Does Alcohol Help Sleep?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

Alcohol consumption has a dual effect on sleep: it can initially promote sleep onset and consolidation but often leads to significant disruptions later in the night. These effects are dose-dependent and influenced by the timing of consumption. Chronic use and withdrawal exacerbate sleep disturbances, contributing to a cycle of poor sleep and potential relapse in alcohol-dependent individuals. Overall, while alcohol may seem to help with sleep initially, its long-term impact is generally negative, leading to poorer sleep quality and increased sleep disorders.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and sleep is complex and multifaceted. While some individuals use alcohol as a sleep aid, research indicates that its effects on sleep quality and architecture can be both beneficial and detrimental, depending on various factors such as dosage, timing, and individual differences.

Key Insights

• Initial Sleep Improvement and Subsequent Disruption:
  • Alcohol can initially improve sleep by reducing sleep onset latency and increasing sleep consolidation in the first half of the night. However, it often leads to increased sleep disruption in the second half of the night, including more awakenings and lighter sleep stages2 6 7 8.
• Dose-Dependent Effects:
  • Low to moderate doses of alcohol may not significantly alter sleep architecture, but higher doses tend to reduce REM sleep in the first half of the night and increase slow-wave sleep (SWS). These effects are followed by a rebound increase in REM sleep and lighter sleep stages later in the night6 7.
• Impact on Sleep Disorders and Daytime Functioning:
  • Alcohol consumption is associated with an increased incidence of sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing, including snoring and apnea, especially in individuals with pre-existing conditions1 4 5.
• Tolerance and Withdrawal:
  • Tolerance to the initial sleep-promoting effects of alcohol can develop quickly, often within a few days. Chronic alcohol use and subsequent withdrawal can lead to persistent sleep disturbances, which may contribute to relapse in individuals with alcohol dependence2 4 10.
• Circadian and Homeostatic Influences:
  • The timing of alcohol consumption relative to the circadian rhythm and homeostatic sleep pressure can influence its effects on sleep. Alcohol consumed at adverse circadian phases or under high sleep pressure conditions tends to be more disruptive3.
• Subjective Sleep Quality:
  • Despite some initial improvements in sleep onset, alcohol generally leads to poorer subjective sleep quality and increased daytime sleepiness, particularly in women8.

Does alcohol help sleep?

Claire Rostron has answered Unlikely

An expert from The Open University in Neuroscience, Behavioural Science

Despite the fact that we may opt to partake in a night cap, research shows that certain doses of alcohol may reduce the amount of slow wave and REM sleep we have. So it may help us to drop off faster, but alcohol doesn’t result in a better quality of sleep. REM sleep is important for cognitive processes such as memory consolidation so reducing the time in which this process occurs has a detrimental effect on memory. Consolidation of emotional memories may be particularly affected.

It is also known that alcohol acts on the process of long-term potentiation – the way in which neurons remodel the connections between them after learning. So alterations in both REM and slow wave sleep after drinking may potentially disrupt the brain’s memory processes.

Does alcohol help sleep?

Danielle Dick has answered Extremely Unlikely

An expert from Virginia Commonwealth University in Alcohol Use, Genetics

It is a common myth that alcohol helps people sleep. Alcohol has sedative properties so it can help people fall asleep, but importantly, the quality of sleep is very adversely affected. Alcohol causes people to wake in the middle of the night and keeps people from entering into REM sleep, which is necessary to get a good night of sleep. Accordingly, even though alcohol may help you fall asleep, you’ll actually get a worse night of sleep overall and be more tired the next day.

Does alcohol help sleep?

Abhijit Nadkarni has answered Unlikely

An expert from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Alcohol Use, Mental Health, Public Health

Alcohol gives the false impression that it helps sleep, as it helps induce sleep i.e. after drinking healthy people fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply for a while. What it actually does is to disrupt your Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep. REM sleep is the restorative phase of sleep during which we also dream. Disruptions to this phase of sleep leads to poor quality sleep and may cause daytime drowsiness, poor concentration, etc. Thus alcohol is not an useful sleep-aid. Any benefits due to rapid initiation of sleep are offset by the overall poor quality of sleep.

Does alcohol help sleep?

Christine Spadola has answered Extremely Unlikely

An expert from Florida Atlantic University in Sleep Research, Health, Mental Health

The research is pretty consistent demonstrating that consuming alcohol close to bedtime disturbs sleep. While alcohol might initially help you fall asleep, it often leads to sleep disruption in the second part of the night while your body is metabolizing the alcohol. Also important, is that there is a dose – response relationship: consuming one glass of red wine close to bedtime is less harmful for sleep than consuming 5 margaritas.

Does alcohol help sleep?

Ian Hamilton has answered Unlikely

An expert from University of York in Drug Use, Addiction, Mental Health

As others have already suggested it is easy to see why some people think alcohol helps sleep, while it will help you get off to sleep it doesn’t help with REM sleep, which we need to restore brain activity and functioning. Paradoxically people who try things like Dry January often report that their sleep is worse in the first few days of abstinance but this should change within a week or two, when the quality of sleep improves and people feel more refreshed.