Alcohol at Bedtime May Not Help Your Sleep
Alcohol at Bedtime May Not Help Your Sleep
Study Finds Fault With Popular Notion That a Drink Before Bed Will Help You Sleep Better
The findings showed that alcohol disrupted sleep more in women than in men at equivalent BrACs. Women’s total sleep time was reduced by 19 minutes, sleep efficiency decreased by 4%, and there was a 15-minute increase in the time they spent awake during the night after drinking alcohol, compared to the placebo.
“It is important to note that the peak BrACs were equivalent between men and women in our study, so the findings are not due to higher BrACs among the female subjects,” Arnedt says in the news release.
Sleep continuity following alcohol compared to placebo was not significantly different in men. Researchers did not find differences in sleep measures among participants with a family history of alcoholism.
“These differences may be related to differences in alcohol metabolism,” according to Arnedt, “since women show a more rapid decline in BrAC following alcohol consumption than men.”
“We also do not believe that the differences,” Arnedt says, “were due to differences in alcohol experience because the prior alcohol use was also equivalent between the men and women.”
Further study may help researchers understand more about the relationship between sleep quality and the development of alcohol use disorders, he says.
Slideshow: 12 Myths About Your Hangover
Alcohol at Bedtime May Not Help Your Sleep
Study Finds Fault With Popular Notion That a Drink Before Bed Will Help You Sleep Better
Alcohol and Sleep: Men vs. Women
The findings showed that alcohol disrupted sleep more in women than in men at equivalent BrACs. Women’s total sleep time was reduced by 19 minutes, sleep efficiency decreased by 4%, and there was a 15-minute increase in the time they spent awake during the night after drinking alcohol, compared to the placebo.
“It is important to note that the peak BrACs were equivalent between men and women in our study, so the findings are not due to higher BrACs among the female subjects,” Arnedt says in the news release.
Sleep continuity following alcohol compared to placebo was not significantly different in men. Researchers did not find differences in sleep measures among participants with a family history of alcoholism.
“These differences may be related to differences in alcohol metabolism,” according to Arnedt, “since women show a more rapid decline in BrAC following alcohol consumption than men.”
“We also do not believe that the differences,” Arnedt says, “were due to differences in alcohol experience because the prior alcohol use was also equivalent between the men and women.”
Further study may help researchers understand more about the relationship between sleep quality and the development of alcohol use disorders, he says.
Slideshow: 12 Myths About Your Hangover
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