Alcohol and Sleep

The relationship between sleep and alcohol can be a confusing one. Many people believe that a drink at night helps you sleep.The truth is that alcohol does not help sleep and can in fact disrupt it.

There is a lot of evidence to show that a good night’s sleep is essential to our health and well being. We also know that simply falling asleep is not enough. We need to pass through all the phases of sleep in order to wake up feeling rested and refreshed. Slow wave sleep is the deep restorative sleep. REM sleep is a lighter phase where we dream but appears to be very important for health. Rats have been shown to die within 3 weeks in the absence elf REM sleep. Both are very important parts of the sleep wake cycle.

If you consume alcohol in the hours immediately before bed it is likely you will fall into a deep sleep quickly. This sleep lasts the first part of the night. As the alcohol wears off you move back into a lighter REM sleep. Those who have been drinking may have vivid dreams or nightmares. Sleep in the second part of the night is restless leading to tossing and turning and frequent waking. The normal passage through the sleep phases is disrupted.

Alcohol is also a strong diuretic. If you drink late at night you are likely to wake needing to pass urine leading to disrupted sleep. Drinking late at night is often combined with eating heavy foods. This can lead to stomach upset and heartburn which will further disrupt sleep. Alcohol before bed increases the chance that you will snore. The airway becomes more floppy increasing the chance of episodes of apnoea. Obstructive Sleep apnoea is associated with an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Your snoring can also disturb the sleep of those around you making you less than popular to family or house mates.

Ultimately consuming alcohol at night leads to broken poor quality sleep. You wake unrefreshed and unrested. This has a knock on effect on your ability to concentrate and complete tasks appropriately the next day. Alcohol is not a sleep aid.

For more information on getting a great nights sleep download the sleep guide or for more information visit