Alcohol and Insomnia
01/09/2011
In the past, sleep problems have been associated with the use and abuse of drugs, but sleep disturbances have also now been linked to the use of alcohol and chronic alcoholism, because alcohol often is so often thought of as a sedative drug with calming effects.
While alcohol can indeed induce sleep, it is usually fragmented sleep and of low quality. Alcohol increases the number of awakenings in the latter half of the night when the "relaxing" effect wears off, preventing you from getting the deep sleep (including rapid-eye movement or REM sleep) which you need, because the nature of alcohol keeps users in the lighter "dozing" stage of sleep rather than proper rest.
If regularly consumed just before sleep, the soporific effects of alcohol tend to decrease as tolerance builds up, while the disruptive effects continue or get steadily worse. Sleep disruption due to alcohol use often leads to daytime fatigue and distraction. The elderly are at higher risk for alcohol-related sleep disorders because they end up with higher levels of alcohol in the blood and brain than younger adults after consuming an equivalent dose. Bedtime alcohol consumption among older adults commonly leads to unsteadiness if walking is attempted during the night, for instance to go to the toilet, which increases the associated risk of falls and injuries.
