“Consuming alcohol suppresses the central nervous system, and when it’s been suppressed for a significant period of time, the reverse happens. The body gets excited after it’s been artificially suppressed through the alcohol.” Besides fitful sleep, you might need to get up to go pee a few times (alcohol is a diuretic, after all!). Alcohol relaxes your muscles and restricts your airflow, so you might find yourself snoring. Indeed, though alcohol can cause people to fall asleep more quickly, it does not offer a quality night’s sleep, and often leads to overnight awakenings. These effects only occur in the first part of sleep—usually within the first four hours of the night as your body metabolizes the alcohol.
Research shows the more alcohol-related sleep disruption you have, the worse your hangover can be. Sleep debt can cause daytime sleepiness the next day, but also for many days to come if you don’t catch up on sleep. For an expert’s take, we spoke to Rise Science sleep advisor and medical reviewer Dr. Chester Wu, who is double board certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. Alcohol consumption can lead to a lack of sufficient quality sleep, which can seriously affect cognitive functions such as learning and memory.
Alcohol and sleep FAQs
In other words, though alcohol may cause you to fall asleep quickly, you can expect a restless night ahead. The circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock, which helps you feel awake during daylight hours and sleepy at night. A crucial part of your circadian rhythm is melatonin production — a natural sleep-inducing hormone. As it gets dark, the pineal gland starts releasing melatonin, so your body can transition more smoothly into sleep. For a good night’s sleep, non-alcoholic drinks are your best bet.
Why a glass of wine before bed won’t help you sleep better – New Zealand Herald
Why a glass of wine before bed won’t help you sleep better.
Posted: Sun, 03 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Drinking to excess before bed also plays havoc with the REM sleep stage. Studies indicate an evening of heavy drinking leads to a significant reduction in REM sleep during the first half of the night. Seek medical advice if you think you have a sleep disorder or alcohol abuse problem.
Alcohol Doesn’t Help Your Sleep
She does note, however, that heavy drinkers who decide to stop drinking abruptly may experience withdrawal symptoms before they start to see the sleep benefits. “Multiple factors, including how much and how often you drink, can contribute to the severity of these withdrawal symptoms,” she says. Studies show drinking can exacerbate this problem in people with sleep apnea and those at risk of developing it. To get my sleep (and health) back on track, I’ve decided to temporarily quit drinking and do a dry month challenge. Here, learn more about how alcohol affects sleep and the many benefits you can expect from a dry month.
In her spare time, you can often find her exploring nature with her husband and three children. If you pass the moderate threshold, though, you’ll get a lot more of that initial non-REM sleep, but significantly reduce the total percentage of REM sleep over the whole night. Alcohol has a diuretic effect that causes your body to release more water in the way of urine. The result is a lot of trips to the bathroom and a (mostly) sleepless night.
Is Mixing Alcohol with Sleeping Aids Dangerous?
“Even if alcohol initially helps [someone] fall asleep, they may wake up many times throughout the night or not get into a deep sleep,” she continues. In the first half of the night, when the body is metabolizing alcohol, studies show people spend more time in deep, slow-wave sleep and less time in REM sleep. REM sleep, which gets shortchanged in the first half of the night under the influence of alcohol, is important for mental restoration, including memory and emotional processing. For many people who drink moderately, falling asleep more quickly may seem like an advantage of a nightly glass of wine. But alcohol goes on to affect the entire night of sleep to come. But knowing when to stop can be difficult as everybody processes alcohol differently.
Other, generalised sedative effects Alcohol can increase the sedative effects of medications that you may be taking for other conditions. This is why you’ll often see a warning label on these medications advising you to avoid alcohol. Using alcohol as a sleep aid may does liquor help you sleep result in you believing the only way you can get to sleep is by drinking. If you’ve enjoyed a lovely three-course dinner with friends — washed down with a few glasses of wine — then it’s the combination of a substantial meal and the alcohol that’ll affect your sleep.
Personalized Sleep Profile
On the flip side, avoid high-fat cheeses, chicken wings or deep-fried fish. And while there are no magic sleep-inducing foods that immediately induce drowsiness, research shows that having meals high in fiber and low in saturated fat and simple carbs (sugar) should help. In fact, a study in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that eating high-fiber, low-saturated-fat meals leads to deeper, more restorative sleep. It’s important to understand how poor sleep affects your health — and how a good diet can help. To me, that doesn’t entirely rule out the usefulness of a nightcap in some situations. For some people getting to sleep can be a real challenge, and it sounds like alcohol can make it a little easier.
