By Richard P Best
It's widely believed that an alcoholic drink before sleep can
help you relax making it easier to fall asleep, alcohol acts as a
sedative and is likely to make you nod off, but it's also been known to
disrupt sleep and increase your chances of snoring. Scientists at the
London Sleep Centre reaffirmed this idea, alcohol does act as a
sedative, it may help you drift off but unfortunately it will disrupt
your sleeping pattern.
Those who are Sleeping under the influence will feel as though they've been in a deep slumber but they've actually deprived themselves of REM sleep.
What's more worrying is that many have become reliant on alcohol to help them sleep, this can be very dangerous, it's also the case with sleeping tablets too. If you're depending on alcohol and other sedatives to get you to drop off, then you increase your risk of becoming dependent on these substances, this addiction can become a sign of insomnia.
So What is REM sleep?
REM is the abbreviation of Rapid Eye Movement; considered to be the deepest stage of your sleep where you're most likely to dream and more likely to get the real rest that your body requires.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea have been known to disrupt this stage of sleep and will therefore reduce the overall quality of your sleep. This makes snoring a real problem for many people around the world.
How does Alcohol affect Snoring?
So many of us feel as though they can look forward to a good night sleep after having a couple of drinks, however because alcohol is a sedative it essentially cheats you out of proper sleep. This is why many of us still feel tired even after 8-9 hours of sleep, because alcohol has deprived us of regular rest.
Studies have shown that even if you weren't a habitual snorer, alcohol can turn occasional snorers in to habitual snorers and more worryingly it can even increase your likelihood to suffer from Sleep Apnea.
This is all because alcohol relaxes the tissue around your throat and nasal passages, making the soft tissue more likely to move and vibrate.
So what can we learn from these studies?
Well if you've got an important event scheduled for the next morning it's a good idea to leave the nightcap alone, it may take you a while longer to sleep without a drink, but you'll feel much better for it in the long term.
Those who are Sleeping under the influence will feel as though they've been in a deep slumber but they've actually deprived themselves of REM sleep.
What's more worrying is that many have become reliant on alcohol to help them sleep, this can be very dangerous, it's also the case with sleeping tablets too. If you're depending on alcohol and other sedatives to get you to drop off, then you increase your risk of becoming dependent on these substances, this addiction can become a sign of insomnia.
So What is REM sleep?
REM is the abbreviation of Rapid Eye Movement; considered to be the deepest stage of your sleep where you're most likely to dream and more likely to get the real rest that your body requires.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea have been known to disrupt this stage of sleep and will therefore reduce the overall quality of your sleep. This makes snoring a real problem for many people around the world.
How does Alcohol affect Snoring?
So many of us feel as though they can look forward to a good night sleep after having a couple of drinks, however because alcohol is a sedative it essentially cheats you out of proper sleep. This is why many of us still feel tired even after 8-9 hours of sleep, because alcohol has deprived us of regular rest.
Studies have shown that even if you weren't a habitual snorer, alcohol can turn occasional snorers in to habitual snorers and more worryingly it can even increase your likelihood to suffer from Sleep Apnea.
This is all because alcohol relaxes the tissue around your throat and nasal passages, making the soft tissue more likely to move and vibrate.
So what can we learn from these studies?
Well if you've got an important event scheduled for the next morning it's a good idea to leave the nightcap alone, it may take you a while longer to sleep without a drink, but you'll feel much better for it in the long term.
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