. A stressful day, a social occasion where others are chewing, or a period of poor sleep can bring a craving back unexpectedly, even after weeks of feeling better. Knowing that cravings can return, and having a plan for them, is part of staying stopped, not a sign that the recovery has failed.
Why Stopping Feels So Hard
Stopping khat feels hard for reasons that go beyond the chemical effects. The first reason is the habit itself. Chewing is woven into the day in dozens of small ways: buying the leaves, preparing them, sitting with friends, chewing slowly, talking, and passing the afternoon. Those routines are familiar and comforting, and losing them feels like losing a part of the day, not just a substance. The second reason is the social side. In many communities, the chewing session is where friendships are maintained, where news is shared, and where people relax together. Stopping can feel like stepping away from that social circle, and that loss can be as hard as the physical adjustment.
The third reason is the way khat has been used to cope with stress, boredom and long hours. When a person is stressed, tired or bored, khat has been the answer, and without it, those feelings have to be dealt with in another way. That is a real challenge, because stress and boredom do not disappear when the chewing stops. They are still there, and they need a new response, whether that is a walk, a conversation, a task, or simply sitting with the feeling until it passes. Learning a new response takes time, and it is harder than reaching for a familiar one, which is why stopping is not just a matter of deciding to stop. It is a matter of learning new ways to get through the day.
The fourth reason is the brain’s memory. The brain remembers the reward that khat gave, and it remembers the situations in which that reward arrived, the afternoon, the friends, the place, the feeling of tiredness that the session relieved. Those memories are stored deeply, and they can be triggered by a sight, a smell, a time of day, or a mood, long after the physical adjustment has passed. That is why cravings can return months after stopping, in a situation that the brain associates with chewing. Those cravings are not a sign that the person is back where they started. They are a sign that the brain’s memory is still there, and that it needs to be met with a plan, not with panic. Over time, as new routines replace old ones, those triggers become weaker, but they do not disappear overnight.
My Take:
I think stopping khat is brave, and I think it is harder than most people who have never done it realise. The first days are not just uncomfortable. They are a full-body adjustment, with tiredness, low mood, restless sleep, cravings and irritability all arriving at once, and with the added loss of a daily routine and a social habit that filled the afternoon. That is a lot to cope with at the same time, and I think anyone who tries deserves respect, whether they succeed the first time or need several attempts. Most people who stop successfully have tried before, and each attempt teaches them something about their own triggers, about what helps in a craving, and about which time of day is hardest. A return to chewing after a period of stopping is not a failure. It is information, and it can make the next attempt stronger.
What stays with me most is the unevenness of the recovery, because it is the part that catches people out. Sleep gets worse before it gets better. Energy returns in patches, with good days and bad days. Mood lifts, then dips again, then lifts again. That unevenness can feel like the body is not healing at all, when in fact it is healing slowly, in its own time. I think it helps to know that in advance, so that a bad day in the second week is not read as a sign that stopping was a mistake. It is a sign that the body is still adjusting, and that the adjustment takes weeks, not days. Patience is not a luxury here. It is part of the recovery itself.
I am also struck by how much of the difficulty is social, not just chemical. The chewing session is where friendships are kept, where news is shared, and where the afternoon is passed. Stopping can feel like stepping away from that, and that loss is real. I do not think it is helpful to pretend that the social side does not matter, or that a person should simply find new friends overnight. New routines take time, and new ways of spending the afternoon take time too. What I would say is that the social loss is a reason to plan, not a reason to give up. A walk with a friend, a task that fills the afternoon, a meal shared at a different time, those are small replacements, but they are replacements that keep the person connected without returning to the chewing.
The mood problem is the one I feel most strongly about, because it is the one that is most often misunderstood. A person who has stopped khat and feels flat, uninterested and low is not lazy, and they are not ungrateful. Their brain is relearning how to feel pleasure without a daily stimulant, and that relearning takes time. Ordinary life can feel grey for a while, and that greyness can make the chewing session seem very attractive, because it used to bring colour back quickly. I think it is important to say that plainly, so that the person does not blame themselves for feeling low, and so that the people around them do not blame them either. The flatness is part of the healing, not a sign that healing has failed.
