Does drinking before bed really help you sleep? Don't do it anymore! The harm is more terrible than insomnia...

gossip

"Drinking before bed can help you sleep."

Many people who can't sleep think that drinking some alcohol before going to bed can help them relax, and being slightly tipsy can help them calm down and sleep better.

Rumor Analysis

False. Drinking alcohol before bed not only does not help you sleep, but it actually affects your sleep.

Drinking before bed does not help you sleep

Many people believe that "drinking helps you sleep", mainly because they think that the nervous system is paralyzed by alcohol after drinking, and the person will enter a state of slow reaction, drowsiness and fatigue. On the surface, it seems that they are "helped to sleep".

However, this so-called sleep-aiding effect will soon backfire.

On the one hand, drinking makes it easier for us to fall asleep, but it also makes it easier for us to wake up early.

Studies have found that although alcohol can shorten the time it takes for people to fall asleep, making them seem to fall asleep immediately, and making it easier for them to enter a deep sleep state and not be easily awakened, it is likely to cause people to wake up earlier after a period of deep sleep.

Researchers call this the " rebound effect " - when alcohol first enters the body and the concentration is high, it will increase the time people spend in non-rapid eye movement sleep in the first half of the night, allowing people to quickly enter deep sleep. Once it is metabolized and the alcohol concentration decreases, people will experience longer periods of rapid eye movement sleep in the second half of the night, making it easier to sleep lightly in the second half of the night, or wake up early and have difficulty falling asleep again.

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On the other hand, the "sleep-inducing" effect of alcohol will gradually decrease, and it is easy to drink more and more to help you sleep.

Studies have found that the effect of alcohol as a sleep aid will weaken as people's tolerance to alcohol increases. In other words, the more you are used to drinking alcohol to help you sleep, the worse the sleep aid effect will be . In order to continue to get the sleep aid effect brought by alcohol, people tend to drink more and more.

However, once you drink too much alcohol, it will in turn cause various discomforts and affect the quality of sleep, such as increasing the number of times you get up at night, headaches, stomach discomfort, etc.

Not only can it not help you sleep

Drinking before bed has these harmful effects!

Drinking alcohol to help you sleep is not only not feasible, but if you drink too much or rely on alcohol to fall asleep for a long time, it can cause all-round harm to your body.

1

Affects memory and concentration

Alcohol itself has a paralyzing effect on the nervous system. Drinking alcohol can cause movement imbalance, regulatory disorders in learning and cognitive abilities, etc.

Studies have shown that some cells in the brain are also involved in alcohol metabolism, which is related to alcohol-induced brain damage and brain degeneration. In addition, drinking before bed will reduce the time of rapid eye movement sleep in the first half of the night, and rapid eye movement sleep happens to be an important period for the brain to organize and consolidate memories.

For this reason, people often find that their memory has declined, their concentration has decreased, and their brains are a little "blank" from time to time the day after a hangover.

2

Increased risk of snoring and sleep apnea

People describe people who snore loudly when they sleep after drinking, and there is a reason for this.

Alcohol relaxes the muscles of the whole body, and the relaxation of the throat muscles can cause the tongue root to fall back, resulting in snoring. Some serious cases may also experience sleep apnea symptoms, which not only affects normal breathing and sleep quality, but also poses a risk of suffocation.

3

Increased risk of liver damage, gout, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Drinking before going to bed for a long time will cause the body to consume excessive alcohol, which will cause continuous damage to the liver.

At the same time, excessive alcohol intake will increase the risk of gout, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases; it will also indirectly lead to the occurrence or development of chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity, three highs, etc.

4

Increased risk of other diseases

Studies have found that the proportion of insomnia in alcoholics is higher than that of the normal population, and insomnia patients also have a higher proportion of alcohol abuse. In other words, there is a vicious cycle of interaction between alcohol and insomnia. This is actually not difficult to understand: as mentioned earlier, the sleep-inducing effect of alcohol will be gradually tolerated by the human body, and the only way to get a good night's sleep is to continue to increase the amount of alcohol consumed.

In short, no matter what the reason is, it is not recommended to rely on drinking to help you sleep. The "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Insomnia in Chinese Adults" clearly states: "Do not drink before going to bed, especially do not use alcohol to help you fall asleep."

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If you have trouble sleeping, try this!

The rhythm of human sleep and wakefulness is regulated by melatonin. When melatonin is secreted adequately, the sleep rhythm is normal and the sleep quality is high. Melatonin is synthesized with tryptophan as the raw material. If you can properly supplement with foods rich in tryptophan, it will help relieve insomnia.

In addition, nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium, and unsaturated fatty acids are also associated with higher sleep quality.

In daily life, you can consume more foods such as tomatoes, strawberries, olive oil, walnuts, as well as green leafy vegetables and mushrooms, which can help supplement melatonin and other nutrients that promote sleep.

In addition to dietary supplements, in order to promote the secretion of melatonin, we can also do the following things:

1

Get more sun and do more outdoor exercise

Increasing the amount of exercise during the day can improve sleep at night by naturally tiring yourself out. More importantly, more sun exposure can inhibit the secretion of melatonin during the day, keeping people awake during the day. At the same time, sunlight exposure can promote the secretion of serotonin, which serves as the raw material for the synthesis of melatonin.

2

Avoid excitement before bed

Whether it is drinking alcohol/coffee/strong tea before going to bed, high-intensity exercise, or participating in emotionally arousing parties and other entertainment, you should try your best to avoid it. Before going to bed, you should calm your body and mind and gradually enter a state of rest.

3

Create a comfortable sleeping environment

Adjusting the indoor temperature and humidity, dimming the lights/installing blackout curtains, changing to comfortable mattresses and pillows, etc., can all help create a good sleeping environment and promote good sleep.

4

Use white noise

You can use white noise (such as the rustling of leaves in the wind, the gentle sound of waves, the sound of rain, etc.) or soothing piano music to help the brain block out external environmental noise, gradually enter a quiet state suitable for sleep, and improve sleep quality.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

This rumor may sound reasonable on the surface, as many people do feel sleepy after drinking. However, after further analysis, it is found that this statement lacks scientific basis and can lead to other health problems. When we see such overly simple or overly good health suggestions, we should be vigilant. Understanding basic medical and health knowledge can help us better understand the scientific principles behind various health suggestions.

References

[1] Thakkar MM, Sharma R, Sahota P. Alcohol disrupts sleep homeostasis. Alcohol, 2015, 49(4):299-310.

[2] Kaneita Y, Uchiyama M, Takemura S, et al. Use of alcohol and hypnotic medication as aids to sleep among the Japanese general population. Sleep Med. 2007;8(7-8):723-732.

[3] Roehrs T, Roth T. Sleep, sleepiness, and alcohol use. Alcohol Res Health. 2001;25(2):101-9. PMID: 11584549; PMCID: PMC6707127.

[4] Jin, S., Cao, Q., Yang, F. et al. Brain ethanol metabolism by astrocytic ALDH2 drives the behavioral effects of ethanol intoxication. Nat Metab 3, 337–351 (2021).

[5]Roehrs, T., & Roth, T. Sleep, Sleepiness, and Alcohol Use. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism., Retrieved February 6, 2023.

[6] Chinese Society of Neurology, Chinese Society of Neurology Sleep Disorders Group. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia in adults in China (2017 edition), Chinese Journal of Neurology, 2018, 51(5): 324-335.

Planning and production

Author: Wang Lu, registered dietitian

Reviewer: Li Jingjing, Professor and Chief Physician, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital