Alcohol and sleepiness: Effects, management, and more

While consuming alcohol may have sedative effects, causing you to fall asleep more quickly, the body recognizes it as a toxin and goes into overdrive trying to expel it from your system. This process messes with your REM cycle the most, and is the reason why you may feel groggy and irritable the next morning, even if you logged eight or more hours of sleep. More than 70% of those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) also experience alcohol-induced sleep disorders, such as insomnia, according to scientists in a 2020 review. Regular drinking has also been linked to shorter periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a disrupted circadian rhythm, and snoring.

1. Or you might have an undiagnosed sleep disorder or other health condition that needs care.
2. Keep in mind that for people with AUD, sleeping issues may persist through the withdrawal phase.
3. This is the longest sleep stage where you spend about half of your entire night’s sleep.
4. After a few hours of sleep, alcohol can cause you to wake up and have a difficult time going back to sleep.
5. If alcohol continues to disrupt your overall sleep quality, you may consider cutting it out entirely, or limiting your intake before bedtime.

How Does Alcohol Affect the Sleep Cycle?

Circadian rhythms affect how the body responds to alcohol, depending on the timing of alcohol intake. Long-established research shows the body metabolizes alcohol differently at different times of day. Studies have how to smoke moonrocks shown the body is more effective at processing alcohol at certain times of the day than others. The episodes are fairly brief, usually lasting less than 10 minutes, and may include simple movements and confused speech. Confusional arousals are characterized by amnesia and are not typically remembered the next day. Confusional arousals are episodes in which a sleeping person wakes up—or seems to wake up—but behaves strangely as though they are disoriented or confused.

But your doctor may review your medical history, including any health conditions you have and medicines you take. A medical history helps your doctor determine an underlying cause for the issue. People who experience sleep drunkenness are also more likely to have longer periods of deep sleep. Confusional arousals also most commonly occur in the first part of the night during your deep sleep cycle.

Alcohol and Sleep: What You Need to Know

Alcohol also affects people with central sleep apnea (CSA), which occurs when the brain periodically stops sending certain signals involved in breathing. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s ability to receive chemical messages involved in breathing, which decreases the body’s respiratory drive and increases the likelihood of pauses in breathing. There’s a complicated relationship among depression, alcohol, and sleep. People suffering from depression may already have disrupted circadian rhythms, and the presence of even moderate amounts of alcohol may push those rhythms further out of sync. The liver acts as a filtering system for the body, helping metabolize food and chemicals (including alcohol itself), and pulling toxins from the bloodstream. Like nearly all of the body’s organs, the liver functions according to circadian rhythms.

Working on your sleep hygiene is another way to help prevent or reduce insomnia. These are changes you can make to your environment and routine to help promote sleep. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is to change sleep habits as well as any misconceptions about sleep and insomnia that may perpetuate sleep difficulties.

Treatments

Planning these options in advance can make it easier to make responsible choices when judgment is impaired. This article covers the causes and symptoms of confusional arousals along with how they are diagnosed and treated. If you’ve ever been sleep drunk, your partner or family member may have gotten a laugh out of your unusual behavior.

Imagine being awakened from a deep sleep where, instead of feeling ready to take on the day, you feel confused, tense, or a sense of an adrenaline rush. If you’ve experienced such feelings, you may have had an episode of sleep drunkenness. Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep when the airways are partially or fully blocked. Alcohol relaxes upper airway muscles, increasing the likelihood of the airways collapsing and more sleep apnea episodes, leading to more sleep disruptions.

As alcohol enhances the GABA’s function, it causes a slowing of brain activity, which can make a person feel sleepy and tired. After a few hours of sleep, alcohol can cause you to wake up and have a difficult time going back to sleep. Even though it’s a natural supplement, it’s not safe (11) to consume alcohol and melatonin together as it could lead to dizziness and drowsiness. Elevated cortisol levels can contribute to feelings of irritability, anxiety, and overall stress and increase the risk of long-term health problems.