I think support is the single most important factor in stopping, and I say that because stopping alone is the hardest way to do it. Talking to a health professional, joining a support service, or simply telling a trusted person what you are doing and asking them to check in, all make a real difference. Support does not remove the cravings or the tiredness, but it makes them easier to bear, because the person is not bearing them alone. It also helps with the practical side, planning the afternoons, dealing with triggers, and knowing what to do when a craving arrives. I would urge anyone who is thinking of stopping to use the support that exists, and to ask for it without shame. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that the person understands how hard the task is, and is giving themselves the best chance to succeed.
I would also say this to the family of someone who is stopping: the irritability, the tiredness and the low mood of the first weeks are part of the adjustment, not a new personality. The person is not being difficult on purpose. They are going through a difficult change, and they need patience more than they need criticism. A calm word, a shared walk, a meal eaten together, and a willingness to listen without judgement can make a real difference. And if the person returns to chewing after a period of stopping, I think the most helpful response is not anger, but honesty, an acknowledgement that stopping is hard, and an encouragement to try again, with what was learned from the last attempt. Change rarely happens in a single straight line. It happens in attempts, and each attempt matters.
I am honest about the fact that the body does not heal overnight, and I do not want to pretend otherwise. The stomach needs weeks to repair, sleep needs weeks to settle, and mood needs weeks to become steady. That is a long time to live with discomfort, and it is understandable that a person in the middle of it wonders whether it is worth it. I think it is worth it, because the alternative is to keep paying the cost every day, in the stomach, in sleep, in mood, and in the money and time that chewing takes. Stopping is a decision to stop paying that cost, and to give the body a chance to work normally again. That chance is not a guarantee, and it is not instant, but it is real, and it grows stronger week by week.
If you are thinking of stopping, I would suggest planning before you start, not in the middle of the hardest day. Choose a day, tell someone you trust, clear the afternoon of triggers if you can, and have a plan for the first craving, a walk, a drink of water, a phone call, a task that takes your hands and your mind away from the chewing. The plan does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be ready, because cravings arrive suddenly, and a ready plan is far more useful than a good idea thought of too late. And if the first attempt does not work, I would say this: try again, with what you learned, and with more support. The attempt that works is often the one that comes after several attempts, and each one brings you closer.
Finally, I would say this to anyone who has never chewed khat and is considering it: the stopping is the part that people do not think about when they start. The first session may feel pleasant, and the second may feel social, but the hundredth session is a habit, and a habit that has to be stopped is a hard habit to break. The body learns to expect the stimulant, the day learns to revolve around it, and the friendships learn to depend on it. Walking away from the first session is easy. Walking away from the hundredth is not, and that is a good reason to think carefully before the first one. If you have never started, the easiest way to avoid the difficult weeks described in this article is not to start at all.
I think about the money side of this as well, because it is concrete and it is often overlooked. A daily khat habit costs money every day, and over a month that money adds up to a noticeable amount, and over a year it adds up to a large one. When a person stops, that money stays in their pocket, week by week, and it is one of the most satisfying parts of stopping, because it can be seen and counted. I do not think money alone is the reason to stop, because health and family matter more, but I do think it is a useful reminder in the hard first weeks, when the benefits to sleep and mood have not yet arrived. The money is a benefit that arrives immediately, and it can be a small, practical reward to notice on a difficult day.
I also think about the children in the home, because they are affected by this change in ways that are easy to miss. A parent who is tired, irritable and low in the first weeks after stopping is a parent who has less patience, and children can feel that, even if they do not understand why. At the same time, a parent who stops is giving their children a home with less chewing, more regular meals, and a parent who is more present in the afternoons. That is a real gift, and it is worth holding in mind when the first weeks feel hard. I am not saying this to add pressure, because pressure does not help anyone stop. I am saying it because, for many parents, their children are the strongest reason to keep going, and naming that reason can help on a day when the craving is strong.
Another thing I would emphasise is that stopping is not a single event but a process that continues for weeks and months. The first month is about getting through the hardest days, but the months after that are about building a new daily pattern, new ways to spend the afternoon, new ways to cope with stress, and new ways to enjoy social time without chewing. That building takes time, and it is not always smooth, because old triggers can return and old habits can feel comfortable. I think it helps to expect that, and to see the months after stopping as part of the work, not as a time when the work is finished. The person who plans for the second month, as well as the first week, gives themselves a better chance than the person who thinks the job is done after a few good days.
