Sleep and Alcohol

Drink and drive...of course not. But don't drink and sleep?
Recent studies on alcohol and sleep show us that alcohol only seems to cause sleep because it pushes the sleep drive ahead so that sleepiness happens earlier than it is fully ready to. This then causes the sleep drive to dissipate earlier causing arousals out of sleep and earlier awakening. The diuretic effect of alcohol also further disrupts sleep by causing more desire to urinate during the night. Wine can also cause blood sugar spikes that cause arousals and fragmented sleep. Another study showed that two glasses of wine within two hours of bed time can reduce "deep restorative sleep" by as much as 50%.

The take away: from this is If you'd like to sleep better keep alcohol at least two hours away from bed time. And give up the myth that alcohol can make you sleep better. It just isn't true.