Does alcohol help you sleep better?
Let’s debunk the myth that alcohol helps with sleep once and for all: sleep and alcohol don’t mix.
I hate to be a buzzkill, but you know that glass of wine — or two — or THREE — you had before bed to help you sleep? Well, it's probably doing more harm than good when it comes to sleeping better at night.
That initial sleepy feeling you get when you drink is real but backfires!
Let’s talk about Adenosine, and its effect on sleep when you drink.
It's true that alcohol is going to help you fall asleep more quickly. That's because it increases the production of adenosine.
Adenosine is a chemical that connects neurons in our brains and makes us sleepy. When we’re awake, our adenosine levels are increasing, so by the end of the day, we feel tired. And while we're sleeping, our body depletes itself of the adenosine so that we feel more alert and wake up.
Just as quickly as the adenosine rises after we drink, it has a rebound effect and falls just as quickly. So, our adenosine levels overnight are going to be lower, resulting in more fragmented sleep and causing us to wake up more frequently. And, it can also lead to an earlier wake up, affecting the amount of sleep we get through the night.
Adenosine and Caffeine
Fun fact that I learned when doing my education in sleep: Adenosine connects to the same neurons that caffeine does and that's why caffeine keeps us alert!
Did you know alcohol impairs your body’s production of melatonin?
Not only does alcohol affect our adenosine levels (very important for sleep), it also impairs the production of melatonin.
Now I'm sure you already know this, but as a reminder, melatonin is “the sleepy hormone” and it allows us to feel tired at night. Research shows that alcohol consumption before bed, even moderate levels of it, can decrease the production of melatonin by nearly 20% — which is not good, because you want your melatonin to be very high at night so you can fall asleep and stay asleep.
Snoring — yeah, alcohol can make you snore more.
In addition to affecting these chemicals and hormones that help us to sleep, drinking also makes your muscles relax. That includes your head, your throat, and your mouth, which can lead to snoring and also more sleep apnea — which, again, is going to lead to interrupted sleep.
Drinking before bed can also affect your REM cycle!
Not only does alcohol have all these negative effects on your sleep, but it also prevents you from entering REM sleep. I’m going to flashback to high school biology class really quickly and explain what REM is. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement. It's what happens early in the morning when we're dreaming. Our brain is taking all the information from the day and organizing it, storing it, discarding information that doesn't need to be stored, and more — so it's very important for mental clarity. That’s why when you indulge the night before, you wake up feeling groggy — because your body did not enter REM.
The bottom line on drinking before bed...
Drinking is OK in moderation, but you don't want to rely on it every night as a sleep aid.
What I recommend to my clients is, you can still drink and have fun (c'mon! we need to enjoy life!) — but do it in moderation. Maybe 2-3 times a week, and drink earlier in the evening — think happy hour instead of a nightcap.
The rule of thumb is you should give yourself an hour to process each drink before bed. If you have two drinks, you want to stop drinking two hours before bed. One drink, one hour before bed, etc.
Alternatives to drinking alcohol before bedtime — tea!
A good replacement for alcohol on a nightly basis is tea (non-caffeinated, of course). I know it doesn't sound as fun, but I have actually come to enjoy my nightly cup of tea!
There are tons of great herbal blends out there. I really like Traditional Medicinals' Nighty Night tea. It's one of my favorites and I actually do look forward to it every night.
Let’s Get You Sleeping!
If you have any further questions about your sleep, if you're battling insomnia and you've tried everything under the sun to get yourself sleeping again, just know that there is a better way. I can help. If you're interested in learning more, you can book a free 30 minute Discovery Call.
Sweet dreams.
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.