Quick Summary:
- Alcohol reduces sleep quality, disrupts REM sleep, and alters the circadian rhythm, leading to poor restorative sleep.
- It can also worsen conditions like sleep apnea, cause breathing issues during the night, and even lead to insomnia, especially for those with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- Quitting alcohol can improve your sleep by minimizing these disruptions. Plan ahead, recognize your triggers, and practice healthy self-care habits to make it easier.
In the modern age, where stress and busy schedules routinely rule our lives, getting a good night’s sleep has become quite valuable.
But in the process of calming down and relaxing, many people use alcohol to help them fall asleep. However, the connection between drinking alcohol and sleeping is far more nuanced than it first seems.
Although alcohol can make people feel drowsy and initially aid in falling asleep, it has significant and often-overlooked consequences on the depth and quality of your sleep.
In this article, we are going to discover what the science says about the link between alcohol consumption and sleep.
How does alcohol affect sleep?
The impact of alcohol on sleep might vary based on the amount and personal characteristics of the drinker. This is how drinking impacts sleep according to this study:
- Low alcohol intake: Men who consume less than two servings of alcohol per day or women who consume one drink per day see a 9.3% reduction in sleep quality.
- Moderate alcohol consumption: Men’s and women’s daily alcohol consumption reduced sleep quality by 24% and 14%, respectively.
- High alcohol consumption: A daily intake of alcohol above two servings for males or one serving for women reduced the quality of sleep by 39.2%.
Alcohol slows down brain function because it is a central nervous system depressant.
Though alcohol includes sedative properties that might make people feel calmer and more sleepy, excessive alcohol use has been connected to shorter and lower-quality sleep.
People with alcohol use disorders frequently experience symptoms of sleeplessness
Alcohol and insomnia
It can be simple to take sleep for granted when you are getting excellent rest. But if you’ve experienced insomnia, you could understand the deeper importance of sleep for your overall well-being and health.
Scientists found in a 2020 review Source that over 70% of those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) also suffer from alcohol-induced sleep disturbances, like insomnia.
Frequent alcohol use has also been connected to snoring, a disturbed circadian rhythm, and shorter REM sleep durations.
Drinking alcohol is one of the worst choices you can make if you want a good-quality sleep. Here’s why:
- Effect on REM sleep: Drinking alcohol can prevent REM sleep, a critical sleep cycle phase linked to dreaming and mental functions. Later in the evening, REM rebound may happen, resulting in more REM sleep that can disrupt the uninterrupted sleep pattern and worsen insomnia symptoms.
- Effects on the Morning after consuming alcohol may help you fall asleep at first. Still, the quality of your sleep may be poor overall, resulting in morning symptoms including exhaustion, irritability, and reduced cognitive performance. These consequences may exacerbate symptoms of insomnia and extend a pattern of insomnia.
- Dependency and withdrawal: Heavy alcohol use can result in dependency, and restlessness and anxiety associated with withdrawal may lead to insomnia. Sleep habits in people with alcohol use disorders may be severely disrupted when they try to reduce or stop drinking. so it is better not to start drinking.
Further reading:
Alcohol and sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start while you sleep along with sporadic gasping, coughing, or snorting noises.
It produces loud snoring, low energy, and afternoon sleepiness might also result from it.
Alcohol consumption is widespread in America, with about 55% of adults reporting drinking within the previous 30 days.
Drinking alcohol can make you feel drowsy, but it also makes your sleep irregular and of worse quality.
According to current studies, even those without a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea may have bouts of the illness as a result of moderate or severe drinking.
Alcohol use can exacerbate open airway breathing (OSA) by lengthening the interval between stopping your breathing and “waking up” to start it. You may have sharp declines in blood oxygen levels as your apneic symptoms worsen.
Alcohol may cause your breathing to slow down as well as the muscles in your throat to relax, leading to the risk of an upper airway collapse.
This could worsen sleep apnea’s total obstruction and snoring, which is the trembling of soft tissues.
Alcohol and sleep cycle
Alcohol use can affect several elements of your sleep and sleep cycle, including:
1- Dreams: Because alcohol can inhibit REM sleep, you are likely to have more active REM sleep later in the evening as alcohol consumption decreases.
Consequently more probable that you’ll experience stressful or vivid nightmares. Uncomfortable dreams wake you up more often during the night. Dreams are more likely to stick in your memory.
2- Circadian rhythm: Some of alcohol’s effects on sleeping may also be attributed to circadian rhythm disruption. The circadian rhythm is in charge of maintaining the body’s 24-hour cycle.
The body produces melatonin, a sleep hormone, as part of this 24-hour cycle to prepare us for bed in the evening.
Previous research has indicated that consuming alcohol before bedtime reduces melatonin levels and tampers with body temperature, ultimately affecting the quality of your sleep.
Further reading:
- Explore Sleep Cycle Stages: What Happens in Each One?
- What is Circadian Rhythm? [Evrything you need to know]
- Sleep Cycle vs Circadian Rhythm: What’s the Difference?
How to stop drinking alcohol completely
Making such a great decision is not going to be easy without an organized plan and a clear goal, the steps we are suggesting are simple and effective to stop drinking.
But before starting, if you think you are dependent on alcohol you should first seek your doctor’s advice and start your treatment alongside these steps:
1- Understand the miserable consequences of drinking both short-term and long-term: By understanding what alcohol is going to do for you, you will realize why it is a must to quit drinking.
2- Make a plan: Define your goal and set a realizable time for your plan, set small goals towards your main goal remember every plan has a deadline timing.
3- Inform your family and friends: Letting your family and friends know that you quit drinking and asking them to encourage you may keep you motivated and encouraged all along the journey.
4- Analyze why you are drinking: Write down how much you drink, when you drink, and with who do you drink, and identify your triggers and treat them, by knowing all of this you should be able to control your drinking habits or change them at all.
5- Replace alcohol with tea: Choose herbal teas, which are healthier and can improve your sleep quality. We’ve also shared a list of foods that promote better sleep in this article: 10 Best Foods that help you sleep Better & Faster.
6- Change your habits: Try to find a new hobby that you enjoy doing, keep yourself busy, and be involved in activities that do not include drinking.
7- Get ready for a possible alcohol withdrawal: People who are more dependent on alcohol may begin to suffer, what is known as alcohol detox, when they significantly reduce or stop drinking. This occurs when your body begins to eliminate alcohol from your system. Detox can lead to alcohol withdrawal symptoms such as:
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Mood changes
- Insomnia
- Sweating
8- Keep consistent: Prioritize your wellness, remember why you started this blessed journey in the first place, and make time for self-care habits such as:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Stay hydrated
- Sleep well
9- Be persistent and patient: Giving up alcohol can be difficult, and there may be obstacles in your path. Remain committed to what you want to accomplish and have patience with yourself.
10- Seek professional assistance if needed: Don’t be afraid to get professional assistance from a doctor, mental health therapist, or addiction specialist if you’re having trouble quitting drinking on your own.
Conclusion
Alcohol disturbs the sleep cycle, which can have detrimental long-term effects on one’s mental and physical health in addition to resulting in poor sleep quality. nevertheless, there are realistic options for giving up alcohol entirely and restoring peaceful sleep.
Even though giving up alcohol may be difficult, it is a worthy effort that can have a significant positive impact on your life quality, general health, and sleep quality.
Remember that those needing more support can always seek expert assistance. Everybody can eliminate alcohol from their lives and experience the healing benefits of a good night’s rest if they are willing to put in the required amount of time, effort, and dedication to self-care.