Alcohol is the most common sleep aid in the United States, with at least 20% of Americans relying on it to help fall asleep. While alcohol may seem like an easy, go-to before bed, should you really use it to fall asleep?
You know how you feel after having had a few drinks: relaxed, sometimes too relaxed, and then you find yourself sleepy. Alcohol is a depressant and a sedative so it may make you feel drowsy. As sleep researcher Irshaad Ebrahim notes: “The immediate and short-term impact of alcohol is to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, and this effect on the first half of sleep may be partly the reason some people with insomnia use alcohol as a sleep aid…however, this is offset by having more disrupted sleep in the second half of the night.”
That second half of sleep often includes REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which kicks in after about 90 minutes of sleep, is responsible for dreams and is considered the most restorative type of sleep. Disruptions in your REM sleep may mean a subpar night of sleeping, which may lead to drowsiness and poor concentration the next day.
Then let’s not talk about the other by-product of drinking too much: those multiple late-night visits to the bathroom. That’s not the only thing says Dr. Michael Breus, a sleep specialist: “If you rely on alcohol to fall asleep, recognize that you have a greater likelihood to sleepwalk, sleep talk, and have problems with your memory.” It also makes you more prone to snoring and sleep apnea, and at its worst you may also end up with alcohol dependency.
Although the best solution is to find other ways to get to sleep, the good news is there’s nothing wrong with having that one nightcap…as long as you stick to one drink. As with most things, moderation is the key.
Looking for more ways to get better sleep? Try our app, Rain Rain Sleep Sounds, to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.