Effects of Alcohol on Sleep
Many of you will say that you need a drink in order to sleep, that alcohol actually helps you sleep better. While it may be true that drinking will get you off to sleep quicker, unfortunately the quality of your sleep will be much worse overall.
Alcohol inhibits the brain from entering REM stage sleep, which is when we do most of our dreaming, and prolongs the initial stage of deeper sleep. So when you wake up, you will probably not have dreamt enough – and dreaming is an essential component of sleeping. That or you wake up early once the alcohol has worn off.
Alcohol also inhibits your kidneys from absorbing water, so you tend to urinate more, and end up dehydrated. This further disrupts the quality of your sleep, and often produces a headache by morning. As such you end up feeling tired and unable to concentrate for the rest of the day. If you drink every evening, then you may be chronically sleep deprived, even though you might sleep all night, the quality of your sleep is not what it should be.
Making the transition to drinking less is often marked by a difficulty in falling asleep however, so you’ll have to readjust to dropping off naturally again. Getting regular, strenuous exercise is a good idea then – if you’re physically tired you’re much more likely to be able to sleep without needing your usual ‘knock-out drops’.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping when I quit drinking. I started taking prescription sleeping medication in order to sleep (I took Ambien). I still didn’t feel like I was getting good sleep and I was always tired the next day. So, I decided to quit taking Ambien and had an even worse time trying to sleep than when I quit drinking. It took awhile to be able to sleep normally after I quit taking it. I think I exacerbated the problem by taking something to help me sleep and I would have readjusted faster without it, that’s just my opinion looking back. It was like I had to go through it twice.
Hi Rebecca
From the first day/night you stopped drinking approximately how many bad nights sleep did you experience?
We stopped yesterday and last night I had such nightmares that I was afraid to close my eyes. I also did not have much more that a couple of hours very broken sleep. It was so bad I am tempted to have a few drinks before bedtime just so I can have some sleep but I realise that that is against what I am trying to do.
Many thanks for any advice
Ann and Paul
Paul & Ann,
I had 2 nights of absolutely no sleep at all. I think I slept ok on the 3rd and had crazy dreams, but it gets better because you eventually have to sleep. I wouldn’t recommend drinking to sleep, just wait it out. I’ve been through withdrawal symptoms more than once and like I said I also took sleeping pills – getting off of them took about a week to get back to normal sleeping, maybe more, I can’t remember but it was worse!
Good luck!
Rebecca
i think that people shouldnt drink becuase they will get really ill and they will ruin there family they wont get looked after and also ur liver will eget s big as a ball, dribnking really effect no just you but also the people around you. Also if you only one drink you want to keep drinking more and more. Thne from then you cant stop it. Also if you drink you dont look nice and people think taht you are an idiot and you satrt to smell.
goddamit man….everybody thinks now you are the coolest one cause you dont smell,you are having nice relatioships,you are fucking healthy,to sum up you are the BRIGHTEST DIAMOND….and the rest of us will go to hell…..return back to the primary school and ask your theology teacher,even quicker speak tonight with mr God and then please let us know if we are going to hell soon.thanks a lot holly friend…and never forget to wash your hands twice after touching one of us,THE CURSED!!!piece of stone around dark thornfull roses!!!!stoko!
THAT IS JUST TOO FUNNY!!!!! I AM SITTING HERE ALMOST WETTING MY KNICKERS. Not only has Oh Ma Gorth made some very pertinent remarks regarding Jack’s very low opinion of people who drink, I think Jack should not only consult his Theology teacher but I think he also needs to re-connect with his English teacher as his spelling and grammar at at the level of either someone themselves who is highly intoxicated or at the educational level of a 6yr old. Maybe Jack needs to START drinking and his intelligence and ability to have a HAPPY ADULT RELATIONSHIP may have a better chance at success.
Aside from that, I have to say his posting and Oh Ma Gorth’s reply have to be one of the most entertaining things I have read in a long time. Thanks for the laugh.
Hi jack i forgot to look when you posted that comment so it could be very old i don’t no and i cant be pissed with rolling the page up to see lol….How ever i would like to say thank god there are people like you….I am not shore if you are a teenager or not but wat i will say is you do come across as one in that post…I think you may all so be a little dyslexic like me looking at some of your words but don’t let that stand in your way….Fire Fox spell checker works wounders….You have a old hed on a young mans shoulders…Lol like i use to have….Do try not to take any notice of any one on here trying to tell you to get back to school…..Wat they should be doing is saying YOUR RIGHT in fact your right in every word you said….I can relate to every word you put down…I don’t like to admit the smell one but yes i all so have smelt like a rat for weeks on end……Some thing you could do jack or try is to take one word lets take your KEY WORDS …..Drink….iLL….Family…..Liver…..Effect….Keep Drinking….Cant Stop….Look Nice as in wat it does to your skin and how it can age you……And SMELL lol….Now if you start with the first one DRINK as in Alcohol the best thing to do would be to read up from one good sauce about Alcohol …..Then move on to all the ill affects it can have on the body…..Then how it can affect the family and so on so as you get a good understanding of how Alcohol works…..In some things it can be a great healer in others a killer…..Now if you read up and remember a little bit of all you have read then the next time some drunk try’s to make an idiot of them selves and put a kid down for Talking about alcohol on here not knowing if he or she has only came on here because he or she has a mum or dad that’s an alcoholic then you will be able to come right on back and put them right on the spot so to speak……Good luck in every thing you do m8
Damn, there’s always someone there to state the obvious.
