How Does Alcohol Impact Sleep?
Party season is well and truly here and as the festivities kick off for Christmas, more of us will be drinking more alcohol than usual. However, have you ever considered how this might impact on your sleep?
Some people associate alcohol with falling asleep more easily. In fact, if you have a problem with falling asleep, you might find alcohol has a sort of sedative effect. However, it’s important to note that while you may fall asleep more easily, sleep after consuming alcohol is generally less restorative, so you will feel more tired the next day.
In addition, when sleeping after drinking alcohol, you will have less REM sleep. REM sleep helps with memory consolidation and regulating emotions, so you may find yourself feeling out of sorts, with increased anxiety the following day too.
While the only real way to avoid this is to cut out alcohol, we all know that’s unlikely during party season. So, here are my top tips to help reduce the impact of alcohol on your sleep and give yourself the best chance of a restorative night’s sleep.
Try to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume, enjoying a drink or two rather than binge drinking
Drink more water, keeping yourself hydrated will help reduce the impact alcohol has on your sleep
Try and finish drinking alcohol before it gets too close to bedtime, slowing down your drinking as the night progresses
Don’t overthink it if you do drink too much and have a poor night’s sleep. Just put the night behind you and avoid the temptation to go to bed too early the following night
Manage your alcohol-related anxiety by grounding yourself in the moment. It’s easy to let anxiety spiral, so instead take a breath and use all your senses. Notice what you can hear, smell, feel and see in that moment to keep yourself grounded.
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