How much you sleep really matters — especially during early recovery. Getting just one more hour of sleep each night has been proven to help drug addicts avoid relapse. If you’re sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night, you’re less likely to recruit the systems of the brain that support good decision-making. Your ability to remember what you really want is dependent on your executive brain being switched on, and sleep deprivation is one of the main things that can get in the way.