The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that no amount of alcohol is safe to consume. So, even if you nod off quickly after drinking and manage to sleep for eight hours (or more), losing REM sleep means you won’t wake up feeling fully recharged. Consider simple tips for better sleep, from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine. Alcohol can disrupt the release of melatonin in the brain, which is the hormone that helps regulate sleep.
Disruptions in REM sleep can have far-reaching consequences, including impaired cognitive performance, mood disturbances, and increased risk of certain mental health conditions. Alcohol can initially increase adenosine levels, a neurotransmitter that induces sleepiness. However, as the night progresses, alcohol can interfere with the natural buildup of adenosine, leading to disrupted sleep. Many people turn to alcohol to cope with difficult feelings, but alcohol may end up having the opposite effect if it interferes with sleep.
- The “evening” type (greater eveningness) individual prefers a later bedtime and a later rise time and has a greater need for sleep.
- Each cycle lasts around 90 minutes total, which adds up to between six and nine hours of sleep.
- Chronic alcohol use can disrupt the body’s natural sleep-wake cycles, leading to insomnia, which is the persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep, even on nights when alcohol is not consumed.
- Suppressing REM sleep can have detrimental consequences for memory consolidation and other cognitive processes.
- However, disrupted sleep patterns often follow this initial drowsiness, resulting in poor sleep quality.
- This can, unfortunately, lead to greater quantities over time and increase the likelihood of alcohol dependence.
Delayed melatonin release
Alcohol also affects people with central sleep apnea (CSA), which occurs when the brain periodically stops sending certain signals involved in breathing. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s ability to receive chemical messages involved in breathing, which decreases the body’s respiratory drive and increases the likelihood of pauses in breathing. The typical sleep cycle begins with three non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages of sleep and ends with rapid eye movement (REM). During sleep, the body cycles through all of these stages every 90 to 120 minutes, with NREM sleep dominating the first part of the night and REM increasing during the second part of the night. Each stage is necessary for sleep to feel refreshing and for vital processes like learning and memory consolidation to occur. When alcohol hits the brain, it impacts a few neurotransmitters including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps regulate the nervous system.
Light is the primary stimulus involved in synchronizing an organism’s internal rhythm in the circadian clock with the external environment. In addition to light, other cues such as physical activity or feeding are considered as non-photic cues that can be used to reset the circadian clock. Non-photic phase-resetting is the process of shifting and/or synchronizing the circadian clock using non-photic stimulus. The circadian clock may modulate sleep-wake cycle with the help of melatonin. Alcohol use and dependence appear to interfere with circadian rhythms—biological patterns that operate on a 24-hour clock.
- The circadian clock may modulate sleep-wake cycle with the help of melatonin.
- Alcohol is a muscle relaxant, so consuming alcohol at bedtime can make a person more prone to experience a blocked airway.
- The effects of alcohol on sleep quality and overall nutrition are far from beneficial.
Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve. After some of the alcohol is metabolized, excitatory glutamate is released which has more of an activating effect. Glutamate disrupts sleep when it enters the reticular activating system, which regulates alcohol and sleep connection sleep and wake processes. Connect with experts and fellow forum members on CPAP, sleep apnea, and all things sleep. People with alcohol in their systems are also generally harder to wake, which means that they’re less likely to experience “arousals” that help them recover from OSA- and CSA-related pauses in breathing. However, if you work nights, you might need to nap late in the day before work to help make up your sleep debt.
How does alcohol impact sleep disorders?
In more serious cases, individuals suffer momentary lapses in breathing, followed by micro-awakenings that interrupt the progression of the sleep stages. Research shows that even late afternoon drinking with a delay of 6 hours before bedtime can disrupt sleep. This is further supported by research that indicates that alcohol has a relatively long-lasting change in circadian rhythm and sleep regulations. However, as a general rule for the odd occasional drink, stick to having a drink with a gap of at least 4-5 hours before bedtime. In addition to the homeostatic drive, the normal sleep-wake cycle is also linked to an underlying circadian rhythm. The suprachiasmatic nucleus within the hypothalamus in the brain is the master clock that synchronizes a host of internal rhythms with the sleep-wake cycle being one of them.
How to Align Your Wake-Up Routine with Your Body’s Natural Rhythms
In a study interviewing abstinent alcohol dependent people, a substantial proportion described having been aware that alcohol disturbed their sleep, but that they needed to drink to get to sleep. So alcohol use may create sleep disruption, but the sleep disturbance in turn, elicits greater alcohol use. Maintain a regular sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine to promote better sleep quality, regardless of alcohol consumption. A newer study found that one dose of alcohol had no effect on the circadian rhythm in rodents. However, the researchers proposed that perhaps these effects on the circadian rhythm are only seen after several consecutive days of alcohol consumption. In support of the alcohol-melatonin connection, researchers have noticed that individuals suffering from severe alcohol withdrawal tend to have less pronounced melatonin levels and release.
The temporary sedation alcohol provides comes at the cost of disrupted sleep architecture, fragmented rest, and circadian rhythm disturbances. Yes, alcohol consumption can exacerbate sleep apnea symptoms by relaxing the muscles in the throat and increasing the likelihood of airway obstruction during sleep. If you have sleep apnea, it’s crucial to avoid alcohol, especially close to bedtime. Avoid consuming alcohol close to bedtime, as it can disrupt the later stages of sleep.
Drinking alcohol might help you fall asleep—but it won’t keep you there. And the negative effects of interrupted sleep can add up over time, leading to other unwanted health concerns including chronic pain. If you don’t fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing. Repeat as needed, but continue to maintain your sleep schedule and wake-up time. Like most things, our bodies crave moderation, especially when it comes to sleep. Drinking within recommended limits a few hours before bed may have a minimal impact on your sleep.
Once it is absorbed into the bloodstream after being filtered through the stomach and small intestine, alcohol travels throughout the body. Jenna is a clinical psychologist who treats, researches, and loves all things sleep and health-related. Dr. Breus has been in private practice as a sleep doctor for nearly 25 years and currently lives in Hermosa Beach, CA. Studies have found conflicting information about how alcohol affects REM sleep.
2.2. Alcohol and circadian rhythm abnormalities.
This lets our users draw their own conclusions on whether a particular activity led to a poorer or improved quality of sleep and can also let them see certain patterns over time. Drinking alcohol before bed can worsen sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where the airway narrows and can stop you from breathing. Alcohol can contribute to dehydration, which can further disrupt sleep quality. Make sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after consuming alcohol. Chronic alcohol use can disrupt the body’s natural sleep-wake cycles, leading to insomnia, which is the persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep, even on nights when alcohol is not consumed.
For people who snore or who have sleep apnea—a disorder that causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep—drinking alcohol tends to aggravate symptoms. If you are one of the nearly two thirds of Americans who drink alcohol, chances are, you’ve had a drink in the hours before bedtime. Maybe you enjoy a glass of beer or wine after dinner, or your weekends include drinking with friends at bars or social events.
