Some people may resort to drinking alcohol as a sleep aid or agent that initiates sleep. However, even small amounts of alcohol can have noticeable effects in some people. Older men who consume alcohol are more likely to have a worse sleep profile, characterized by waking tired and waking several times during the night. During the final hours of sleep when alcohol is metabolized by the body, it can have a disruptive effect on sleep, causing frequent waking and fragmented sleep.

Why Intermittent Fasting Can Lead to Better Sleep

Those with a substance abuse problem should seek medical advice on how best to quit alcohol and treat their insomnia. When we looked at the sleep needs of 1.95 million RISE users aged 24 and up, we found it ranged from five hours to 11 hours 30 minutes, but 48% needed eight hours or more sleep a night. If you’re suffering from serious mental health issues, reach out to loved ones or a healthcare professional for support. Instead, go for a light healthy snack like a piece of fruit or Greek yogurt. This will give your body some fuel to break down the alcohol in your system.

How does alcohol affect your sleep?

Beyond causing drowsiness and sleep disruptions, alcohol can have other adverse effects on your sleep quality. The effects of alcohol on these neurotransmitters is sedative, which is why alcohol initially makes you relaxed and drowsy and may help you fall asleep more easily. Though alcohol consumption can make you drowsy, it gets in the way of restorative sleep. Alcohol and sleep are interrelated—alcohol use can cause sleep issues and sleep issues may contribute to alcohol misuse. You may also experience short– and long-term risks that come from having both inadequate sleep and AUD. When REM sleep is suppressed, the brain attempts to compensate with increased REM, known as REM rebound, on subsequent nights when alcohol is not consumed.

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Moderate drinking, defined as one drink for women and two drinks for men per day, can cause sleep disruptions, including a shorter duration of sleep, frequent night awakenings, and disrupted sleep stages. Drinking more alcohol or stronger alcoholic beverages will have a more significant impact on your sleep, with a sharper reduction in REM and deep sleep, leaving you feeling tired and groggy the following day. Another study found seven weeks of CBT-I improved sleep efficiency (the time spent sleeping while in bed), awakenings, and time to fall asleep in recovering alcoholics with insomnia. The sleep EEG effects in those with long-term alcohol dependence are theopposite to those following acute alcohol administration.

Sleep, therefore, could be expected to be affecteddifferently during the initial period of high alcohol levels from the subsequent eliminationphase. The presence of alcohol metabolites such as aldehyde need to be considered in termsof their own possible influence alcohol insomnia on sleep mechanisms as do secondary effects of alcohol, suchas diuresis. When you’re in the first two stages, you’re in “light sleep.” When you’re in the third stage, you’re in “deep sleep.” And the fourth stage is your “vivid,” or dream, stage.

• If they aren’t forthcoming about their dependency or possible addiction, then a doctor can’t prescribe proper treatment.
• Heavy drinking can make the sleep- and circadian rhythm-disrupting effects of alcohol worse.

Circadian Rhythms

Discrepancies in REM sleep may reflect sample differences, duration of sobriety (where the REM sleep may have normalized over time) (Williams and Rundell, 1981), or an interaction between REM sleep architecture and a circadian disruption (Imatoh et al., 1986). The relationship between alcohol consumption and sleep disturbance is complex. Alcohol acts as a sedative and reduces sleep onset latency5, and as such, may be used proactively https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to relieve insomnia6. However, there is evidence that alcohol consumption also disrupts sleep, particularly the period of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep7. The perpetual use of alcohol as a sleep aid may be a counterproductive long-term strategy as alcohol disrupts sleep quality and intensifies the need to consume more alcohol8. The association of alcohol dependence with insomnia may be bidirectional in nature9.