Sleep & Alcohol
We all deserve a stiff drink about now…
But wait- what is it doing to our sleep?
Many of us know that alcohol helps us fall asleep, and in fact most of us have probably used it as a relaxant to induce sleep when we’re feeling a bit wired.
Falling asleep faster might have a great appeal, but at what consequence does it come?
Our sleep after consuming alcohol is disturbed, fragmented and low quality. Despite its sedative effects, many micro awakenings can occur overnight. We are generally sedated in the first half of sleep, however, in the second half of the night, a rebound effect can occur which jolts us awake as the body tries to readjust its circadian rhythm. This is a common occurrence around 3am, which is Traditional Chinese Medicine happens to be the Liver time.
Unfortunately, this awakening in the second half of the night contributes to the suppression of REM (dream) sleep which already occurs from the consumption of alcohol.
Hence, our body is not restored after drinking alcohol. This is also not taking in to account the toxic effects of alcohol (I’ll save that for another post).
These effects don’t just occur after having a bender, but can even occur after just 1-2 drinks. This
I’m all about the 80/20 life (be healthy 80% of the time and live life the other 20%), and I understand that having a few drinks can be an enjoyable part of socialising and celebration. What I ask of you is 2 things:
- Consider whether the occasion you are consuming alcohol for is really worth the detrimental effects to your sleep/ health? For example, if you’ve had a rough Tuesday at work, you might choose a yoga nidra or yin session to wind down instead of pouring yourself a glass of your favourite relaxant. Save it for your friend’s birthday on the weekend.
- Do you really need to consume that much? Try to head out with a certain number of drinks in mind- this might help you space your drinks out and you may even realise you don’t really need to drink as much as you may have otherwise.
Drink responsibly.
The Australian Government drinking guidelines:
https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol/about-alcohol/how-much-alcohol-is-safe-to-drink