For many people, enjoying a nightcap or a glass of wine before bed can become a regular habit. While alcohol may initially help you relax and fall asleep, it can ultimately disrupt your sleep cycle and lead to various health issues. If you’re looking to break the habit of nighttime alcohol use and improve your sleep quality, this blog post offers practical strategies to help you make the transition to a healthier nighttime routine.
Alcoholics are those that abuse alcohol and drink it in excess. Among the other health problems they may face, such as liver disease, obesity, heart disease, and neurological disorders, sleep is another aspect of their lives that can be disrupted. Alcohol may help individuals fall asleep faster, but this is about the only benefit alcohol has towards sleep.
Alcohol does not allow sleepers to enter the phase "deep sleep" which is important for restoration and next-day function. The more alcohol that one consumes, the more this sleep is interrupted. Abstinence from alcohol can further exacerbate sleep issues, increasing sleep latency, and leading to other health issues like insomnia. Continue reading to learn how to manage sleep problems associated with alcoholism.
Insomnia induced by the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and other medications is called substance or medication-induced disorder. This means that the effects of using any of those substances is the cause of any sleep issues you may be experiencing, including sleep deprivation, excessive sleepiness, and unusual behaviors during sleep.
Substances or medication-induced sleep disorder differs from primary insomnia or exhaustion because it affects individuals right after they have taken a drug. Staying up late, participation in activities induced by drug or alcohol use can all interfere with sleep significantly, and the effects last much longer. Continue reading to learn more about how substances can lead to a sleep disorder.
The sleep that one can get after having a few drinks of alcohol may persuade you that drinking alcohol can lead to great sleep. And although you may feel like you are getting deep sleep, the quality of your sleep may actually be too poor to offer any benefits. Alcohol interrupts the process of REM sleep, which is important for the restorative feeling of sleep. Without this stage, you may wake up still feeling lethargic, and unrested, regardless of how long you slept. Those who abuse alcohol may have an even worse time with sleep. Keep reading to find out how alcoholism is impacting your sleep.