I always worry that i wont be able to get to sleep then of course i cant an i just lay there drifting in an out of consciousness but i think drinking has made it worse because i used to drink every night for 2 years just to get to sleep so i have to try an get used to it without it.
About three nights ago, after about a half bottle of vodka, I climbed into bed at about 2 a.m. At 4 a.m., I bolted upright in bed, panicking from a nightmare that was undoubtedly alcohol induced. It was not pleasant. My nightmare was along the lines of the Exorcist!
As an aside though, I have learnt to totally avoid hangovers no matter how much I drink and how wasted I get – even after a half bottle of vodka. Of course, I am not particularly proud of that accolade, and will be tackling this drinking problem soon.
hey vintage … you just described the same scenerio i go through alot with nightmares of that sort after drinking alot of vodka .. makes ya wonder huh … devils sweat
Good article! Alcohol is killing brain cells. Each time we have a zip of alcohol, a few thousand cells die irreversible.
I binge drink and then I sleep for a couple of night, but after that its awake for 2 or 3 nights on the trot, I,ve never slept well anyway waking up between 4 or 5 times on a good night. I,m not always drinking and when I don,t drink I don,t sleep. You name it I,ve tried it, sleeping pills, herbal pills, etc.. etc.. some days I am so tired,yet nothing works. I,ve seen huge dragonflys coming up from the carpets, and once woke to find a tall dark hooded figure standing over me in bed. I really thought the grim reaper had come to get me, I wonder why we do it!
Well every single alcoholic or drug taker has there own different story of why they first started but most alcoholics or drug takers have the same story as in why they stopped
I have given up drinking for about six weeks now. I was prescribed ‘librium’ by my GP and it worked wonders for getting me relaxed enough to sleep.I still think my body needs to settle down a bit though. I was waking up and getting up and about at around 4:30-6:00 in the morning. I sleep a lot longer now, though it’s hard to get to sleep quite often. I have long since finished the librium now. I find I’m constantly drinking tea, chocolate and coffee. I think it’s the calories my body is missing from the alcohol days. I have gained weight with the return of my appetite, so I will be going to the gym soon to try and get some exercise, which, incidentally is recommended on this very website for a more healthy night’s sleep.
AL!
I Think wat your saying is that your speeding then crashing….I find I’m constantly drinking tea, chocolate and coffee.
I have not had a drink since May 29, I finally slept through the night last night. The other nights I tossed and turned and could not shut my mind off, I felt like I slept with my eyes open. I usually use melatonin tablets to regulate my sleep in the days after I binge, but this time around it just did not work. I think I was just feeling too crappy and anxious about the consequences of my last binge on the weekend. It is just something you have to ride out I guess, today is the first day I actually had energy to get things done.
Hi There,
I have read all your comments with great interest and it is very encouraging that we all keep each other going.
I am a heavy boozer and have recognised there has been a problem for years. I gave up completely for six months and thought I could return to a normal intake; this it seems is not the case and the binges have got back to the level that got me stopping in the first place. So here goes again!
Sleep is tricky for the first week or so but as the body begins to get back to a natural balance then sleep patterns should return to normal. I found that I slept more deeply than ever before after time. Once the sweats, intense dreams and restlessness disperses we are getting used to being without the alcohol.
It is difficult these days when going to a GP due to all the notes being taken down. I wonder if a private doctor may be less obstusive to ones privacy?
I spoke to a friend this evening who is one of my great drinking buddies and on discussion we went over the age we all enjoyed a big night on the town and now being in late thirties and early forties realise that being plastered in the pubs these days just really doesn’t feel very clever. If I hadn’t drunk and partied like I have I am sure I would have had a house or two by now.
First night for a long time with out a bevvy!
Very sweaty night, shivery cold but sweating terribly and had to change the duvet. In the end I finally succumbed to sleep but that was dogged with the most unusual and vivid dreams but felt fairly rested after about 5 hours REM kip. Appetite still fairly poor but will go to the shops and see if a few tasty things will encourage that!
The family are being very supportive as well as the company and its good to know that people are behind you and it makes you feel less guilty, because this is a result of a northern society where drunkeness is socially acceptable in some circles and where it is very hard to break the mould. But keep thinking life is better without the drink and life should be a whole lot longer as a result.
