How does alcohol consumption affect sleep recovery?

Drinking alcohol, contrary to popular belief about its relaxing influences, greatly decreases the quality of sleep recovery. It may cause drowsiness for a short time, but it interferes with important biological processes during sleep. Getting to know some of these mechanisms will help you make more informed decisions regarding your evening drinks. I have seen clients greatly improve their sleep by addressing their habits with alcohol.

Alcohol consumption greatly diminishes memory consolidation. REM sleep processes daily events into long-term memories. Alcohol inhibits this function. You may have a harder time remembering details from the previous day: Important opportunities for learning fail to occur. This is why students should avoid drinking before tests.

Once again, physical restoration capacity is considerably compromised. Repair of tissues occurs primarily during periods of deep sleep. Alcohol interrupts this period. You recover more slowly in the muscles after exercise. Regeneration phenomena of the cells become interrupted. I advise athletes to avoid alcohol during training periods. In view of the necessary restoration for performance improvement, the restoration must not be interrupted.

Hormonal imbalances manifest through several different mechanisms. This includes shifts in cortisol patterns away from normal. The production of growth hormone decreases. These factors disrupt everything from stress response patterns to metabolism. Glucose regulation becomes less efficient. This leads to a tendency toward cravings and energy crashes the next day.

Begin tonight by replacing the evening beverages with tart cherry juice. Substitute relaxing evening rituals without the use of alcohol. If used, limit to three and complete them before retiring. The body will repay you with deeper and more restful sleep immediately.

Read the full article: Sleep Debt Recovery: Essential Guide