Alcohol Insomnia

Alcohol and Insomnia

Alcohol insomnia? Doesn’t alcohol induce sleep?

Studies show that although one in seven people drink alcohol as a sedative, the link between alcohol and sleep is surprising - it may help you get to sleep, but once the alcohol is metabolised, about 4-5 hours later, it can cause disrupted, broken sleep, so alcohol and insomnia are connected. More than half the population do not know that alcohol is one of the causes of insomnia, and instread believe it is an effective natural sleep remedy.

Alcohol will certainly make you tired, but once you are asleep, it disrupts the pattern of sleep and brain waves, stopping you from feeling refreshed in the morning. You need the right amount of deep, dreaming and non-dreaming sleep to feel refreshed when we wake. Alcohol stops the brain from getting the type of sleep it needs - this is alcohol insomnia.

Alcohol is one of the causes of insomnia during the second half of our sleep time. It is believed to be then, that the body breaks down the alcohol in the body and releases associated toxins. Even small amounts of alcohol can cause disrupted sleep. One of the effects of alcohol and sleep, is slower breathing, swollen throat lining and less muscle tone in the airway.

For this reason, slcohol is also known for making sleep apnea worse. Sleep apnea is a condition where the soft tissues of the mouth and throat relax during sleep, causing obstruction of the airways. Not only does this result in snoring, but can cause periods of full obstruction when the sleeper stops breathing and then gasps for breath. Sleep apnea causes major sleep disruption and increases the risk of stroke and heart disease four to five times.

It also seems that after about three nights of use, alcohol’s sedative effects disappear. It is best to avoid drinking alcohol shortly before bed.

Less oxygen is bad for your sleep and your health overall. Research show that a “moderate” amount of alcohol such as three bottles of beer or three glasses of wine drunk up to six hours before bedtime can increase wakefulness during the second half of sleep.

Alternatively, if you really have just one drink before bed like a small glass of wine there is not much evidence that you will experience a serious effect on your quality of sleep and it may help you get to sleep. Some scientists say that this is an effective approach for insomniacs; however, if we repeat this strategy, we become less affected by alcohol’s sleep-inducing qualities so we are inclined to increase the amount to get the desired effect. That will definitely interfere with your sleep, and leave you feeling poorly the next day.