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Maybe you enjoy a glass of beer or wine after dinner, or your weekends include drinking with friends at bars or social events. Likewise, long-term reliance on alcohol for sleep can contribute to an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Drinking a small amount of alcohol may help people fall asleep more quickly initially, but over time, individuals will need to consume more alcohol to achieve the same effect. But even if you thud into dreamland, there’s a good chance that too much alcohol will mean a fitful night of sleep. That’s because alcohol disrupts what’s known as your sleep architecture, the normal phases of deeper and lighter sleep we go through every night. A night of drinking can “fragment,” or interrupt, these patterns, experts say, and you may wake up several times as you ricochet through the usual stages of sleep.

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A 2019 study showed that individuals who sleep for under 6 hours each night have a 20% higher chance of heart attack than individuals who sleep between 6 and 9 hours. Studies estimate that 36–91% of people experiencing alcohol dependence may have insomnia. Generally, females and older adults are at a higher risk for insomnia. Individuals with mental health conditions are also more likely to develop insomnia. Individuals with insomnia have difficulty maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. Experts state that acute insomnia lasts up to a few days to weeks, while chronic insomnia continues for several months.

• A night of drinking can “fragment,” or interrupt, these patterns, experts say, and you may wake up several times as you ricochet through the usual stages of sleep.
• Start by considering the potential downsides of consuming substances, like alcohol, prescription and OTC medications, stimulants, and supplements.
• Would one experience these alcohol withdrawal symptoms if they drank 2 to 3 drinks a night and then quit cold turkey?
• Studies have shown that when you get up the next day, you may be less alert because of your drinking the night before, even though you no longer have alcohol left in your body.
• The struggle with withdrawal insomnia can feel like an eternity—but rest assured, it’s not forever.

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“First of all, it increases our initial deep sleep, disrupting our sleep stages’ overall balance,” he said. Because alcohol affects everyone differently, even a tiny amount of alcohol can lead to Alcohol insomnia: Causes and Ways to Eliminate poor sleep quality. People with alcohol use disorder experience insomnia at higher rates than those who don’t abuse alcohol. This has severe implications for the U.S. population’s lifestyle.

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• In the early stage of alcohol withdrawal, many individuals experience an increase in sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) and frequent night awakenings.
• In patients with delirium tremens (DTs), a higher percentage of Stage 1 sleep with REM (stage 1 period with low voltage EEG with REM) was demonstrated (Greenberg and Pearlman, 1967).
• Of course, there are other helpful nutrients for alcohol recovery, like organic omega-3 fish oil and N-Acetyl Cysteine.

I know from experience that there are supplements and lifestyle strategies that can be of tremendous help in restoring biochemical balance and stopping alcohol withdrawal insomnia. While this is not a comprehensive picture of the chemicals involved in alcohol withdrawal, skewed levels of any of the above are very common after quitting drinking and can cause insomnia. Alcohol’s impact on your body begins with the first sip, however long-term use of alcohol can take its toll on your body. A glass of wine a day isn’t going to do serious damage to your health, however, if it becomes a habit and you have a hard time stopping after one glass, the long-term effects begin to add up. Some people in recovery may try to start drinking again to improve their sleep. However, the alcohol will continue to damage their sleep cycles, and the problem will not get better.

• Taking any other substances that have a sedative effect should be avoided unless a doctor prescribes them.
• Research shows alcohol consumption can affect sleep even if you stop drinking six hours before bed.
• Once we grasp the importance of biochemical balance, we can see why band-aid approaches to falling asleep RIGHT NOW (e.g., popping an Ambien) aren’t always best.
• You can feel the effects within 5 to 10 minutes of drinking, however, it takes about 30 to 90 minutes to peak and be carried through all the organs of the body.
• Researchers found that chronic or habitual alcohol use before bedtime led to bouts of insomnia.

I still take ashwagandha because it has anti-aging benefits, and I feel more calm when I take it. Some of these solutions were serendipitous discoveries that I found through a process of trial and error. Others were gathered from a variety of reputable books and studies on the subject of nutritional repair for alcoholism and insomnia. The occasional glass of wine or cocktail isn’t anything to worry about unless you have a gut infection or are following an elimination diet.

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