Well done Shugster keep Digging in there…..If Your still a little bit anxios try not to eat to much in one go as stupid as that sounds…….Little and often simple stuff soup you no nothing to heavy….Good luck m8
??????? How many people on here suffer or have sufferd body jerks when trying to sleep….As in say your legs jerk or arms or chest
Sorry i meant anxious and suffered
Thanks Sean, hope all is well with you too.
Hey, these body jerks, do you awaken abruptly and in panic or does this happen unconsciously?
This I know of and in fact suffer from a sleeping disorder known as exploding head syndrome and is liken to plugging your brain to the main circuit board and leaping awake in a panic as a result.
I think that with alchohol sleep is very abnormal and a number of sleep disorders are related directly to its use and symptoms such as involuntary movement is common.
On another note rapid jerks can be a seizure where medical assistance should be sought.
I went to my doctors because i couldnt keep my legs still when in bed of a night and he said i got restless leg syndrome,because i am a heavy drinker i noticed if i didnt drink lager i never got it again,problem solved? well not really i went and started drinking cider?
If your still drinking grant get off the cider m8 find a drink that suits you….I no cider drops down the hatch nice when your belly is sick as a dog and you need to get alcohol in you but i will give you 2 years on it as in heavy on it and thats as little as 2 bottles a day and i no full well you will visit a hospital one morning when you least think its going to happen.
Sorry shugster for not getting back sooner lol sorry my page well its not my page it belongs to the world but the page i am on is alcohol withdrawal and tobin has many pages that i only look around when i am at a loose end like tonight….I have been drinking for about 22 years now and packed in maybe 4 times as in proper packed in say for any thing from 3 months to a year. Withdrawal i have had to many times like a lot of people… I do not like drink i hate the stuff it hates me it has no taste and leaves you with a mouth like shite. I think there are many reasons why i became an alcoholic but i think if i go back to my first drink or well 2 pints of strong lager tennents it gave me a confidence boost…Nuts really as all the people i no and have grown up with say i was the most confident person out of them…I would take the bull cleen by the horns no matter wat scared never came into it i was scared of nothing and no man as little as i am 6 foot streak of piss now from years of abuse of booze. I was never a big man but i had a bit of a shape about me and a good pair of shoulders..All gone……..Sleep was a problem as a child and all ways has been…..The jolts were there as a kid but not any were near as much as when i drink…I do not drink much these days as i don’t want to and its a battle but it gets easy is not the word ohh you just learn to deal with it or your cravings or to put it better the shite that is around your life that makes you want a drink…Life sucks as an alcoholic and it sucks a bit ,more as a sober man but i get to see this world in a different way and i have got used to it….Could i be a piss head again….Yes there is every chance i never say never it only takes one blast out or a day…..Sleep jerks or as like to call them relaxing jerks well the last time i read up on them there was not to much detail in to them you no no nitty gritty that the average person could get there head around…..As far as i no i don’t jerk in my sleep….Its more just going to sleep just waking or just letting my self relax…This could be army marching legs or arms jumping or chest jumping ….Now mainly if say my left leg jumps it stems from my chest like your hart muscle contracts and your leg try’s to go over your head……Some times i wake with loss of breath and can not breath in only out …I think this is because i all ready have a full breath in me and can not breath in no more and the first thing you do when you loose breath is try to breath in but if your lungs are all ready full your brain tells you to breath out but at the time your in no were land…..Now even if i stop drink for a year i still get them….Yes they do lesson a bit and there no were near as strong but there still there….There are meds that can help and i tried them but they made me feel like i was about to die…..I have found a couple of ways of dealing with them one that has a good affect is a cramp med for people that get cramp when sleeping. Its over the counter stuff…….But i would have to take a little bit more than it tells you to…..Maybe thats the addict in me……..I don’t no how much you drink or have drank in the past but if i could wave a magic wand at you it would be to abstain from it or have a long term break….I mean me i am just a bit of miss spelled righting on a cyber web page with no face but i am mashed yes i still look all right in a way but not like i would had i not drank so heavy…And booze can take you down many roads and you can or will do many things that you will live to regret and that can be a circle and will be…..The things i have done in the past to get booze i would not even tell a death man….Fancy a drink
hi there
i have only just joined this forum , and i have found it useful ,reading other peoples experiences . I am trying to cut down my drinking after years of drinking large amount of lager every night , my main excuse was because i couldnt sleep , i have had 2 dry nights the first night which i didnt sleep very well and had a load of weird dreams the 2nd night i slept better ,i felt refreshed when i woke up in the morning at 7.30 the following night i only had 3 cans and slept realy well, i have felt much better in myself and i am suprised how well i have been sleeping without having to have loads of lager in side me .
Glad to see you left that bit up about jack tobin….Shame those to pricks before me are brain dead