An evening drink: How your nightcap could be disrupting your sleep

Being a depressant, alcohol impacts the central nervous system and lowers the level of arousal, which may aid in initiating sleep. Some people resort to its consumption before sleep to expedite sleep latency, that is, to reduce the gap between going to bed and falling asleep, leading to the second sleep stage.

A fallout of this habit is disrupting the natural sleep cycle, specifically the REM phase, which is critical for vital processes and memory. Studies reveal that alcohol can considerably truncate this phase, resulting in superficial and disturbed sleep. This effect becomes significantly perceivable in the latter half of the night when the blood alcohol level declines.

Alcohol's Role in Deteriorating Sleep Quality

Alcohol is responsible for insomnia and other sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and daytime drowsiness. Regular consumers of alcohol before sleep often tend to wake up in the middle of the night, face difficulty in falling back asleep, and feel fatigued in the morning.

Furthermore, having alcohol in the evening can culminate in serious health concerns like chronic sleep deficiency, mood disorders, and focus-related problems, which can gradually pave the way for depression.

Managing Evening Alcohol Consumption

The optimal strategy is to keep your alcohol consumption in check, particularly during the evening. If you decide to have a glass of wine or a cocktail, ensure to do it a few hours before going to sleep so that your body has ample time to metabolize the alcohol. It is equally crucial to hydrate your body enough to ward off dehydration, an issue that often follows alcohol consumption and can further disrupt sleep.

However, remember that alternating drinks - substituting one glass of wine with one glass of water - might necessitate frequent bathroom trips during the night, adversely impacting your sleep quality. Consuming fewer fluids right before sleep is advisable.

Adopting good sleep habits - maintaining regular bedtimes and wake-up times, managing appropriate temperature and darkness, avoiding blue light-emitting devices in the evening, and following relaxing rituals are pivotal for restorative sleep. Prioritizing these should be high on our list.