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Why You Should Limit Alcohol Before Bed for Better Sleep

The homeostatic drive prompts sleep by boosting levels of adenosine when we’ve been awake for too long. With extended use of alcohol over time, there can be long-term concerns, too. Many who abuse alcohol often do it well into the night and oversleep into the next day.

Disrupts the Sleep Cycle

The result is a lot of trips to the bathroom and a (mostly) sleepless night. REM sleep has a restorative effect and plays a role in memory and concentration. Poor or insufficient REM sleep has been linked to not only grogginess the next day, but also a higher risk of disease and early death. Alcohol before bed has been shown to lead to fragmented sleep and frequent waking. Anyone who’s ever indulged in a drink or two knows that alcohol can make you real sleepy, real fast.

Does alcohol affect men’s and women’s sleep differently?

If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep often, see your healthcare provider. They can rule out any underlying cause for your insomnia and recommend the best treatment for you. It has a sedative effect that helps you relax and makes granada house boston you drowsy, so you fall asleep faster. If left untreated, chronic sleep apnea can drastically impact your quality of life and lead to serious health concerns, such as weight gain and obesity, hypertension, stroke, memory impairment and heart failure. Alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant, meaning it slows down brain activity. While “relaxed” may sound appealing, alcohol has also been shown to negatively affect sleep and other physiological processes that occur during sleep.

How Does Alcohol Affect the Sleep Cycle?

The most effective time of day for the body to metabolize alcohol, according to research? That’s right, the traditional “happy hour” time is actually when the body is most prepared to process that cocktail. If that mimosa with brunch hits you particularly hard, it may be the result of circadian timing. It may offer some temporary relief by raising your alcohol levels and masking symptoms like jitteriness or anxiety, says Marino. Alcohol increases urine production, so it’s true that dehydration can often contribute to the hurt of a hangover.

As the night wears on, you experience less deep sleep and more light sleep, leading to sleep disturbances and poor-quality sleep. All alcoholic beverages can impact sleep, but those with higher alcohol content, like spirits, may have a more significant effect compared to a glass of wine or beer. Plus, alcoholic drinks mixed with caffeine or high in sugar can also adversely affect sleep.

Alcohol Makes You Sleepy, but That Doesn’t Translate to Good Sleep

Circadian rhythms affect how the body responds to alcohol, depending on the timing of alcohol intake. Long-established research shows the body metabolizes alcohol differently at different times of day. Studies have shown the body is more effective at processing alcohol at certain times of the day than others. Before you go to that party, drink water, eat well and make sure you’re surrounded by people who make you feel positive and connected. You’re likely to drink more alcohol in a shorter amount of time if you kick off your night with hard liquor, he says. It makes you inebriated faster — and you may feel inclined to drink more than you would slowly sipping a beer.

“It’s really motivated me because I understand how it can all add up.” Sleep scientist Rebecca Robbins sets the record straight to help you get better sleep. By Lindsay CurtisCurtis is a writer with over 20 years of experience focused on mental health, sexual health, cancer care, and spinal health.

1. You may also see possible jail time of up to 6-9 months, revocation of your license for at least 180 days, and impoundment of your ride.
2. However, while you may feel more relaxed and drift off to sleep quicker after having a drink, when morning rolls around, you might find yourself wondering why you feel so groggy and tired—especially after falling asleep so easily.
3. Understanding how alcohol affects circadian rhythms and REM sleep can help us comprehend why moderating or reducing alcohol can lead to better sleep, and improved health and wellbeing.
4. Drinking a light to moderate amount of alcohol (one or two standard drinks) before bed may not have much of an impact.
5. When you drink alcohol, it’s absorbed through the stomach and small intestine and moves into your bloodstream.
6. Although there’s no evidence that alcohol can cause narcolepsy (sleepwalking), it does disrupt REM sleep, which may make the onset of sleepwalking more likely.

After a few hours of sleep, alcohol can cause you to wake up and have a difficult time going back to sleep. Besides just waking you up a lot, alcohol can disrupt your normal sleep patterns enough to create some longer-term issues you may need to address. Your deep restful sleep tends to be more prevalent in the first few hours but decreases during the second half.

Subjects who reported that they exercised 3 times or more per week were defined as regular exercisers. The higher the respondent’s alcohol dependency, the higher the total score. The cutoff value for alcohol use disorders is 10 points for men and 8 points for women. If you drink alcohol at night and have trouble falling or staying asleep, you might wonder how long you should wait between your last drink and going to bed so your sleep isn’t impacted. As a general rule, Meadows said, people should aim to leave at least three to four hours between drinking and sleeping to avoid sleep disruption. “For the best sleep, try to have at least four alcohol-free nights every week,” Meadows said.