Do this with every drink you have in order to keep yourself honest. In a notebook, keep track of how many drinks you have each day, and rate your overall anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. As we’ve seen, the effects of alcohol on sleep are significant.
For people who snore or who have sleep apnea—a disorder that causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep—drinking alcohol tends to aggravate symptoms. How much alcohol you drink and when you drink it can both influence sleep. To understand how alcohol can affect your sleep, it first helps to understand what happens to your body when you nod off. There are two different states of sleep which your body goes through each night. These are known as rapid eye movement (REM), and nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.
Below are some common questions around alcohol and sleep quality. Drinking a light to moderate amount of alcohol (one or two standard drinks) before bed may not have much of an impact. The most effective time of day for the body to metabolize alcohol, according to research? That’s right, the traditional “happy hour” mixing alcohol and hallucinogens 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. Lindsay Modglin is a nurse and professional writer who regularly writes about complex medical topics, as well as travel and the great outdoors.
Having the occasional nightcap to unwind is no biggie and may help you fall asleep faster. 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.
Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption from alcohol also contribute to next-day tiredness, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Even if it doesn’t present as a full-fledged hangover, alcohol-related sleep loss negatively affects mood and performance. The liver acts as a filtering system for the body, helping metabolize food and chemicals (including alcohol itself), and pulling toxins from the bloodstream. Like nearly all of the body’s organs, the liver functions according to circadian rhythms.
One study found if you drink alcohol during a natural dip in energy (like your afternoon slump), your urge to sleep may override the stimulating effects of alcohol. If you drink when your energy is naturally mixing alcohol and antidepressants rising (like in the early evening), alcohol may be more stimulating and increase how long it takes to fall asleep. Alcohol can also sometimes act as a stimulant, making you feel more awake instead of sleepy.
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Alcohol use and dependence appear to interfere with circadian rhythms—biological patterns that operate on a 24-hour clock. These fluctuations play a vital role in the sleep-wake cycle, and when they are weakened—or absent—a person may feel alert when they want to sleep and sleepy when they want to be awake. For example, alcohol causes an in-depth look at kratoms long-term side effects & how to avoid them tongue and throat muscles to relax. It also causes changes to blood vessels in the nose, leading to greater airway resistance in the nasal passages. But knowing when to stop can be difficult as everybody processes alcohol differently. Some research has shown that drinking alcohol even six hours before bedtime can disrupt your sleep.
Sleepwalking can lead to injuries, disrupt sleep, and leave a person feeling fatigued and not well-rested after waking. Alcohol can worsen sleep apnea, a condition where a person’s breathing stops and regularly starts while they sleep. Research from 2018 corroborates this, suggesting that people experience a lower duration and quality of REM after consuming alcohol. An older study concluded that alcohol might reduce sleep in the first half of sleep and increase disruption in the second half. Treating these conditions may be necessary as some individuals experience insomnia due to other health issues.
You may have also noticed that you snore after you’ve had a drink or two. Alcohol can make breathing-related issues, like snoring or sleep apnoea, worse. This is because alcohol relaxes your throat muscles, making it harder for air to reach your lungs. To get enough oxygen, you must work harder to inhale air, causing vibration and snoring sounds. By combining bananas and almond milk in a smoothie, you can really pack in a powerful tryptophan and melatonin punch that might help reduce symptoms of insomnia.