The Real Reason Alcohol Makes You Sleepy—Plus, 7 Things That Help

Alcohol can make you feel sleepy because it is a depressant of the central nervous system, which means that it slows brain activity, which can cause drowsiness.

Your central nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord. Alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system, which means that it slows brain activity. He does so by affecting chemical messengers in your brain called neurotransmitters.

Alcohol has its most notable effects on two neurotransmitters:

• Gamma-Aminobutyrique acid (GABA): It is the main neurotransmitter that slows nerve activity. Alcohol can make the gaba work better, slowing the brain even more.
• Glutamate: This chemical messenger helps memory, mood and thought. By reducing the action of glutamate, alcohol can make you feel more relaxed and less in control. This sedative effect may be the reason why you feel driving after drinking alcohol.

Relying on alcohol can be the best way to avoid summoning alcohol and undergoing sleep disturbances related to alcohol, which can occur with even small amounts of alcohol. If you choose to drink, here are some strategies to minimize drowsiness and the impact that alcohol can have on your sleep habits:

• Know your tolerance and define a consumption limit in advance.
• Choose drinks with a lower alcohol content.
• Drink water alongside alcohol.
• Eat a nourishing meal before drinking to slow down the effects of alcohol.
• Drink earlier in the evening to give your body more time to metabolize alcohol before bedtime.
• Practice good sleep hygiene, as keeping your room cool, dark and comfortable for sleep.
• Consult a doctor if alcohol considerably affects your sleep or your daily life.

The sedative effects of alcohol can help you tire and have fun at the start, but that does not make alcohol good sleep help.

In fact, alcohol can have significant negative effects on the quality of your sleep, which can affect your overall health in addition to how you feel rested.

Here is an overview of how alcohol can lead to poor sleep quality:

Disturbed deep sleep

Initially, the sedative effects of alcohol can help increase sleep with slow waves in the first half of the night, considered the deepest sleep stadium. Although alcohol can help you move away quickly and deeply, it also disturbs your sleep later at night, which leads to more awakening and an increase in light sleep. The disturbance of your sleep stages can occur even with small amounts of alcohol.

Chronic sleep disorders and the reduction of sleeping or deep wave sleep are particularly important in people who drink or drink a lot, and these problems may persist in periods when you do not drink.

Removes sleep

During quick sleep (REM), your brain is very active and your eyes move quickly, but your arms and legs are temporarily unable to move. REM is the sleeping stage where most dreams occur, and it is essential for memory and learning. Alcohol removes paradoxical sleep, which leads to a longer period before entering by the REM and the reduction of paradoxical sleep during the first half of the night, or even throughout the night.

Increase diurnal sleeping

Sleeping disturbances linked to alcohol consumption can make it more difficult to remain awake and alert the next day. Excessive alcohol consumption, especially when associated with insufficient sleep, increases the probability of this diurnal drowsiness. In people with alcohol consumption disorders, excessive diurnal sleeping can occur during periods of alcohol consumption and abstinence.

Contributes to insomnia

The consumption of alcohol (as well as long naps, that people can take if they experience diurnal sleeping by drinking the previous night) can contribute to insomnia. Insomnia is a common sleep disorder where a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or sleeping of good quality.

Some people with insomnia can turn to alcohol as a quick solution for sleeping. But it can create a harmful cycle, where drinking to sleep disturbs your rest, which causes diurnal sleeping and, ultimately, insomnia.

Can cause other sleep problems

Alcohol can disrupt sleep even with occasional consumption, but for people who drink a lot or suffer from a disorder of alcohol consumption, sleep problems can be more serious. Drinking more strongly can also lead to conditions and symptoms such as:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): Alcohol interferes with normal breathing during sleep, leading to AOS. Sleep apnea can cause or worsen snoring, cause sleep disorders to breathe and disturb your overall rest.
• Delayed sleep phase disorder: This disturbs the internal clock of the body, or circadian rhythm, and leads to falling asleep much later than the typical bed hours.
• Periodic members’ movement disorder: This is characterized by repetitive movements of arms or legs during sleep which still disturb your restful sleep.
• Night terrors: These sudden episodes of intense fear during sleep are often accompanied by cries, perspiration and rapid heart rate.

Beyond sleep problems, drinking alcohol can harm your health significantly, especially if you drink a lot. These include:

• Mood and cognitive changes: Alcohol can change the functioning of your brain, affecting your mood and behavior and making it more difficult to think clearly.
• Regarding heart health: Excessive alcohol consumption can cause heart conditions such as high blood pressure, irregular heart rate and cerebral vascular accidents.
• Liver damage: Drinking can damage your liver, an organ that eliminates toxins from your body.
• Pancreatitis: Drinking over time can lead to inflammation of the pancreas.
• Cancers: Alcohol is considered a carcinogen, which means that it can increase the risk of certain types of cancer, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, esophagus cancer and cancer of the head and neck.

You might feel sleepy when drinking alcohol because alcohol slows down brain activity. Although alcohol can help you feel tired and fall asleep faster, it often disrupts your quality of sleep, which leads more restorative awakenings. By being aware of your alcohol consumption habits, for example by making you acute and drinking enough water, you can help minimize these negative effects and others.