Nightcaps are bad for sleep

Alcohol-fuelled sleep 'less satisfying'

A tipple before bedtime may get you off to sleep faster but it can disrupt your night's slumber, say researchers who have reviewed the evidence.

The London Sleep Centre team says studies show alcohol upsets our normal sleep cycles.

While it cuts the time it takes to first nod off and sends us into a deep sleep, it also robs us of one of our most satisfying types of sleep, where dreams occur.

Used too often, it can cause insomnia.

Many advocate a nightcap - nursing homes and hospital wards have even been known to serve alcohol - but Dr Irshaad Ebrahim and his team advise against it.

Fragmented sleep 

Dr Ebrahim, medical director at the London Sleep Centre and co-author of the latest review, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, said: "We should be very cautious about drinking on a regular basis.

"One or two glasses might be nice in the short term, but if you continue to use a tipple before bedtime it can cause significant problems.

"If you do have a drink, it's best to leave an hour and a half to two hours before going to bed so the alcohol is already wearing off."

He said people could become dependent on alcohol for sleep.

And it could make sleep less restful and turn people into snorers.

"With increasing doses, alcohol suppresses our breathing. It can turn non-snorers into snorers and snorers into people with sleep apnoea - where the breathing's interrupted."

From the hundred or more studies that Dr Ebrahim's team looked at, they analysed 20 in detail and found alcohol appeared to change sleep in three ways.

Firstly, it accelerates sleep onset, meaning we drop off faster.

Next, it sends us into a very deep sleep.

These two changes - which are identical to those seen in people who take antidepressant medication - may be appealing and may explain why some people with insomnia use alcohol.

But the third change - fragmented sleep patterns the second half of the night - is less pleasant.

Alcohol reduces how much time we spend in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep - the stage of sleep where dreams generally occur.

As a consequence, the sleep may feel less restful, said Dr Ebrahim.

Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said: "Alcohol on the whole is not useful for improving a whole night's sleep. Sleep may be deeper to start with, but then becomes disrupted. Additionally, that deeper sleep will probably promote snoring and poorer breathing. So, one shouldn't expect better sleep with alcohol."

The Sleep Council said: "Don't over-indulge. Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, just before bedtime, can play havoc with sleep patterns.

"Alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, but will interrupt your sleep later on in the night. Plus you may wake dehydrated and needing the loo."

 
Vocabulary:

alcohol-fuelled -

a tipple -

to get off to sleep -

slumber (n) -

to nod off -

to rob sb of sth -

a nightcap -

a hospital ward -

in the short term -

to wear off -

to snore -

to breathe -

to drop off -

on the whole -

to indulge -

to play havoc with -


to fall asleep -

the loo -


What advice do you have for a good night's sleep?


Comments

Montse said…
Hi, Graham.

I think the better for a good night’s sleep is to do some exercise and I am sure you won’t need a nightcap to fall asleep quickly.

alcohol-fuelled – no sé como definirlo en español ¿¿¿????

a tipple – una bebida alcohólica

to get off to sleep – empezar a dormir

slumber (n) Рsue̱o o sue̱o ligero

to nod off – cabecear ( empezar a dormir

to rob sb of stg - robar

a nightcap – una bebida alcohólica que se toma antes de ir a la cama

a hospital ward – una sala de hospital

in the short term – a corto plazo

to wear off – desaparecer lentamente

to snore - roncar

to breathe - respirar

to drop off – quedarse dormido

on the whole – en su conjunto, generalmente

to indulge – darse el gusto

to play havoc with – hechar a perder

to fall asleep – quedarse dormido, dormirse

the loo Рel cuarto de ba̱o

See you!!!
Roberto said…
I agree with Montse... I think is better to do some exercise,than take pills,or alcohol(or pills and alcohol,even worst). Alcohol-fuelled it must be something like "impulsado por el alcohol".
Graham said…
Hi Montse and Roberto,

I seem to get better sleep in my bed in Scotland. I fhink it's because I feel more relaxed here.

I should get a new mattress when I get back to Madrid; that might help.

I agree that after drinking alcohol it is difficult to get a good night's sleep but I think that a small quantity helps you sleep better.



Montse,

Sometimes it is a good idea to look up the definition in English. Some ideas are difficult to translate.

I think that most of your transaltions are fine.

Alcohol fuelled means that a situation has been caused by alcohol so I think Roberto's translation is right.

I think "play havoc" would transalte as "causar estragos en algo" or "armar un lio".

I think the best thing for a good night's sleep is...


Roberto,

I think it is* better to.... ( ... even worse)

* be careful - you seem to repeat this mistake.


María Rossignoli Montero said…
Hi Graham!

The only word that I'm struggling with is alcohol-fuelled. I think it could be related to be the cause of something but I'm not sure. As for the other words, I had to googled most of them.

Based on the given evidence it appears that everything that Dr Ebrahim says hold the true.
And I agree with him, I've never heard before about having a nightcap before going bed. Indeed/in fact, I think that alcohol affects negativly our slumber quality.
On the top of that, drinking alcohol or taking pills before sleep, can appear to enhance your sleep in the begining, but after some days/weeks the effects will ease off and you might need a bigger dose.

In my experience, everytime I've gone to sleep a bit tipsy after a party, and even though I sleep 8 hours, the next morning I feel so tired and I lose all the day doozing around the sopha.

I think it's much better doing exercise during the day or having a stressless life in order to have a better sleep.
Graham said…
Evening Maria,

You may well be right about nightcaps not giving us a good night's sleep but a hot toddy does help you fight the flu. Google it - you'll get over your cold in no time.

Alcohol-fuelled describes behaviour that is caused (in a negative way) by drink (e.g. alcohol-fuelled violence).


The only word that I'm struggling with is alcohol-fuelled. I think it could be related to be the cause of something but I'm not sure. As for the other words, I had to google most of them.

Based on the given evidence, it appears that everything that Dr Ebrahim says holds true.

And I agree with him, I had never heard about (having) a nightcap before (going to) bed. Indeed/In fact, I think that alcohol negatively affects the quality of our slumber.

On top of that, drinking alcohol or taking pills before sleep, can appear to enhance your sleep in the beginning, but after some days/weeks the effects will ease off and you might (well) need a bigger dose.

In my experience, everytime I've gone to sleep a bit tipsy after a party, and even though I sleep 8 hours, the next morning I feel so tired and I lose the whole day dozing on the sofa.

I think it's much better doing exercise during the day or having a stressless life in order to have a better sleep.