Insomnia and alcohol

For those of us who have trouble falling asleep at night, one often enjoyable fix can be an alcoholic beverage.  “A glass of wine puts me right to sleep,” say many insomnia sufferers glad to have found a seeming solution.  This may be true, but it will typically not lead to sustained and undisturbed sleep though the night.  (One obvious drawback to using alcohol to get to sleep is the likelihood of needing to get up during the night to use the bathroom. For some insomnia sufferers it can be difficult to get back to sleep afterwards.)

Even people who drink more than the recommended maximum of seven drinks per week for women — fourteen for men — need not let alcohol interfere with sleep. It’s drinking close to bedtime that is most problematic.  If alcohol is consumed several hours earlier, it will have much less of an effect on nighttime sleep than if consumed just before going to bed.