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A drink before bed is a common habit for many of us. After all, it gives you a rush of relaxation and can even put you into a deep sleep. However, the sleep you get from it is compromised — and it has negative effects in the long run as well as the short run.
“Alcohol never improves sleep,” says Dr. John Mendelsonfounder of Ria Health and clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “Although alcohol helps you relax, making it easier for some to fall asleep, people wake up 3 to 4 hours after falling asleep and can’t get back to sleep.”
Whether you have trouble staying calm at night or can’t fall asleep at all, you shouldn’t use alcohol as a temporary fix for an underlying problem. You might consider replacing the nightcap with relaxing activities in your night routinesuch as reading a book, taking a bubble bath or doing yoga before bed.
How does alcohol affect your sleep?
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressantand that’s why it gives you that nice, relaxed feeling. That’s why so many of us fall asleep after drinking and why alcohol seems to help you sleep. How alcohol affects your sleep is not simple, because there are several ways in which alcohol consumption affects the quality of your sleep.
To be clear, we’re not just talking about excessive drinking here. A drink or two right before bed can have a significant effect on your sleep.
Here are four ways alcohol affects the quality of your sleep.
1. Alcohol disrupts REM sleep
The relaxing properties make alcohol corpses as a sure way to sleep at night. The quality of restorative, restful sleep decreases. Research has shown that alcohol consumption disrupts your sleep cycle, especially REM sleepRemember that dreams occur during REM sleep.
“Evidence now suggests that the deeper sleep from alcohol is also associated with an increase in frontal alpha waves, markers of wakefulness and sleep disruption. So the deep sleep from alcohol is probably not restorative,” says Dan Fordsleep psychologist and founder of the Better Sleep Clinic.
So while you may initially fall asleep faster, you are not getting the benefits of REM sleep during the night. If you are not getting enough REM sleep, you will not feel rested and you will find that this affects your performance the next day. Studies have shown that During the day, alertness decreases the day after a night of heavy drinking.
2. You wake up more often after a few drinks
We mentioned that alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. This means that the excitatory nerve cells in your brain are suppressed, so you fall asleep. For most people, it doesn’t take long. As your body metabolizes the alcohol, the excitatory nerves bounce back. This process can cause you to wake up and have trouble falling back asleep.
While this is common, it doesn’t happen to everyone. To those, I say, consider yourself lucky. This side effect happens to me almost every time I have a drink in the evening. Sure, the cocktail is fun while it lasts, but let me tell you, when I’m staring at my ceiling at 3am, I wish I had skipped it altogether.
3. Alcohol suppresses the production of melatonin in our body
Our bodies produce melatonin to help control our sleep-wake cycle, which happens to coincide with sunlight. Our pineal gland releases melatonin when the sun goes down and we start to feel tired. When you drink, you are essentially throwing your sleep-wake cycle off.
Alcohol consumption reduces melatonin production, regardless of whether the sun has set. One study found that drinking alcohol an hour before bed can suppress melatonin production. melatonin production by 20%.
We know what you’re thinking: I can just take a melatonin supplement and deal with the side effects. Not so fast; mixing alcohol and melatonin is not recommended. Potential side effects may include: anxietyhigh blood pressure, dizziness or breathing problems. On a larger scale, mixing the two can the ability of the liver to produce certain enzymes.
4. Alcohol can increase the effects of sleep disorders
In obstructive sleep apnea, where the throat muscles and tongue are already blocking your airway, alcohol makes the condition worse. When you drink alcohol before bed and have sleep apnea, your throat muscles are even more relaxed and collapse more often, which translates into frequent breathing pauses that last longer than normal.
Research suggests alcohol consumption is increasing the risk of sleep apnea by 25%It also contributes to the lowest oxygen saturation levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Oxygen saturation measures how much oxygen is in your blood and how effectively the device can transport this oxygen to your brain, heart and limbs.
Alcohol can also worsen insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, which is characterized by difficulty falling asleepwaking up during the night or waking up too early in the morning.
It is estimated that 35% to 70% of people drink alcohol living with insomnia. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation; insomnia can be made worse by alcohol consumption. Insomnia can contribute to alcohol addiction.
At first glance, the sedative effect of alcohol may feel like it is relieving the symptoms of insomnia and helping you fall asleep. Given the likelihood of REM sleep disruptions and frequent awakenings, it is not recommended that anyone use alcohol to treat their insomnia symptoms.
How to Sleep Better After Drinking Alcohol
You can still enjoy a drink and sleep well. Use these tips to make sure your favorite cocktail never keeps you up at night again.
Be aware of how alcohol affects your sleep
You should be aware of how alcohol affects you and your sleep schedule. “Keep a sleep log to measure duration and quality, and add to that log the amount and times you drink to see if you notice any patterns related to the quality of your sleep,” Mendelson advises.
It can be as complicated or as simple as you want. You can keep a journal or just check in with yourself in the morning. The impact alcohol has on your sleep is unique to you. If you make an effort to pay attention to how it affects you, you can set limits for your body and needs.
Stop drinking at least 4 hours before going to sleep
You can still enjoy a cocktail and sleep well. There’s no reason to give up alcohol altogether, but the timing of your drinks can make the difference between sleeping through the night and tossing and turning.
“If you choose to drink alcohol, drink in moderation and stop at least four hours before bedtime to avoid the negative effects on healthy sleep,” advises Dr. Raj Dasguptaassociate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
To put that into perspective, four hours before bed is about dinner time for most people. Four hours is a good benchmark because it gives your body time to process the alcohol so it doesn’t affect your sleep.
Too long, didn’t read?
We’re not here to tell you that a drop of alcohol will ruin your sleep quality. There are a few nuances you’ll run into. Drinking alcohol, especially within 4 hours of bedtime, can help you fall asleep faster, but it can ultimately reduce your REM sleep and potentially wake you up later. Timing your cocktails or switching your drink for a mocktail is a great way to ensure you get the best sleep possible. sleep well through the night.
