NOT DRINKING MIGHT MEAN A HEALTHIER NIGHT’S REST

Alcohol may help some people fall asleep faster, but during the night it can disrupt sleep patterns.

Is it true that giving up alcohol can improve your sleep?

You may want to rethink that nightcap. Research shows that even one or two beverages containing alcohol in the evening is associated with reduced-quality sleep.

Alcohol may help some people fall asleep faster, but during the night it can disrupt sleep patterns, “so you’re not getting the restorative sleep you would get without alcohol,” said Aaron White, the senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Also, once the alcohol wears off, there can be a rebound effect, causing some people to wake up early and have trouble falling back asleep, White said.

A 2022 review of research on monthlong alcohol abstention showed that participants frequently reported improved sleep. In one study, conducted among more than 4,000 participants from a Dry January challenge in the United Kingdom, 56 percent reported that they slept better without alcohol.

When alcohol, a depressant, enters the stomach and small intestine, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to the liver. There, enzymes metabolize the alcohol. Meanwhile, the excess alcohol continues to circulate through the body, repeatedly distracting the brain as it tries to cycle through the stages of sleep, said Abhinav Singh, a sleep medicine and internal medicine physician and director of the Indiana Sleep Center.

Singh likened it to a washing machine trying to complete a cycle while a child keeps opening and closing the door. “It will complete its process, but it’s going to keep stopping and starting,” he said.

The time it takes for the body to metabolize alcohol enough to avoid potential sleep disruptions depends on various factors such as the amount and timing, which may vary for each person and situation. But the consensus among experts is that alcohol close to bedtime can disrupt sleep.

“If you have a glass of Champagne with brunch in the morning, it’s not going to affect your sleep. But if you have a half a bottle of wine with dinner at night, it will definitely have an effect,” said Jennifer Martin, a clinical psychologist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Martin said she gave up alcohol for a short period several years ago and noticed “just giving up that one glass of wine in the evening, I slept so much better.”

For people who have trouble sleeping, Dry January may be a great opportunity to determine whether alcohol may be interfering with your sleep, said Deirdre Conroy, the clinical director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the University of Michigan.

But for those who drink regularly, Singh cautioned against stopping abruptly, which, among other symptoms, can cause insomnia and worsening sleep quality. He suggested cutting alcohol consumption more slowly. You can consult a health-care professional for guidance.