Table of contents:
- How alcohol affects your sleep
- What happens if you drink alcohol before bed
- Nightmare
- Respiratory disorders
- How did you feel the next day?
- Conclusion
Some of you may think alcohol can help you fall asleep. However, don't be fooled by the effects alcohol has at the beginning of bedtime, which can make you sleepy. Alcohol can actually disturb your sleep all the time, it can even cause you to experience insomnia because the sleep regulation in your body system is disturbed.
How alcohol affects your sleep
Drinking alcohol before bed can make you sleepy and make it easier to fall asleep. This happens because alcohol has a sedative or sedative effect on the body, thus encouraging you to go to sleep immediately. However, this doesn't last during your sleep time.
If you (or someone who has insomnia) think that alcohol can help you get better sleep, then you are wrong. Drinking alcohol before bed only makes you sleep soundly at the beginning of your bedtime. Then, after that in the middle of the night, you will be more likely to wake up, so that your sleep time will be cut short.
You can also get the negative effects of alcohol on the sleep phase rapid eye movement (BRAKE). The REM sleep phase is the deepest phase of your sleep, in which you can dream. Usually you will reach this REM phase after you have been asleep for about 90 minutes.
Well, alcohol can disrupt your sleep in this REM phase. You may have nightmares. REM sleep disturbances can cause daytime sleepiness and also reduce your concentration while doing your job.
Research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Colombia shows a link between alcohol consumption and sleep. According to Mahesh Thakkar, lead researcher, alcohol can disrupt sleep by changing circadian rhythms. In addition, alcohol can also disrupt sleep by affecting a person's sleep balance through increasing levels of the hormone adenosine in the body during sleep.
You should know that women get less sleep than men because of the effects of alcohol. This could be because women metabolize alcohol faster than men, so women can get to the second stage of sleep sooner than men.
What happens if you drink alcohol before bed
If you drink alcohol before bed, the alcohol in your body can cause you to experience the following during sleep, namely:
Nightmare
If your body is affected by alcohol while you are asleep, then you are more likely to have nightmares or dreams that appear to be real. You can also experience sleepwalking or doing something like you did in your dream. As said by Dr. Vensel-Rundo, a neurologist and sleep expert, that parasomnia (walking or unwanted movement during sleep) can occur due to alcohol or antidepressants, quoted from the Cleveland Clinic.
Respiratory disorders
The effects of alcohol can be spread throughout the body, one of which is on the respiratory system. Alcohol can relax your muscles, allowing your airways to close easily. This can increase your experience of sleep apnea or breathing problems during sleep.
How did you feel the next day?
If you drink alcohol before bed, the next day you may feel a little dizzy when you wake up. Sleep disorders that you experience at night, such as insomnia or waking up from sleep at night more frequently, make you less refreshed when you wake up the next day.
Also, there are studies showing that alcohol can lower the levels of the hormone melatonin in your body. The hormone melatonin is a hormone that regulates the body's internal clock. So, if you are addicted to alcohol, it may be difficult for your body to tell the difference between the time of day and night.
Conclusion
So, drinking alcohol before bed can make your sleep worse. Alcohol may be able to help you get a good night's sleep at the beginning of the sleep phase, but in the second phase of sleep alcohol can actually disturb your sleep. The more alcohol you drink before bed, the more likely you are to experience sleep disturbances.
To get good quality sleep, you should do the following:
- Do exercise regularly, but not in the hours before bedtime
- Avoid drinks containing caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine in the afternoon or a few hours before bed
- Sleep only in bed
- Keep your room temperature cool
- Set bedtime and wake up regularly
