Breaking this cycle requires addressing the root cause of sleep issues rather than masking them with alcohol, which only exacerbates the problem. You might feel sleepy when you drink alcohol because alcohol slows down brain activity. While alcohol may help you feel tired and fall asleep faster, it often disrupts your sleep quality, too, leading to more awakenings and less restorative sleep. does alcohol help you sleep no, sleep expert explains why By being mindful of your drinking habits, such as by pacing yourself and drinking enough water, you can help minimize these and other negative effects.
Increased nighttime awakenings
- The more you drink, the more of a sedative effect alcohol has and the more withdrawal effects you will feel.
- Our circadian rhythm is sometimes called our “biological clock”—the process that regulates the way our bodies function during each 24-hour daily cycle.
- Hydration is essential, as alcohol is a diuretic that can lead to nighttime awakenings due to thirst or the need to urinate.
That’s because alcohol and sleep apnea often go hand-in-hand—even in people who don’t otherwise have the condition. That’s because alcohol interferes with the ability to stay asleep and to get high-quality, deep sleep. The effects both can happen right away and develop over the long-term. Nearly half of adults over age 65 report having consumed alcohol in the past year, according to NCOA guest author and alcohol use researcher Paul Sacco. And sometimes, they say they’re drinking to cope with a challenging symptom like insomnia.
So yes, a sneaky lunchtime drink is certainly better than later in the day, but remember that alcohol has a way of manifesting itself on the body’s clock, even if after its left the sleeping brain. Research indicates that it may take as long as one to two years for sleep to return to normal in abstinent alcoholics and that for some it may never return to normal. We toss and turn, drift in and out of light sleep, and wake more often with bursts of alertness. No wonder I’ve never heard anyone bounce out of bed feeling fully rested and recharged after a heavy night of drinking, no matter how many hours of “good sleep” alcohol seemed to give them. Instead, most of us drag ourselves to the kitchen the morning after, clinging to that first cup of coffee just to get through the day. Comparing alcohol’s impact on sleep to other substances reveals its unique drawbacks.
Chronic sleep disturbances and a reduction in slow-wave or deep sleep are particularly prominent in people who binge drink or drink heavily, and these issues can persist into periods where you’re not drinking. As the body and mind rest, the brain is quietly performing scheduled maintenance through a series of cycles. Alcohol may help you fall asleep more quickly, as it acts as a sedative and can reduce the time it takes to transition from wakefulness to sleep. However, this effect is often short-lived and can disrupt sleep later in the night. Finally, the societal narrative around alcohol as a relaxant often overlooks its addictive potential.
- The effects both can happen right away and develop over the long-term.
- “REM sleep begins to even out leading to less disruptive dreams, and you will notice that your deep sleep will also improve,” the psychologist notes.
- Yes, alcohol relaxes the muscles in the throat, which can worsen snoring and exacerbate sleep apnea.
- While alcohol may help you drift off quickly and deeply, it also disrupts your sleep later in the night, leading to more awakenings and increased light sleep.
The question of whether alcohol aids sleep is a common one, yet the answer is more nuanced than it might seem. While many people turn to alcohol as a nightcap to unwind and fall asleep faster, research suggests that it can significantly disrupt sleep quality. This can lead to feelings of fatigue and grogginess the next day, despite spending a full night in bed.
Nighttime Wakings: Alcohol increases the likelihood of waking up during the night, disrupting sleep continuity
Public health campaigns rarely emphasize that 1 in 4 regular drinkers may develop dependency issues, particularly when using alcohol to self-medicate sleep problems. For young adults aged 18–25, who are more susceptible to peer pressure and stress-induced drinking, education on the risks of alcohol as a sleep aid is critical. By reframing the conversation to highlight the dangers of tolerance and dependency, individuals can make informed choices and seek safer, more effective solutions for better sleep. So, while alcohol can help you fall asleep, it often impairs your sleep overall. It can lead to both worse sleep quality and sleep efficiency, which is the amount of time you’re in bed actually sleeping.
