Alcohol affects sleep ¨C here's how
July 15, 2025
Medically Reviewed | Last reviewed by and Gloria Oyekanmi on July 15, 2025
For cancer prevention, it¡¯s best not to drink alcohol. If you choose to drink, be aware of the cancer risks, aim to drink less often and have fewer drinks.
In addition to impacting your cancer risk, alcohol also affects sleep quality. Ahead, we¡¯ll cover why having a drink may make you feel ready for bed only to leave you counting sheep later in the night, the sleep-related health conditions that can be triggered by alcohol and if there is anything you can do to prevent these things.
Alcohol may help you fall asleep
If you¡¯ve ever had a drink or two and then felt drowsy, there¡¯s a reason for that: alcohol is a sedative. It impacts the same receptors in the brain as insomnia medications. This means it can initially help promote slow wave sleep, a type of deep sleep when brain activity slows.
While that may make it sound like alcohol is a good sleep aid, that is only half of the story. That¡¯s because alcohol has different impacts on falling asleep and staying asleep, bringing us to our next point.
But alcohol doesn¡¯t help you stay asleep
If you¡¯ve ever had a drink or two and fallen asleep only to wake up at 2 or 3 a.m., there¡¯s also a reason for that. As alcohol wears off, it can cause a withdrawal effect that can wake you up. This is called rebound insomnia.
Alcohol can change your overall sleep architecture. While you may get slightly more slow wave sleep earlier in the night, rebound insomnia can cause you to lose out on it later in the night, along with another type of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
We typically get more REM sleep in the second half of the night. This is when dreams usually occur. REM sleep leaves us feeling rested and helps with memory, learning and concentration. But when you drink alcohol, REM sleep is suppressed.
So, while alcohol can help you fall asleep, it often impairs your sleep overall. It can lead to both worse sleep quality and sleep efficiency, which is the amount of time you're in bed actually sleeping. That¡¯s why alcohol isn¡¯t recommended as a way to help you fall asleep.
Key takeaways:
- Alcohol can help you fall asleep, but it may disturb sleep later in the night.
- Alcohol suppresses REM sleep.
- Drinking alcohol can cause snoring and worsen sleep apnea.
- Protect your sleep quality by finishing any drinks 3 to 4 hours before bed.
Alcohol can lead to snoring and worsen sleep apnea
If you drink alcohol before bed, you ¨C or a partner ¨C may notice snoring. That¡¯s because alcohol functions as a muscle relaxant which can cause your airway to be more relaxed or floppy.
Alcohol-induced snoring can be a minor annoyance for anyone you share a bedroom with, but alcohol can also cause or worsen a serious health problem called obstructive sleep apnea. In this type of sleep apnea, the upper airway closes while you are asleep. This can impact your sleep quality, leading you to feel more tired and less refreshed the next morning.
You have a higher risk of sleep apnea if you are:
- Overweight
- Over age 50
- Assigned male at birth
Bad sleep after drinking can make your hangover worse
A bad night of sleep can leave you feeling less refreshed the next morning. But did you know a bad night of sleep after drinking may also make your hangover symptoms worse?
One example of this is that sleep apnea can cause headaches. This may mean a night of drinking too much and impacted sleep could both be contributing to a headache the next morning.
Mixing alcohol with certain medications is dangerous
It is always a good idea to take a careful look at your medications before drinking. Avoid alcohol if you take medications that have sedative effects. This includes sleeping pills and some pain medications like opioids.
Combining alcohol with sedative medications can be dangerous or even fatal as it could lead to hypoventilation or not being able to breathe deeply at night.
How much you drink and when you drink impacts sleep
The amount of alcohol you drink and how close to bedtime you drink impact how you sleep that night and how you will feel the next day.
The more you drink, the more of a sedative effect alcohol has and the more withdrawal effects you will feel. This could lead to poor sleep and trouble waking up the next morning. Once you are awake, you may feel groggy and drowsy.
To minimize the impact of alcohol on sleep, have your last drink at least 3 or 4 hours before bedtime.
If you do drink too close to bedtime, drinking water or another non-alcoholic beverage can help your body clear the alcohol. But, of course, you don¡¯t want to overdo it. Besides, drinking too much fluid before bed raises the chances an overnight bathroom break will interrupt your sleep.
After drinking, there¡¯s not much you can do to keep your sleep from being disrupted. If you made the decision to have that couple of glasses of wine or a couple of beers at night, you're telling yourself that you're putting your sleep quality at risk; that's the tradeoff.
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Alcohol can change your overall sleep architecture.
Dave Balachandran, M.D.
Physician