Author: James Anderson

Alcohol and Sleep

Remember that only a healthcare professional or sleep specialist can diagnose a sleep condition. It can have a relaxing effect, but research shows that too much alcohol can lead to a lack of sleep or insomnia. Those who suffer from sleep disturbances due to restless leg syndrome (RLS) are often recommended to increase magnesium consumption.

In this time of information overabundance, much of which is inaccurate, unhelpful, or even difficult to understand, Northwell Health is on a mission to make a difference as an honest, trusted, and caring partner. The site connects with consumers to provide them with personalized content that reduces their stress, makes them laugh, and ultimately feel more confident and capable on their healthcare journey. Women’s sleep is more disturbed by alcohol than men’s, Meadows said. In a 2011 study published in the journal Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, men and women consumed the same amount of alcohol before going to bed.

How much alcohol affects sleep?

People with sleep apnea are also prone to loud, disruptive snoring. Some studies suggest that alcohol contributes to sleep apnea because it causes the throat muscles to relax, which in turn creates more resistance during breathing. This can exacerbate OSA symptoms and lead to disruptive breathing episodes, as well as heavier snoring.

1. Alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant, meaning it slows down brain activity.
2. Since alcohol affects everyone differently, it’s important to understand where your limit lies and how much alcohol you can drink before it starts to affect your sleep.
3. Drinking a light to moderate amount of alcohol (one or two standard drinks) before bed may not have much of an impact.
4. For most people, alcohol induces a deeper-than-usual sleep in the first half of the night, followed by disrupted sleep in the second half of the night.
5. REM sleep behavior disorder, also known as rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a condition in which individuals experience realistic, often frightening dreams during the REM sleep stage.

Researchers have found that the sedative effect only lasts for the first part of the night, though. People who consume alcohol before bed don’t wake up as often during the first few hours of sleep. People with insomnia often wake up tired and struggle with poor memory or concentration. There’s a complicated relationship among depression, alcohol, and sleep. People suffering from depression may already have disrupted circadian rhythms, and the presence of even moderate amounts of alcohol may push those rhythms further out of sync.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alcohol and Sleep

Depending on how much alcohol is consumed, however, what seems like falling asleep may be something closer to passing out. And we quickly build a tolerance for the sedative effects of alcohol, which means you may need to drink more to have the same initial sleep-inducing effects. To understand how alcohol impacts sleep, it is important to understand the different stages of the human sleep cycle. The fourth stage, REM sleep, begins about 90 minutes after the individual initially falls asleep. Eye movements will restart and the sleeper’s breathing rate and heartbeat will quicken.

Dr. Khosla runs a telemedicine outreach program that serves rural areas in North Dakota and has done so for the past decade. She is active within AASM and has served on numerous AASM committees, including the original Telemedicine Task Force. She also served as the inaugural chair of the Clinical and Consumer Sleep Technology Committee and is the current chair of the AASM Public Awareness Advisory Committee. Information provided on Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances.

However, people who drink before bed often experience disruptions later in their sleep cycle as liver enzymes metabolize alcohol. This can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness and other issues the following day. Drinking to fall asleep can build a tolerance, forcing you to consume more alcohol each successive night in order to experience the sedative effects.

His research and clinical practice focuses on the entire myriad of sleep disorders. Consuming alcohol and experiencing restricted sleep reduces alertness during the day. If you’re turning to alcohol to help you sleep, you may be making the quality of your sleep worse. Many of us find ourselves tossing and turning at night, trying to get that elusive 7 to 8 hours of sleep experts say we need but never finding it. Creating a profile allows you to save your sleep scores, get personalized advice, and access exclusive deals. Studies have found conflicting information about how alcohol affects REM sleep.

How Alcohol Affects Sleep & Exercise

Researchers from a 2020 study concluded that those with AUD need at least 5–9 months of abstaining from drinking in order to normalize their sleep duration and rhythm, so try to be patient with yourself during this time. However, even small amounts of alcohol can have noticeable effects in some people. Alcohol use can impact the quality of your sleep, and research confirms there’s a link between alcohol use and insomnia. For most people, alcohol induces a deeper-than-usual sleep in the first half of the night, followed by disrupted sleep in the second half of the night. The Well is Northwell Health’s commitment to the future of health care.

It is recommended you increase your daily water consumption and avoid drinking alcohol before bed to prevent its dehydrating effects. After a few drinks, these increased adenosine levels send us into a deep sleep. However, once the body realizes it’s had too much slow wave sleep, the homeostatic drive compensates by allowing us less deep sleep in the second half of the night. Later in the night, as alcohol levels drop, your brain kicks into overdrive.

Research shows that regular alcohol intake can reduce sleep quality over time, potentially causing issues such as insomnia. Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by abnormal breathing and temporary loss of breath during sleep. These lapses in breathing can in turn cause sleep disruptions and decrease sleep quality. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs due to physical blockages in the back of the throat, while central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs because the brain cannot properly signal the muscles that control breathing.

Even moderate amounts of alcohol in your system at bedtime alters sleep architecture—the natural flow of sleep through different stages. It also leads to lighter, more restless sleep as the night wears on, diminished sleep quality, and next-day fatigue. Alcohol may also exert some of its effects on sleep by influencing the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is responsible for keeping the body anchored to a 24-hour cycle.

The Best Foods To Help You Sleep

“For the best sleep, try to have at least four alcohol-free nights every week,” Meadows said. “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. Heavy drinking can make the sleep- and circadian rhythm-disrupting effects of alcohol worse. But even a regular, moderate routine of two to three drinks a day is enough to create sleep and performance problems for many people.

Please note, we cannot provide specific medical advice, and always recommend you contact your doctor for any medical matters. Drinking too much is likely to have the opposite effect and leave you feeling groggy and possibly hungover the next day. 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. If you turn to booze to help you snooze, you could be messing with the quality of your sleep.