Alcohol’s Sedative Effect: How alcohol initially induces drowsiness and relaxation, promoting faster sleep onset
This, too, can wake you up in the middle of the night, sometimes more than once. And the more water your kidneys release, the higher the chances you’ll get dehydrated. Dehydration can give you a headache; and pain itself can cause poor sleep. Also, getting up multiple times at night puts you at increased risk for falling.
How to Fall Asleep Fast: 10 Expert-Recommended Tips
If you are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, one effective lifestyle change you can make is to cut out alcohol. Our circadian rhythm is sometimes called our “biological clock”—the process that regulates the way our bodies function during each 24-hour daily cycle. Put simply, whenever we introduce a foreign chemical, the body produces a counter-chemical to restore equilibrium. Combining alcohol with sedative medications can be dangerous or even fatal as it could lead to hypoventilation or not being able to breathe deeply at night.
Alcohol affects sleep in multiple ways and contributes to the appearance of different sleep disorders or to their worsening. For example, people who use alcohol as a sleep aid have a higher mean daytime sleepiness. Hot flashes or the need to go to the bathroom (as alcohol is a diuretic) fragment sleep and, therefore, more chances to suffer insomnia.
Additionally, establishing a consistent sleep routine—such as avoiding alcohol 3-4 hours before bedtime—can restore natural sleep rhythms. Incorporating relaxation techniques like mindfulness or progressive muscle relaxation can also counteract the need for alcohol as a sleep aid. Alcohol’s sedative effect is often misunderstood as a sleep aid, yet its mechanism of action reveals a nuanced reality. When consumed, alcohol enhances the activity of GABA, a neurotransmitter that inhibits brain activity, leading to feelings of relaxation and drowsiness. This initial calming effect can indeed shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, particularly for those who struggle with sleep onset due to anxiety or a racing mind. For instance, a moderate dose—such as one drink for women or two for men—may help individuals transition more quickly from wakefulness to sleep.
In fact, alcohol can have significant negative effects on your sleep quality, which can affect your overall health in addition to how rested you feel. Alcohol can make you feel sleepy because it’s a central nervous system depressant, meaning it slows down brain activity, which can lead to drowsiness. Being regularly deprived of REM sleep can take a serious toll on mental health.
Tips For Getting A Good Night’s Sleep
Alcohol-induced snoring can be a minor annoyance for anyone you share a bedroom with, but alcohol can also cause or worsen a serious health problem called obstructive sleep apnea. In this type of sleep apnea, the upper airway closes while you are asleep. This can impact your sleep quality, leading you to feel more tired and less refreshed the next morning. Despite the fact that regular alcohol consumption can lead to other health issues, studies have shown that around 10-28% of people use alcohol as an ‘over the counter’ sleep aid. That’s due to the myth that alcohol helps you fall asleep faster and helps you sleep through the night.
Comparing alcohol’s impact on sleep to other substances highlights its unique dangers. Unlike melatonin or prescription sleep aids, which target specific sleep mechanisms, alcohol indiscriminately depresses the central nervous system, altering all sleep stages. For instance, while benzodiazepines increase deep sleep in the short term, they do not suppress REM sleep to the same extent as alcohol. This distinction underscores why chronic alcohol use is particularly detrimental to restorative sleep, making it a poor long-term solution for insomnia or stress-related sleep issues. Limiting alcohol intake to one standard drink per day for women and two for men, as recommended by health guidelines, can minimize its impact on sleep architecture.
This scenario illustrates how alcohol’s short-term sedative effects mask its long-term damage to sleep architecture, creating a vicious cycle of dependency and deteriorating sleep quality. Alcohol may initially act as a sedative, lulling you into sleep faster, but its impact on REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is a double-edged sword. During a typical night, your brain cycles through four stages of sleep, with REM being the most restorative. This stage is crucial for memory consolidation, emotional processing, and overall cognitive function. However, alcohol disrupts this cycle by suppressing REM sleep, particularly in the first half of the night.
