Why is sleep quality worse with alcohol consumption even though I can sleep in a deeper state?

Doctor's Answers 2

Alcohol has been shown to worsen sleep quality. It may help you fall asleep quicker but it certainly affects your sleep quality and reduces the amount of dream sleep or rapid eye movement sleep you get.

One of the things alcohol does is that it causes the airway to become more floppy which may then result in snoring and may worsen or precipitate sleep apnoea(which is a condition where the airway collapses and obstructs during sleep).

When your airway obstructs-and the oxygen drops- this not only stresses your body but it also causes micro or full arousals from sleep. This will frequently cause you to be more tired the following day. This is one of the reasons we ask patients with sleep apnoea to reduce their alcohol consumption.

Alcohol also numbs your reflexes including your breathing reflexes. Excessive or binge drinking is dangerous. Every year close to 2000 college students in the US die from alcohol-related incidents. Apart from accidents; alcohol poisoning or aspiration of alcohol from the stomach into the lungs are known causes of death.

Quite a number of patients resort to drinking alcohol in an attempt to overcome their problem with the initiation of sleep.

No doubt, after drinking alcohol, one can usually fall asleep much faster. The chief drawback is that alcohol leads to sleep fragmentation, which means that the person may wake up after every 2 to 3 hours and, hence, it is harder for him to get into a deep sleep. Deep sleep is important for tissue repair and rest. Alcohol also suppresses REM sleep, which is important for memory consolidation. Beer is a diuretic, so many people may wake up to pass urine, and for many persons, it is harder to get back to sleep after that.

Many individuals have reported that when they subsequently chose to stop alcohol, their dreams become more vivid. In terms of sleep physiology, what is happening here is REM rebound (as alcohol suppressed REM sleep earlier on when the person is drinking). However, REM rebound is temporary and is not an excuse for the person to return to alcohol.

Similar Questions

Who are sleep specialist doctors in Singapore?

It depends on what type of sleep disorder you have. If it’s insomnia related issues, then you may need to see a psychiatrist. If it’s snoring and/or poor sleep quality, then you need to see an ENT doctor who has training in sleep medicine and surgery or a Respiratory Physician who has training in Sleep Medicine. Some neurologists also perform sleep studies for patients especially if there are neurological sleep symptoms. Please also read my guide on paediatric sleep apnea in Singapore.

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Answered By

Human

Why do I sleep excessively so suddenly?

Thank you for asking such an interesting question. Excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the most common sleep-related patient symptoms, and it affects an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the population. People with excessive daytime sleepiness are at risk of motor-vehicle and work-related incidents. Causes of excessive daytime sleepiness The first causative factor that came to my mind is that of poor sleep at night. Many people are anxious and worried at night and that affects the quality of sleep at night. The second cause is not obstructive sleep apnea.

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Answered By

Dr Beng Yeong Ng

Psychiatrist

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