For many of us, the perfect way to unwind after a long stressful day is to reach for a beer or a glass of wine. Perceived wisdom suggests that not only is it the perfect way to relax, it can also help us get off to sleep at night. A few alcoholic beverages can leave us feeling drowsy, but is it accurate to say it helps us sleep, and what are the true effects of alcohol on our sleep?
Here are a few ways alcohol affects your sleep:
It induces faster sleep
Alcohol has a profound effect on our body’s ability to sleep, and for the most part, the effect is negative.
You might find that after a couple of drinks it’s much easier to drop off to sleep. Alcohol is a depressant, which has a sedative effect on your body. That’s why alcohol can lead to a relaxed feeling and eventually help you get to sleep faster.
On the face of it, this might seem positive, but once you are asleep, alcohol has much more damaging effects on your quality of sleep.
It brings more interruptions during the night
Drinking alcohol also makes it more likely you’ll be forced out of bed in the middle of the night. Whether that is for a drink of water due to dehydration or a trip to the toilet due to a full bladder, alcohol makes it more likely we’ll have a disrupted night’s sleep.
It blocks valuable REM sleep
Alcohol shifts the normal sleep cycle to contribute to a feeling of sluggishness when you wake. When you’ve been drinking, you’ll spend longer in deep sleep but less time in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is your body’s window to restore and regenerate. Reduced due to the consumption of alcohol, less REM sleep leaves you feeling fatigued (and hungover) the next day.
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