Yes, it’s true; a beer or glass of wine in the evening can help you feel sleepy. But, after you fall asleep, the same alcohol that may have helped you fall asleep can prevent you from getting a good night of restful, healthy sleep. Alcohol use can also cause other sleep issues that are not easy to overcome. Insomnia after drinking alcohol, as well as other sleep problems. Let’s look at why and what severe health effects are associated with habitually using alcohol within a short time before going to bed.
Does Alcohol Cause Insomnia?
During the nightly sleep cycle of humans, the most restful sleep tends to be within the first several hours. There is less restful sleep during the latter half of the sleep. When alcohol begins to metabolize, its sedative effects are diminished in the body. So, it doesn’t actually help you sleep well or sleep for very long into the night. You’re more likely to wake up and lose sleep during the latter part of the night due to alcohol induced insomnia.
More Sleep Problems Caused by Alcohol
Not only can alcohol cause insomnia, preventing you from getting a healthy quantity of sleep, and disrupting your ability to sleep soundly through the night, but it can also badly impact your quality of sleep:
- Parasomnias: Disruptive sleep problems during emergence from REM (rapid eye movement) sleep or NREM (non-REM) sleep.
- Nightmares: Dreams can be more extreme, and nightmares can be more frequent as sleep patterns are distorted.
- Breathing difficulties: The sedative effect of alcohol on muscles may cause the airway to close during sleep, increasing the likelihood of developing sleep apnea.
- Sleepwalking: Alcohol can trigger talking while sleeping, physically moving around, even acting out what you’re experiencing in dreams, and/or sleepwalking.
The Lasting Effects of Using Alcohol Before Sleeping
The risks of the kinds of problems listed above are increased by drinking within two hours or so before going to bed. You can expect to wake up feeling some negative effects. The body is reacting to the deficit in restful sleep. You are likely to feel somewhat unsteady, weak, and unable to focus.
Habitually triggering sleep problems by drinking before going to bed may lead to radical changes in sleep patterns. Alcohol reduces levels of melatonin, the hormone that drives the internal clock that regulates sleep routines. If you find yourself with insomnia from alcohol or otherwise staying awake at night and sleeping primarily during the day as a routine, the health effects can be severe.
Staying awake through the night and sleeping during the day can impact hormone production, and lead to severe health effects, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, generally deteriorating health, and premature death.
How Can You Overcome the Effects of Alcohol on Sleep?
So, alcohol causes insomnia, and sleep issues can have devastating health effects. Reducing or stopping your alcohol use may be sufficient to alleviate the effects on sleep and improve your general health. However, if sleep problems continue, consider asking your healthcare professional for guidance.
If you find that withdrawal symptoms and/or other challenges in trying to stop alcohol use are too difficult to manage, seek help for alcohol use disorder (AUD). There are often co-occurring disorders with AUD, so you should have a comprehensive assessment to help ensure the best results from treatment.
Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment at Renaissance Ranch
At Renaissance Ranch in Ogden, Utah, our rehab specialists offer alcohol rehab programs custom designed to serve our client’s specific needs and preferences. Most people benefit from a combination of individual and group therapies. Medication is used when needed to help treat alcohol addiction. Alcohol rehab programs offered at Renaissance include:
- Intensive Outpatient Alcohol Treatment (IOP)
- General Outpatient Alcohol Treatment (GOP)
- Continued Care Program
Each of these three primary alcohol treatment programs offers a very wide array of individual therapy types for our clients, such as cognitive behavioral training (CBT), life skills training, managing triggers, job training, marriage therapy, family therapy, recreational therapy, and many others,
Alcohol Addiction Rehab – Renaissance Ranch Ogden UT
Renaissance Ranch in Ogden, Utah, offers our clients a beautiful, serene, inspiring environment for alcohol rehab. Some of Utah’s best rehab professionals provide diagnosis, alcoholism treatment, and relapse prevention care.
Call Renaissance Ranch, Ogden at (385) 222-3737, or use our online contact request for information on alcohol and insomnia or to schedule a free assessment today.
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