Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that causes brain activity to slow down. Alcohol has sedative effects that can induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness, but the consumption of alcohol — especially in excess — has been linked to poor sleep quality and duration. People with alcohol use disorders commonly experience insomnia symptoms. Studies have shown that alcohol use can exacerbate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Before we look at the effects of alcohol on sleep in detail, here’s the basic bottom line.
This is particularly important after drinking alcohol, as your airways may relax even more than normal. The general recommendation for alcohol and sleep apnea is to abstain from drinking if possible. This can help reduce the risks of alcohol making your sleep condition worse. Alcohol can affect REM sleep and your breathing, both of which can contribute to daytime fatigue. REM sleep gives your mind time to rest, so even if you get plenty of sleep, if you skip a few REM cycles, you’re likely going to feel pretty drowsy the next day.
How Sleep Works
Talk with your health care provider about any treatment before you try it. For milder cases of sleep apnea, your health care provider may recommend only lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking. If you have nasal allergies, your provider may recommend treatment for your allergies. Your health care provider may make an evaluation based on your symptoms and a sleep history, which you can provide with help from someone who shares your bed or your household, if possible. Alcohol may disrupt your sleep patterns and cause you to breathe shallowly or stop breathing altogether.
Chronotype is a product of both the homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian timing [10]. Chronotype can be conceptualized as being categorical (“morning”, “evening”, and “indeterminate” or “neither” types) or dimensional (ranging from extreme morningness to extreme evenigness) in nature. The “evening” type (greater eveningness) individual prefers eco sober house complaints a later bedtime and a later rise time and has a greater need for sleep. This chronotype is commonly seen in adolescents and those with psychiatric disorders. Conversely, the “morning” type individual (greater morningness) prefers an earlier bedtime and an earlier rise time. Moreover, chronotype is a dynamic trait that changes across the lifespan.
Heart rate increase
However, many people enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and again. If this is the case and you don’t want to give up alcohol for good, the key is moderation. Drinking alcohol can make sleep apnea worse because it interferes with the sleep cycle and can worsen apnea events. It can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, dementia, impotence and even death. Fortunately, there are a number of treatments that can improve or eliminate the disorder.
- During sleep, a person’s heart rate should slow and drop to below 60 beats per minute.
- Consumption of alcohol resulted in significant worsening of the AHI and mean SpO2 in sleep.
- These sleep-disrupting consequences of alcohol consumption are most often found in people who have three or more drinks before sleeping.
- For example, doctors often recommend that people with a breathing disorder called obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) avoid drinking alcohol because of its effects on respiration during sleep.
A common symptom of sleep apnea is loud snoring, which is probably why heavy drinkers experience disruptive snoring throughout the night. This can be an especially dangerous side effect because it can lead to longer breathing pauses. You can manage the negative effects of alcohol on sleep by giving your body ample time to metabolize alcohol before falling asleep. To reduce the risk of sleep disruptions, you should stop drinking alcohol at least four hours before bedtime. Alcohol is highly effective at suppressing melatonin, a key facilitator of sleep and regulator of sleep-wake cycles.
Diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Forest plot of mean difference in apnea-hypopnea index on alcohol-exposed nights versus placebo nights in subjects with OSA. By Brandon Peters, MD
Brandon Peters, MD, is a board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine specialist. Your daily habits and environment can significantly impact the quality of your sleep.
- If you’re struggling to get enough quality rest, talk to a health care professional about ways to improve your sleep.
- But alcohol use is also linked to other types of sleep-related breathing disorders and snoring.
- Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.
- Based on your answers, we will calculate your free
Sleep Foundation Score
™
and create a personalized sleep profile that includes sleep-improving products and education curated just
for you. - But the truth is, drinking regularly—even moderate drinking—is much more likely to interfere with your sleep than to assist it.
CPAP is a type of treatment for OSA that works by pumping air through a mask and into the airway. The pressurized stream of air helps hold the airway open while a person sleeps. See how your sleep habits and environment measure up and gauge how adjusting behavior can improve sleep quality.
Associated Data
John joined Amethyst as a behavioral health technician where he quickly developed strong personal relationships with the clients through support and guidance. John understands first hand the struggles of addiction and strives to provide a safe environment for clients. They might be able to recommend treatment or options for a potential alcohol use disorder.
If this happens, it’s worth a visit to your doctor to either get some treatment for sleep apnea — or rule it out altogether. In the first half of the night, when the body is metabolizing alcohol, studies show people spend more time in deep, slow-wave sleep and less time in REM sleep. Sleep architecture is biologically driven and finely https://rehabliving.net/ calibrated to meet the body’s needs during nightly rest—changes to the natural, typical structure of sleep aren’t generally good for health or well being. REM sleep, which gets shortchanged in the first half of the night under the influence of alcohol, is important for mental restoration, including memory and emotional processing.
Alcohol is one of the most commonly used psychoactive substances in the community. Alcohol also increases breathing-related sleep events such as snoring and oxygen desaturation, especially in those with pre-existing problems. Emerging data demonstrate that insomnia may co-exist with SSD and circadian abnormalities. Future studies should unravel these tentative associations in individuals who misuse alcohol. The prevalence of OSA in the USA has been estimated at around 15% in men and 5% in women for people aged 30–70 years [7].
One group attempted to blind subjects and investigators to alcohol status but reported that the blinding was easily broken (28). Another study reported that only the investigators were blinded to alcohol status (29). The remainder of the studies either did not attempt to blind subjects/investigators or did not provide any information regarding blinding. The order in which subjects received alcohol/placebo was a random in all studies except one, where subjects received alcohol on the second night of recording (22). The good news is you’ve already taken control of your health and sought help in the form of CPAP therapy.
However, the amount of alcohol consumed does impact the overall amount of non-REM sleep, indicating a trend of increased non-REM sleep duration. The relationship between alcohol consumption and sleep is a complicated one. People often assume that because they pass out soon after having a nightcap, that alcohol is good for sleep. The natural depressing effects of alcohol do help you fall asleep faster. While this may be true, the quality of alcohol-induced sleep is a completely different story.
Does Alcohol Cause Insomnia?
Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by abnormal breathing and temporary loss of breath during sleep. These lapses in breathing can in turn cause sleep disruptions and decrease sleep quality. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs due to physical blockages in the back of the throat, while central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs because the brain cannot properly signal the muscles that control breathing. Drinking alcohol before bed can increase the suppression of REM sleep during the first two cycles. Since alcohol is a sedative, sleep onset is often shorter for drinkers and some fall into deep sleep rather quickly. As the night progresses, this can create an imbalance between slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, resulting in less of the latter and more of the former.