how does alcohol mess with your sleep

How Does Alcohol Mess With Your Sleep?

How Does Alcohol Mess With Your Sleep?


We’ve all been there - you come home from a night out, having had  a few drinks with friends, stumble into your jammies looking sooo forward to your cozy bed, and you conk out pretty quickly…only to find yourself waking up a couple of hours later and tossing and turning for the rest of the night.


What gives? Alcohol is a depressant, right? So doesn’t that mean it should help you to sleep, not hinder your sleep?


The truth is, alcohol IS a depressant, and that means that it depresses all of the body’s functions, it doesn’t just make you feel sleepy. Your digestive system feels sleepy too, and other bodily functions slow down when you drink, including your body’s production of certain essential enzymes. One of these is the enzyme that synthesizes glutamine, an important amino acid which acts as a stimulant and a source of energy for the body. Since these important functions slow down when you drink, your body tries to make up for lost time once you stop drinking and the alcohol begins to leave your body. So while you may feel full and sleepy after a night out, as your body processes the alcohol, your digestive system and your production of the glutamine stimulant rev back up again, causing disruptions in sleep - and probably digestive upset too. That’s why you often fall asleep quickly after a night of drinking, only to wake up a few hours later with an upset stomach and unable to get back to sleep. 


The Vicious Cycle of Alcohol and Sleep Disruption


Getting a poor night’s sleep will likely cause you to feel sluggish and tired the next day, and pretty exhausted by the time evening rolls around again. If you’re unaware of the correlation between alcohol and sleep disruption, you may find yourself having a nightcap that evening to ensure that you get a better sleep - thus beginning the cycle all over again.


Alcohol messes with your REM sleep cycle, meaning that you’re not getting the deep sleep cycle that your body needs to reset itself. While a night or two of disrupted sleep won’t have long term effects on your health, consistent poor sleep is likely a contributing factor to a myriad of chronic health issues such as type 2 diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, studies have shown that people who sleep for under 6 hours per night increase their risk of a heart attack by at least 20%. 


In addition to contributing to other health issues, poor sleep just doesn’t feel good. You will probably find yourself sluggish and cranky after a night or two of bad sleep, which can have a snowball effect on causing you to eat poorly or forgo regular exercise because you just don’t have the energy to cook a healthy meal or go for your evening jog.


How to Unwind Before Bed Without Alcohol


If you’re used to spending a few nights a week going out and drinking, or if a nightcap is part of your evening routine and you feel yourself struggling with disrupted sleep or insomnia, there are plenty of other ways to relax before bed that don’t involve alcohol and will actually help your sleep rather than disrupt it. 


    • Yoga, meditation, or gentle stretching. Yoga and gentle stretching have been shown to lower blood pressure, cortisol production, and generally improve sleep. The deep breathing that goes hand in hand with yoga can also help to relax the body and promote deeper sleep. Stretching can also relieve tightness and muscle pain, which can sometimes contribute to a less than ideal night of sleep if it’s hard to get comfortable. If you struggle with an overactive or anxious mind and find that you have trouble shutting your brain off at night, regular meditation is a great way to clear your thoughts and quiet your mind to help promote a more restful sleep.
    • Taking a warm bath. Regular detox baths are not only beneficial for your body overall, but taking a warm bath in the evening, especially with epsom salts, which contain sleep-inducing magnesium, can promote a more restful sleep. You may notice that muscle cramps that used to wake you up at night are relieved after an epsom salt bath, again due to the magnesium content. Alcohol consumption actually depletes your body’s magnesium stores, and magnesium is an essential mineral for so many of the body’s functions, including restful sleep. What better way to replenish it than with a relaxing epsom salt bath?
  • Reduce evening stimulation. Whether you’re a fan of a late cup of coffee in the afternoon, or find yourself scrolling on your phone or iPad right before bed, cutting out those sources of mental and physical stimulation earlier in the day can help your body unwind and promote relaxation and a better night’s sleep. 
    • Start an evening tea ritual. Tea rituals have been around for centuries and are an important part of many cultures. It’s easy to start your own tea ritual at home, and ending your evening with a warm steaming cup of chamomile tea while taking some time to take deep breaths and relax your mind can have a surprising effect on the quality of your sleep! If you miss your nightly glass of wine, you can even enjoy a glass of non-alc wine made with camelia sinensis (tea) leaves and Chardonnay or Cabernet grapes. Non-alc wine let’s you enjoy the relaxation that comes with an evening glass of vino, with none of the negative side effects of alcohol. Best part is, it won’t disrupt your sleep!

    If you’re not quite ready to give up alcohol cold turkey yet, start by paying attention to how you feel after drinking - even one drink in the evening can sometimes give you some of the yucky side effects such as digestive upset, troubled sleep, or a hangover. Keep a journal of how you feel and how you sleep on the evenings you drink versus those that you don’t, and let your body be your guide.

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