A Good Night's Sleep With Alcohol - Does That Work?
This is where I am coming from: I am recommending a pint of bitter beer together with your light dinner. In my case, that works perfectly. The bitterness of the beer is an indicator for the concentration of hops that was used to make it. And hops is one of the most efficient sleeping herbs, together with valerian and lavender.
And there is no easier source for hops than in beer, which also tastes good.
But I am told: "the alcohol, the alcohol!"
Yes, you are right. Alcohol is bad for the sleep, I admit it.
Being born and risen in Bavaria, the most southern part of Germany, beer is not counted as "liquor". Beer is simply "beer". It is a drink, and nobody talks about alcohol in beer. In Bavaria, you can drink a beer and you are still allowed to drive a car. So why is a pint of beer before sleep bad for the body? Check out my article here "9 Steps To Fall Asleep Like A Boss"
The Scientific Truth: Alcohol Is Initially Good But In Total Bad For Your Sleep
Scientists tell us that alcohol makes you falling asleep easier but we are also told that alcohol actually does negatively affect your sleep quality: alcohol before going to bed disturbs one half of your sleep. Check out this scholar article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29617889/
Alcohol is initially stimulating but then causes a feeling of tiredness and it has a calming effect. The tiredness and the calming effect shorten the time needed to fall asleep, the so-called "latency". The sleep latency or sleep onset latency is the time it takes a person to fall asleep after turning the lights out, and it is measured with modern fitness wristband technology.
Back to our beer before sleep: the reduced sleep atency is the reason why many people with insomnia drink alcohol before going to bed. They think that the beer, wine or schnaps will help them to deal with their sleep problems. But these sleep problems have a deeper reason. And this deeper problem is never properly adressed.
The truth is, alcohol - if taken before you go to bed - actually disrupts your body's natural rhythm - not just at night but also your circadian rhythm. Modern fitness wristband technology can even measure that!
Drowsiness after alcohol
Before we had these measurements it was even believed that alcohol has a positive effect on the human circadian rhythm. That was the reason why it was believed that alcohol is a good sleep aid. But today, with these new wristband gadgets it became possible to thoroughly investigate the relationship between alcohol and sleep.
And the result is that the idea that alcohol is a good sleeping aid has been refuted. In short words: alcohol helps you fall asleep, but sleep after alcohol is significantly different from natural sleep. To understand alcohol's effect on sleep, it is important to know that good and quality sleep is a balance between the two stages of sleep: REM and NREM.
Alcohol disturbs the balance between REM and NREM phases of sleep
Alcohol causes an increase in slow waves and suppresses the REM phase in the first half of the night. Sleep consists of two phases: REM, the phase in which dreams occur, and the NREM phase, which is deep sleep. These two consecutive sleep phases have different patterns of electrical activity in the brain and this is why we can measure them.
We have two phases of sleep
NREM: slow wave sleep - SWS - in this type of sleep, brain waves are very slow, and
REM: Rapid Eye Movement sleep: the eyes move suddenly while still asleep.
This is what you want: most of the sleep should be deep and soothing slow-wave NREM-type sleep. REM sleep occurs intermittently, and it takes up about 25% of sleep time in young adults. REM sleep episodes normally repeat every 90 minutes and last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.
The important thing is that REM sleep gives less rest than slow wave sleep and it is usually associated with the onset of dreams.
In order to get enough sleep, the body needs a balance between these sleep phases.
Why is alcohol not good for sleep?
Drinking alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep and we sleep deeply for about 3 hours. However, later the sleep becomes shallower and shorter, with a higher heart rate: the alcohol disturbs the balance between the phases of sleep, which significantly reduces its quality. Hence the lack of sleep and general fatigue the day after drinking alcohol, especially after drinking a lot of alcohol.
Alcohol can also cause a person to sleep restlessly, wake up in the middle of the night, and find it difficult to fall asleep again. Such sleep disturbances affect the regeneration of the body and lead to tiredness and daytime sleepiness. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to this because they need more time to reduce blood alcohol levels than younger people after consuming the same amount of alcohol. At least this is what scientists tell us.
Insomnia after alcohol
Insomnia is not just a disturbance of the sleep pattern - it is a disorder that affects the way the body functions around the clock. Insomnia is defined as a situation in which a person sleeps too shortly in relation to their needs, and this leads to a deterioration in their functioning during the day. Insomnia can be difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining it, or waking up prematurely. Shortening night sleep leads to worse somatic, mental and social functioning during the day. This deterioration may include malaise, trouble concentrating or concentrating, deteriorated mood and irritability, decreased motivation to act, decreased professional or social performance.
Insomnia And Drug Abuse
The abuse of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, increases the risk of insomnia. In people addicted to alcohol, total sleep time is shortened, sleep latency is prolonged, slow-wave sleep and REM sleep are "suppressed".
Alcoholism and insomnia often coexist. Research shows that from 36 to 91% of sick people alcoholism coexists with insomnia. In people addicted to alcohol, compared to healthy people, alcohol makes it much more difficult to fall asleep. It is presumed that this phenomenon is related to the negative influence of alcohol on the GABAergic system in the brain, as well as disturbances in the metabolism of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adenosine 1 .
Sleep disturbance occurs not only during prolonged periods of alcohol abuse, but also during periods of alcohol withdrawal and cessation. Even long periods of abstinence can persist in insomnia. Therefore, when fighting sleep disorders, it is not worth reaching for another drink or beer.
Conclusion
If you find yourself among those people who consume large amounts of alcohol in order to fall asleep, address this problem first. Find out the root for that sleep problem.
Most of the time you may need a change in life and learn to calm down without alcohol.
