Who hasn’t struggled to get to sleep? You lay in bed tossing and turning and trying not to look at the clock, because you know that will only cause you to count the shrinking number of hours until the alarm goes off. Lack of sleep can lead to desperation, and desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
Not always.
While it may be tempting to take a drink or two to get to sleep, a new study shows that alcohol-induced sleep isn’t necessarily good sleep, and you may not wake feeling rested at all.
The research published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research shows that while that nightcap may get you to doze off, you’re more likely to wake up during the night and may not feel as rested in the morning. Scientists looked at 517 participants from 38 sleep lab experiments. The participants, who were healthy young adults without drinking problems, drank varying amounts of alcohol, ranging from a single drink to four or more. Some experiments examined the results of only one night of drinking, others extended into several consecutive nights.
The results showed that while alcohol may initially help someone fall asleep, it results in more disrupted sleep throughout the night according to Ishaad Ebrahim, lead author of the study and Director of the London Sleep Center. Alcohol can actually worsen insomnia in the long run.
At all doses studied the alcohol increased deep or so-called “slow wave” sleep (SWS) during the first part of the night. This type of slumber is associated with healing and regeneration of bones, muscles and other tissues, as well as maintaining a strong immune system, but drinking has long been known to reduce REM sleep, the deepest sleep stage.
The more you drink, the bigger the effect. One or two drinks may increase slow wave sleep while not necessarily affecting deeper REM sleep, but more alcohol definitely cuts into the time spent in the REM stage. So for those with an alcohol dependence or addiction, this means in addition to other negative effects of drinking, their sleep is regularly impacted. That’s just one more reason to seek help.
Alcohol Abuse Help at La Paloma
If you or someone you love needs treatment for alcohol misuse or abuse, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
