The Truth About Alcohol and Sleep

Make no mistake, although we agree that a little booze here and there can be quite nice, our professional goal is to find a mattress that you will not need alcohol to get the best sleep!  Anyone trying to attain or maintain a healthy lifestyle must get a certain amount of quality sleep every day.  Furthermore, good sleep alleviates the need for other more expensive options, such as  personal trainers, doctor visits and diet pills.  Most people know or believe that a cocktail before bed can create a relaxing mood  for sleep.  We decided to check out what the experts had to say about nightcaps and sleep.  As you might have suspected, the experts recommend moderation when drinking alcohol before bed.

Even though studies such as the April 2013 review of 20 studies Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research have shown that any amount of alcohol does accelerate falling asleep, and even makes the fist half of our sleep cycle deeper, it does cause a more disrupted second half as the alcohol metabolized.

You see, when we are in what is called a “deep” sleep, our immune system becomes stronger, the body repairs tissue, and builds bone and muscle. The other type of sleep, referred to as REM (Rapid Eye Movement), is necessary to maintain concentration and motor skills.  Both types of sleep are required for our bodies and minds to revitalize themselves.

Moderate amounts of alcohol, one or two drinks, has been shown to deepen the first half of sleep and not significantly affect REM, three of more drinks can indeed affect REM sleep by reducing the amount of REM.  Some have hypothesized that perhaps this is why sometimes you can’t remember a memorable event after drinking several alcoholic drinks.  The study also showed that heavy drinking can lead to breathing problems such as sleep apnea and snoring, which also contribute to disrupted and less quality sleep.

Therefore, even though it may seem that you sleep better after several drinks, because you fall asleep faster, it does not help us sleep better.  Best to keep your drinks to a minimum (1-2), and drink slowly.  Sleep well!