And in parallel you you learn how to fall asleep like a boss. Take the 9 steps today, click on my article here
Martin "Better Sleep" Schweiger
This is where I am coming from: I am recommending a pint of bitter beer together with your light dinner. In my case, that works perfectly. The bitterness of the beer is an indicator for the concentration of hops that was used to make it. And hops is one of the most efficient sleeping herbs, together with valerian and lavender.
And there is no easier source for hops than in beer, which also tastes good.
But I am told: "the alcohol, the alcohol!"
Yes, you are right. Alcohol is bad for the sleep, I admit it.
Being born and risen in Bavaria, the most southern part of Germany, beer is not counted as "liquor". Beer is simply "beer". It is a drink, and nobody talks about alcohol in beer. In Bavaria, you can drink a beer and you are still allowed to drive a car. So why is a pint of beer before sleep bad for the body? Check out my article here "9 Steps To Fall Asleep Like A Boss"
The Scientific Truth: Alcohol Is Initially Good But In Total Bad For Your Sleep
Scientists tell us that alcohol makes you falling asleep easier but we are also told that alcohol actually does negatively affect your sleep quality: alcohol before going to bed disturbs one half of your sleep. Check out this scholar article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29617889/
Alcohol is initially stimulating but then causes a feeling of tiredness and it has a calming effect. The tiredness and the calming effect shorten the time needed to fall asleep, the so-called "latency". The sleep latency or sleep onset latency is the time it takes a person to fall asleep after turning the lights out, and it is measured with modern fitness wristband technology.
Back to our beer before sleep: the reduced sleep atency is the reason why many people with insomnia drink alcohol before going to bed. They think that the beer, wine or schnaps will help them to deal with their sleep problems. But these sleep problems have a deeper reason. And this deeper problem is never properly adressed.
The truth is, alcohol - if taken before you go to bed - actually disrupts your body's natural rhythm - not just at night but also your circadian rhythm. Modern fitness wristband technology can even measure that!
Drowsiness after alcohol
Before we had these measurements it was even believed that alcohol has a positive effect on the human circadian rhythm. That was the reason why it was believed that alcohol is a good sleep aid. But today, with these new wristband gadgets it became possible to thoroughly investigate the relationship between alcohol and sleep.
And the result is that the idea that alcohol is a good sleeping aid has been refuted. In short words: alcohol helps you fall asleep, but sleep after alcohol is significantly different from natural sleep. To understand alcohol's effect on sleep, it is important to know that good and quality sleep is a balance between the two stages of sleep: REM and NREM.
Alcohol disturbs the balance between REM and NREM phases of sleep
Alcohol causes an increase in slow waves and suppresses the REM phase in the first half of the night. Sleep consists of two phases: REM, the phase in which dreams occur, and the NREM phase, which is deep sleep. These two consecutive sleep phases have different patterns of electrical activity in the brain and this is why we can measure them.
We have two phases of sleep
NREM: slow wave sleep - SWS - in this type of sleep, brain waves are very slow, and
REM: Rapid Eye Movement sleep: the eyes move suddenly while still asleep.
This is what you want: most of the sleep should be deep and soothing slow-wave NREM-type sleep. REM sleep occurs intermittently, and it takes up about 25% of sleep time in young adults. REM sleep episodes normally repeat every 90 minutes and last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.
The important thing is that REM sleep gives less rest than slow wave sleep and it is usually associated with the onset of dreams.
In order to get enough sleep, the body needs a balance between these sleep phases.
Why is alcohol not good for sleep?
Drinking alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep and we sleep deeply for about 3 hours. However, later the sleep becomes shallower and shorter, with a higher heart rate: the alcohol disturbs the balance between the phases of sleep, which significantly reduces its quality. Hence the lack of sleep and general fatigue the day after drinking alcohol, especially after drinking a lot of alcohol.
Alcohol can also cause a person to sleep restlessly, wake up in the middle of the night, and find it difficult to fall asleep again. Such sleep disturbances affect the regeneration of the body and lead to tiredness and daytime sleepiness. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to this because they need more time to reduce blood alcohol levels than younger people after consuming the same amount of alcohol. At least this is what scientists tell us.
Insomnia after alcohol
Insomnia is not just a disturbance of the sleep pattern - it is a disorder that affects the way the body functions around the clock. Insomnia is defined as a situation in which a person sleeps too shortly in relation to their needs, and this leads to a deterioration in their functioning during the day. Insomnia can be difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining it, or waking up prematurely. Shortening night sleep leads to worse somatic, mental and social functioning during the day. This deterioration may include malaise, trouble concentrating or concentrating, deteriorated mood and irritability, decreased motivation to act, decreased professional or social performance.
Insomnia And Drug Abuse
The abuse of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, increases the risk of insomnia. In people addicted to alcohol, total sleep time is shortened, sleep latency is prolonged, slow-wave sleep and REM sleep are "suppressed".
Alcoholism and insomnia often coexist. Research shows that from 36 to 91% of sick people alcoholism coexists with insomnia. In people addicted to alcohol, compared to healthy people, alcohol makes it much more difficult to fall asleep. It is presumed that this phenomenon is related to the negative influence of alcohol on the GABAergic system in the brain, as well as disturbances in the metabolism of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adenosine 1 .
Sleep disturbance occurs not only during prolonged periods of alcohol abuse, but also during periods of alcohol withdrawal and cessation. Even long periods of abstinence can persist in insomnia. Therefore, when fighting sleep disorders, it is not worth reaching for another drink or beer.
Conclusion
If you find yourself among those people who consume large amounts of alcohol in order to fall asleep, address this problem first. Find out the root for that sleep problem.
Most of the time you may need a change in life and learn to calm down without alcohol.
And in parallel you you learn how to fall asleep like a boss. Take the 9 steps today, click on my article here
Martin "Better Sleep" Schweiger