Drinking a glass of wine before bed may help you fall asleep faster, but the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Most experts agree that alcohol can negatively impact sleep quality and duration and worsen insomnia.
In the long run, this habit can mess up your internal clock, or circadian rhythm, and cause or exacerbate chronic sleep problems. On the positive side, there are steps you can take to mitigate the side effects.Â
In This Guide
Sleep Quality | Disrupt Sleep | Sleeping Better | Summary
How Alcohol Impacts Your Sleep Quality
You might have heard that red wine, beer, and other alcoholic drinks hold potential health benefits.
That’s not entirely false, but even moderate drinking can impact sleep quality.
For example, red wine is rich in antioxidants that may protect your brain, heart, and nerve cells. When consumed in moderation, it may lower cholesterol levels, boost cardiovascular health, and reduce inflammation.
The downside is that it can raise blood pressure and cause dehydration, especially if you go overboard. Alcohol has diuretic effects, meaning that if you drink a glass of wine or scotch before bed, you might need to wake up to use the bathroom.
Additionally, this substance can be both a stimulant and a depressant, depending on the amount ingested.
Low to moderate drinking can boost your energy levels and make it harder to fall asleep. Due to its stimulant effects, it may increase your heart rate and cause jitters—just like caffeine.
But alcohol also slows down brain activity, especially in those who drink more than a glass or two. As a result, it may act as a sedative, causing sleepiness.
However, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
The alcohol levels in your blood decrease throughout the night, affecting sleep quality and duration. For instance, you may wake up at 3 or 4 AM and find it difficult to fall asleep again.
Even Small Amounts of Alcohol Can Disrupt Sleep
As little as one or two drinks can impair sleep quality, according to a large-scale study published in JMIR Mental Health.
Researchers wanted to see how different amounts of alcohol affect sleep in men and women. The side effects were dose-dependent, as shown below:
- Small serving of alcohol: Sleep quality decreased by 9.3% in women who consumed less than one serving of alcohol per day and men who consumed fewer than two servings per day
- Moderate drinking: Men who had two drinks per day and women who had one drink per day experienced a 24% decrease in sleep quality
- Heavy drinking: Sleep quality dropped by over 39% in men who had more than two drinks per day and women who had more than one drink per day.
Until recently, scientists believed that moderate drinking was safe or even beneficial. However, a growing body of evidence points to the opposite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This habit may increase your risk of cancer, heart disease, and overall death, and its potential benefits are unclear.
As far as sleep quality is concerned, alcohol can disrupt rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is when your brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and stores the information learned throughout the day.
Not getting enough REM sleep may affect your mood, memory, and learning skills. Other adverse effects include:
- Higher risk of heart disease
- Impaired cognitive performance
- Reduced ability to cope with stress
- Emotional reactivity
- Memory problems
- Migraines and headaches
For instance, research suggests that a short REM duration may increase the risk of cardiovascular mortality and death from all causes. Plus, it can interfere with daytime functioning, leaving you feeling tired and worn out.
But that’s not all.
As mentioned earlier, alcohol consumption may also cause or worsen insomnia and other sleep disorders. Let’s see a few examples.
Insomnia
Alcohol consumption promotes insomnia and the other way around.
For example, one study found that people dealing with stress-related insomnia are more likely to drink than the general population. And, according to the American Addiction Centers, up to 70% of those who consume alcohol experience insomnia.
Also, remember that alcoholic beverages depress the central nervous system, affect REM sleep, and can cause dehydration. Any of these factors may contribute to insomnia.
Alcohol can also indirectly worsen this condition by affecting brain chemistry.
It may reduce serotonin production and deplete folic acid over time, resulting in depression, anxiety, and a diminished ability to cope with stress. These problems can disrupt your sleep and lead to insomnia in the long run.
Even moderate drinking can suppress the production of melatonin, the so-called “sleep hormone,” which may result in insomnia.