I would also say a word about the people who chew around the person who has stopped, because that situation is common and it is hard. If friends and family continue to chew in the same place, at the same time, every afternoon, then every afternoon becomes a test, and that test is unfair. I do not think it is reasonable to ask everyone else to change, but I do think it is reasonable to ask for a little space, a different meeting place, or a different time, at least in the first weeks, while the new pattern is still fragile. A person who has stopped deserves that consideration, and a friend who offers it is doing something genuinely helpful. Support is not just words. It is also practical, and it shows up in small choices about where and when people meet.
Finally, I want to be honest that recovery is not a straight line, and that a difficult day after weeks of feeling better does not mean the person has gone backwards. Cravings can return, sleep can be disturbed by a stressful week, and mood can dip for reasons that have nothing to do with khat. Those dips are part of ordinary life, and learning to get through them without chewing is itself a skill that grows with practice. Each time a person gets through a hard day without returning to the habit, that skill becomes stronger, and the next hard day becomes a little easier. That is how recovery builds, not in a single moment of success, but in a series of ordinary days, each one a little steadier than the last, until the new pattern feels normal.
One last thing I would add is that the body remembers kindness as well as it remembers the stimulant. Regular meals, enough water, a walk in daylight, and a proper night of sleep are small, ordinary things, but they are the things that help the brain and the gut recover, and they are worth doing deliberately in the first weeks, even when they feel like an effort. A person who looks after those basics is giving their body the material it needs to heal, and that care, repeated day after day, is what turns a difficult first month into a steadier second one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Khat withdrawal last?
There is no single fixed length, because it depends on how long and how often a person has chewed, and on their sleep, health and support. The hardest days are usually the first three, when tiredness, low mood and cravings are strongest. The first week is still difficult, but cravings usually become less frequent. By the end of the first month, most people find sleep, energy and mood are steadier, although cravings can still return in stressful moments or in situations linked with chewing. Some people feel much better within a few weeks, while others take longer, and that uneven recovery is normal.
What happens when you stop using Khat?
When you stop, the stimulation disappears, and the body has to readjust. Tiredness is common, because the stimulant was masking poor sleep, and low mood and irritability are common, because the brain’s reward system needs time to rebalance. Sleep can be restless at first, with vivid dreams, and appetite often returns gradually. Cravings can arrive suddenly, especially in the afternoon or in social situations linked with chewing. At the same time, the stomach gets a chance to rest, the mouth can heal, and blood pressure can settle. The overall pattern is discomfort in the first days, followed by slow, uneven improvement over weeks.
What helps when stopping Khat?
Planning helps more than willpower alone. Having a plan for the afternoon, which used to be the chewing time, having someone to talk to, keeping meals and sleep as regular as possible, drinking enough fluid, and taking short walks can all make the first weeks easier. Support from a health professional or a support service can help with cravings, low mood and sleep, and it can help with making a plan that fits the person’s situation. It also helps to tell a trusted person what you are doing, so they can offer patience and encouragement. If stopping feels very difficult, or if other health problems are involved, a health professional is the right person to talk to.
Why do cravings for Khat return?
Cravings return because the brain remembers the reward that khat gave, and it remembers the situations in which that reward arrived, such as a particular time of day, a place, a group of friends, or a feeling of stress or boredom. Those memories are stored deeply, and they can be triggered long after the physical adjustment has passed. Stress, tiredness and poor sleep can also bring cravings back, because they are the feelings that khat used to relieve. Cravings usually become weaker and less frequent over time, especially as new routines replace old ones, but they can return unexpectedly, and having a plan for them is part of staying stopped.
Does sleep improve after stopping Khat?
Yes, sleep usually improves over time, but it can get worse before it gets better. In the first week or two, sleep can be restless, with difficulty falling asleep, waking in the night, and vivid dreams, because the brain is returning to a more normal pattern of deep sleep and dreaming. Over weeks, as the body relearns a regular rhythm, sleep usually becomes deeper and more regular, and waking energy improves. Regular meal times, regular waking times, daylight in the morning, and movement during the day all help the body reset its sleep clock, although the improvement is gradual rather than instant.
Can stopping Khat be dangerous?
For most people, stopping khat is uncomfortable rather than medically dangerous, with tiredness, low mood, cravings and restless sleep as the main effects. However, stopping can be harder and riskier for people who have other health problems, who use other substances as well, or who feel very unwell after stopping, and those people should talk to a health professional before or soon after stopping. If someone feels severely low, has thoughts of harming themselves, or has a serious physical problem after stopping, they should seek help promptly. Support services and health professionals exist to help with stopping, and there is no shame in using them.
