Alcohol and Sleep
April 22, 2022
There are two things that are going to effect your sleep negatively: Age and Alcohol.
You can't do much about the first one, other than exercising and taking good care of yourself, but the second one you can definitely control!
Following are some tips, from renowned sleep expert Dr. Matthew Walker, concerning alcohol and sleep:
- Sleep is more fragmented because alcohol stimulates the fight or flight branch of the nervous system
- Breathing is shallower during sleep after drinking
- Alcohol decreases REM sleep
- If you are not getting enough REM, you may not get emotional restorative benefits then end up drinking again the next day as a result, and the cycle continues
- Alcohol metabolism is not the same in everyone; some sleep perfectly fine especially if alcohol is consumed early enough before sleep
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