Sleep Enough

Alcohol and insomnia go hand in hand. Although you may think there is no relation between the two, drinking alcohol could be what is behind your inability to sleep well at night. For many people, they say that drinking a bit of wine or even something stronger causes sleepy feelings. You may find yourself dosing off after a dinner with wine or a beer. However, those sleepy feelings are just temporary. Too much alcohol, especially on a regular basis, can cause insomnia to occur.

Alcohol and insomnia can affect your overall health in several ways. Alcohol is a type of drug and as such, you do need to use it with caution. If you use too much, you end up with negative side effects, including insomnia, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are several ways this can affect you.

Dehydration

One of the impacts of alcohol usage is dehydration. Because alcohol can cause dehydration, it reduces the body’s ability to transfer oxygen and nutrients through the bloodstream to the organs. You won’t be able to get good sleep at night because of the impact of the dehydration. Your body will also keep prompting you to drink water to overcome the dehydration. Chances are good you will fall asleep, but you will be unlikely to remain asleep. In addition, you will not get the quality of sleep you are looking for to feel rested.

Adrenaline Production

Another way in which sleep is affected by insomnia is due to the increase in adrenaline flowing through the blood stream. Many people think of adrenaline as something that kicks in when you are faced with fight or flight, but that is not always the case. The body naturally produces adrenaline when there is a large amount of alcohol in the blood stream. You’ll be unable to sleep because the adrenaline produced is pumping your heart faster and pushing the brain to remain active and alert.

Enjoying your drink and yet being able to sleep

For those that enjoy that drink with dinner, it may be time to make a change. If you enjoy alcohol and insomnia is affecting you, perhaps you might want to consider the following tips:

• Drink just one glass a day. Try to make that drink happen during the early afternoon or before your meal. It may even aid with digestion then. Avoid drinking later in the evening as it will worsen insomniac symptoms.

• Drink a lot of water when drinking alcohol. Drink at least twice as much water as the alcohol you drink. However, you do not want to drink too much of any fluid during the late evening hours. Otherwise, you will need to use the bathroom throughout the night and that is not conducive to sleep!

• If your insomnia does not improve and you have stopped drinking alcohol, talk to your doctor about your sleep problem. Insomnia can be brought on by stress, illness, medications and plenty of other factors, too.

To summarize, alcohol and insomnia are linked. Those who struggle to get a good night’s sleep after a night with a few drinks often wonder why they have poor sleep. However, by changing when you drink and how much you are drinking, you may well reduce the chances of having those sleepless nights.