There is nothing wrong with drinking a bottle of beer at a family barbecue or celebrating a major achievement with a bottle of expensive wine – however, when drinking becomes a significant part of your life, it will bring harmful consequences for your own health and for other people around you. One of the issues a person may find challenging to cope with is insomnia – the inability to fall asleep when all you want to do is close your eyes and rest.
In our guide, we will look into the connection between alcohol and insomnia, explore the potential negative effects of alcohol consumption, and explain how to sleep better after drinking alcohol. Note that if you drink a lot and stay awake for hours or wake up in the middle of the night for no reason and this starts interfering with your daily routine, you may want to consult with a therapist – disclose how much alcohol you drink weekly and how often these sleep disturbances manifest.
How Are Alcoholism and Insomnia Linked?
There is a big difference between drinking occasionally to celebrate something or to taste a drink your friend offered you to try and feeling like alcohol is the only thing in the world that can make you feel better, experience happiness, and escape from your problems. If you believe you are an addict or about to become one, you must have noticed how hard it is to sleep the recommended seven or eight hours – whether you no longer see dreams because your sleep is cut short or you stay awake at night listening to your heart beating fast, it may be time to take your alcohol consumption under control and seek professional help to restore your psychological and physical health.
Remember that insomnia is different for all people, just like other negative effects of alcoholism – make sure you explain to a mental health specialist what you have experienced since waking up a few times during the night or waking up while it is still dark outside and feeling tired but still incapable of sleeping also means you have developed insomnia. Chronic insomnia will interfere with all aspects of your life – you may become irritated with your partner and kids or fail to carry out an important task at your job – so do not neglect this condition no matter how much you drink in the future.
Why Can Drinking Alcohol Lead to Insomnia?
Does alcohol cause insomnia? If you drink a glass of wine at a family gathering, you probably should not worry about the harmful consequences of alcohol on your physical and emotional state. However, people who drink a lot and often – for instance, a few days a week or every day after they finish work – will encounter sleep disturbances.
Drinking alcohol without moderation can decrease your rapid eye movement sleep, disrupt your sleep making you wake up early while you are still exhausted, and contribute to emotional issues such as anxiety that further make it more complicated for you to fall asleep even if you stayed sober on a particular night.
Here are a few tips you should take into account if you can’t sleep after drinking:
- Hydrate yourself properly. Before you start drinking, while you are consuming alcohol, and after you come home from a party – water can make all the difference in how you feel during the night and the next morning. Avoid dehydration and if possible, try to get supplements that replace the minerals you lost due to alcohol consumption.
- Experiment with the amount of alcohol you drink. We do not suggest increasing the amount of alcohol you drink, but when you have an opportunity to limit your consumption, do it and see how you feel afterwards. Drinking in moderation can be a better option for you both short- and long-term.
- Instead of going straight to bed, stay up for an hour or so to lessen the negative impact of alcohol on your sleep. For instance, you can eat during that time to boost your recovery and allow your body to process the alcohol you have consumed.
- Create a peaceful sleep environment whether you drink today or not. Figure out the most comfortable room temperature, purchase blackout curtains, get rid of the blanket that makes you feel suffocated, and do not stay on your phone right until the sleep time comes – all these practices are supposed to make you sleep without disturbances, and a routine will come in handy after you drink a lot.
- Do not combine alcohol and caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that will not allow the majority of individuals to sleep for many hours, yet some people will drink both alcohol and energy drinks or coffee during a night out. Wait until the morning to make yourself a cup of coffee and get the energy you need.
- If the problems persist after you try to resolve them on your own, it may be time to consider therapy. You might think it is not a big deal and you can handle lack of sleep on your own but if you are battling addiction at the same time, there is no shame in asking for extra help from an individual equipped with the knowledge and skills to assist people in your situation.
5 Negative Effects of Drinking Alcohol
Apart from sleep disturbances, alcohol can manifest in a variety of ways undermining you as an authority in your house and at your work, worsening your physical wellness with additional health risks, and dampening your mood while you become depressed and isolated. Below you can see the most frequent challenges a person who regularly consumes alcohol may face:
| Negative Effect | Description |
Mental Health Issues | It does not matter if you drink too much or do not drink enough (in your opinion) – stress and depression are common issues for people who have developed dependence on alcohol. A person who wants to get a drink will feel agitated and worried until a bottle or glass is in their arm which should be a wake-up call indicating potential addiction |
Physical Health Conditions | Increased risk of getting a stroke, liver disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, fatigue – these are just a few physical consequences of alcohol. Additionally, drinking too often will change your appearance – your skin is grey and wrinkled, your hair is dry, and you look years older than you actually are |
Interpersonal Conflicts | If drinking too much makes you violent and aggressive, it will inevitably hurt your relationship with others. Besides, in case your loved ones start thinking you are an addict and you are not ready to admit you may have a problem, the bond you have with your family members and friends becomes strained, and it is very difficult to bring back the trust you have had once |
Social Consequences | In the era of social media, privacy is often breached – even if you were at a private event and behaved inappropriately after consuming large amounts of alcohol, you may see pictures and videos of yourself online the next day which might lead to a job loss and uncomfortable conversations with your colleagues and acquaintances |
Financial Troubles | When a person is an addict, they stop at nothing to get another bottle. Unfortunately, this brings further issues even for very rich people – and less successful individuals pour all the money they have and sell items from their household to finance this harmful habit |
Alcohol and Insomnia | FAQs
- Why does alcohol keep me awake all night?
Every person responds differently to alcohol, and some individuals become so accustomed to drinking it, that it slowly deteriorates their quality of life. Quality of sleep is usually one of the first things to suffer – your body continues to metabolize the alcohol especially if you drank and went straight to bed.
- Can I struggle with insomnia if I stop drinking?
If you commit to sobriety, you will experience withdrawal symptoms, especially if you were diagnosed with addiction that interfered with your physical and mental well-being. Sleep disturbances are likely in this scenario, but do not give up on your intention to give up alcohol and improve your health – within a few weeks you will feel better and your sleeping troubles will go away.
- Is there a way to combat alcohol-induced insomnia?
There are measures you can take in advance as well as suggestions to consider when alcohol is already in your system – stick to a regular sleep routine, eat while you drink alcohol, hydrate yourself with clean water, and avoid stimulants like caffeine.
- How can alcohol cause insomnia if it is a depressant?
Although alcohol is a depressant that attacks the central nervous system and often acts as a sedative helping the person sleep earlier than they normally do, alcohol in high quantities will disrupt your sleep – you may also wake up earlier with a hangover and migraine.
- Does all alcohol cause insomnia?
As long as the drink contains a percentage of alcohol, it will start neurochemical changes in your body – no matter what kind of alcohol you consume, dinner party wine or vodka, you may end up spending the rest of the night anxious and unable to sleep.
