We love wine. We also love a good night’s sleep. Is it possible to have both?
Sadly, no matter what you drink, the alcohol in your glass is bad for sleep. It may relax you and help you fall asleep faster, but later in the night, it ends up doing more harm than good.
That doesn’t mean you have to give up your evening glass of wine. How much you drink, when you stop, and what time you go to bed all shape alcohol’s effect on sleep quality.
Let’s look at how alcohol affects your sleep, and how a few small changes can help you get a good night’s rest, even when you drink.
How Alcohol Impacts Sleep
Alcohol is a relaxant. It eases the stress of the day and helps you fall asleep faster, which is why many people have a nightcap before bed. Alcohol also increases deep sleep during the first half of the night. [*]
But once you reach the second half of the night, you experience what sleep researchers call a “rebound effect.” As your body starts to break down alcohol, that initial relaxation fades, and it’s replaced by a surge in brain activity that alters your sleep for the worse.
Drinking in the evening leads to: [*]
- Waking up more. When your body is processing alcohol, your brain activity spikes, and often it’s enough to pull you out of sleep. If you’ve ever woken up at 4 a.m. after a night of drinking, this is why. The technical term for it is “sleep fragmentation,” and it’s one of the main reasons alcohol disrupts your sleep quality.
- Decreased REM sleep. REM is the phase of sleep when you do most of your dreaming. It’s your brain’s chance to store memories and process stress and emotions from the previous day. When your brain is busy breaking down alcohol, you spend less time in REM sleep, which can affect your short-term memory and emotional stability the next day.
- Breathing or snoring issues. Alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat and tongue, causing them to sag into your airway while you sleep. You’re more likely to snore and have breathing problems after drinking, and you often wake up more as a result.
Alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, and it may feel like it’s helpful for sleep at first. But overall, drinking before bed has a clear negative effect on your sleep.
3 Ways to Reduce Alcohol’s Effect on Sleep
On nights when you drink, you probably won’t get world-class sleep. But with the right choices, you can still get a decent night’s sleep after drinking.
Here are three things you can do to reduce alcohol’s impact on sleep quality. [*]
1. Drink Less (or Choose Lower-Alcohol Drinks)
Light drinking (1-2 drinks) has a slight negative impact on your sleep, but it’s much less severe than heavy drinking (5+ drinks). [*]
If you want to have more than 1-2 drinks without ruining your sleep, stick to lower-alcohol options, like light beer or wine below 12.5% ABV.
Ultimately, the less alcohol you drink, the less you’ll disrupt your sleep.
2. Stop Drinking 3 Hours Before Bed
If you drink right up until bedtime, alcohol’s sleep disruption happens in the early morning hours, when your liver is breaking down ethanol and clearing it from your system. [*]
But if you stop drinking earlier, you give your body enough time to process most of the alcohol. By the time you go to bed, your liver has done a lot of the hard work, and the impact on your sleep will be minimal.
Research suggests that you should stop drinking 3-4 hours before bed to preserve your sleep quality. [*]
3. Follow Your Normal Sleep Schedule
Your body has an internal clock called your circadian rhythm. It keeps your daily sleep-wake cycle consistent, which is important for your long-term wellbeing.
The trouble is that we often stay up late when we drink. If you have a few glasses of wine at a party and you don’t get to bed until midnight, the disruption to your nighttime routine is twofold. You’re drinking, but you’re also disturbing your body’s natural sleep rhythm.
If you want to minimize alcohol’s effect on your sleep, don’t stay up late. Stick to your normal bedtime and avoid sleeping in. You’ll keep your circadian rhythm stable, and your body will be better equipped to handle alcohol’s sleep-disrupting effects.
The Bottom Line: Alcohol and Sleep
Alcohol is bad for sleep—but with a few good choices, you can reduce its impact. If you drink less, stop drinking earlier in the evening, and go to sleep at your usual bedtime, you can enjoy yourself and still wake up feeling rested.
