You might want to think twice before having a little night cap before bedtime.
Many think that having a little alcohol before going to bed will help you sleep. But the truth is, it actually greatly affects the way you sleep.
Drinking alcohol before bedtime can have a negative impact on the quantity and quality of your sleep. Even though it acts as a sedative, it’s a fast-acting drug that metabolizes quickly.
According to experts:
“Using alcohol for sleep is a bad idea because it can affect sleep stages, lighten sleep and cause abrupt awakenings. Chronic use of alcohol may lead to needing higher and higher doses to achieve the same sleep-inducing effect.”
The sleep cycle works like this:
N1. The first step into sleep, N1 accounts for 4-5 percent of nightly sleep and functions as the brief transition period between sleep and wakefulness.
N2. A more consolidated stage, during which time your breathing pattern and heart rate begin to slow.
N3. Commonly known as “deep sleep” this is the stage when your body and brain are undergoing restoration.
REM. During REM sleep we often have action packed dreams. Parts of our brain are most active during the REM phase of sleep. Our muscles are essentially paralyzed during REM, preventing us from acting out dreams.
There are ways that will help you sleep well without alcohol. Experts explain that you should have a consistent sleep/wake routine, include daily exercise habits, get some sort of sun exposure, and try to kick the caffeine habit.
If do you plan on drinking alcohol in the evening, try to wait a few hours between drinking and sleeping. To put things in perspective, an ounce of alcohol takes an hour to metabolize so you might want to think twice before resorting to alcohol.
[Image via WENN.]