(ORDO NEWS) — A glass of wine may help you unwind after a long day at work, but it definitely won’t do you any good during your sleep.
The fact is that alcohol consumption affects the quality of sleep, which can have a number of health and wellness implications.
Do you think that a glass of martini will only calm you down before bed? You’re wrong!
So, if you like to drink a glass of wine to relax and fall asleep, know that even one sip of alcohol will worsen the quality of your sleep. How does it happen? Neuroscientist Kristen Willemier explains.
Even a few milliliters of alcohol change the structure of normal sleep. Drinking to fall asleep is an ineffective strategy that can lead to a host of sleep disorders, including insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Villemier says , “While alcohol initially has a sedative effect, once it is metabolized, it can lead to disruption, worsening sleep quality later in the night.”
In other words, if you think it helps you sleep, you’re right, but the quality of your sleep gets worse. You may wake up earlier, toss and turn more, and the dream itself becomes fragmented.
How alcohol affects sleep
While the sedative properties of alcohol increase deep sleep during non-REM sleep (NREM), it also shortens the time spent in REM sleep.
And it is critical for healthy brain function, as it is essential for emotional regulation, as well as for the consolidation and preservation of memories.
Quality sleep is essential for conserving brain energy, facilitating learning and memory, supporting cognition, emotional regulation, and eliminating toxic waste.
Drinking alcohol impairs recovery and can impair immunity, cardiovascular function, and cognitive function.
However, there are a few things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep, even if you’ve already drunk alcohol.
Limit your intake
One of the most important steps is to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume over a period of time.
Have a glass of wine, two, but don’t overdo it! In addition, experts recommend reducing the frequency of consumption if you really want to maintain healthy sleep.
Stop drinking 4-6 hours before bed
This break between drinking and going to bed is enough for the alcohol to work its way through your body.
This means you’re less likely to wake up in the middle of the night because your body has already begun to metabolize the alcohol.
Results from 785 people showed that drinking alcohol within four hours of going to bed resulted in worse sleep than if they drank coffee right before bed!
Drink plenty of water
Because alcohol is a diuretic, and dehydration can make your sleep quality worse, a little water after a martini glass is a good idea.
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