In fact, according to one study, consuming alcohol before bedtime can reduce melatonin levels by a staggering 19%.
Sleep Apnea
Having a drink or two before bed may also worsen sleep apnea, a disorder that causes your breathing to repeatedly stop during sleep.
In clinical trials, alcohol intake has been shown to increase the risk of developing this condition by 25%. A possible explanation is that alcohol promotes weight gain and causes the upper airways to collapse, which may affect breathing.
Its depressant effects shouldn’t be overlooked either.
Alcohol slows down the central nervous system, causing difficulty breathing in those with sleep apnea. At the same time, it may induce snoring, which further contributes to disrupted breathing.
Narcolepsy
Heavy drinking may cause narcolepsy, according to a 2012 case report published in the Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry. In some cases, alcohol can worsen its symptoms due to its sedating effects.
This neurological disorder affects sleep-wake cycles, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness. Basically, it makes you fall asleep at random times. You may also experience frequent awakenings, sleep paralysis, vivid dreams, or hallucinations.
If you have narcolepsy, avoid drinking at bedtime. Note that cigarette smoking can worsen your symptoms, too.
Restless Legs Syndrome
Willis-Ekbom disease, or restless legs syndrome (RLS), causes a strong urge to move your legs. Its symptoms become more pronounced in the evening and during sleep, which may contribute to insomnia.
Although alcohol doesn’t cause RLS, it affects nerve and muscle function. Therefore, it can exacerbate its symptoms and further affect your sleep.
Parasomnias
Parasomnias cause abnormal behaviors before or during sleep, as well as immediately after waking up.
For instance, you may walk in your sleep or eat and drink while partially awake. Some people also experience recurring nightmares, sleep terrors, nocturnal leg cramps, or seizure-like episodes.
These problems appear to be common in people addicted to drugs or alcohol, according to 2020 evidence presented in CNS Spectrums.
As the researchers note, regular alcohol consumption may cause sleep-related eating disorders or sexsomnia, a condition characterized by abnormal sexual behaviors during sleep.
How to Sleep Better After Having a Drink
Alcohol can mess up your sleep, but this doesn’t mean you should never drink again. The key is to plan ahead.
Neurologist Sabra Abbott told The New York Times that it’s okay to drink a glass of wine at least four hours before bedtime. Ideally, drink while eating a meal or snack to slow the absorption of alcohol into your system.
Most importantly, stick to one drink if you’re a woman or two drinks if you’re a man. To prevent dehydration, have a glass of water for every glass of booze and avoid strong alcoholic beverages like whisky, gin, rum, or vodka.
Wondering when is the best time to drink and how much? Consider this: your liver can metabolize one standard drink per hour. That’s the equivalent of a 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits.
Therefore, it’s fine to drink a beer or a glass of wine at 7 p.m. if you go to bed around 11 p.m. Your body has enough time to process the alcohol before you hit the sack.
But if you drink too much in one sitting, the alcohol will build up in your system faster than your liver can metabolize it.
Apart from that, listen to your body and stop drinking sooner rather than later.
If you go overboard, consider taking an electrolyte supplement to replenish your levels of potassium, magnesium, and sodium.
Alternatively, eat a banana as soon as you’re back home. This fruit is rich in tryptophan, electrolytes, B-complex vitamins, and other nutrients that may improve sleep quality.
As a rule of thumb, don’t mix alcohol and sleeping pills. This combo can lower your heart and breathing rate and cause adverse effects like drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, lack of coordination, reduced blood pressure, or even death.
Alcohol and Sleep Don’t Mix
If you knew what happens when you sleep, you’d probably think twice before having another drink.
A good night’s rest is often the key to higher energy, increased productivity, and better memory. Just one night of bad sleep can affect mental and physical well-being, and your body needs at least four days to return to normal.
With that in mind, see these tips on how to sleep better and banish morning fatigue. Even little things, such as taking a warm bath and meditating for 20 minutes per day, can make all the difference.
