Rich Interconnectedness Between Alcohol and Sleep!

Have you ever wondered why some patients’ sleep is affected strongly by alcohol, while others isn’t? The interconnectedness between alcohol and poor sleep is a rich, important topic. Check out this clinical tip video for some “devil in the detail” that might surprise you!

• A couple of drinks helps with falling asleep but leaves you waking up 2-3 hours later?
• Even after a full meal, alcohol brings on big cravings for “bar food”?
• If I’m so relaxed from a few drinks, how is cortisol involved in the crappy night of sleep that follows?
• Regular drinkers’ pesky leg cramps and tight muscles need more than magnesium. Do you know what’s missing?
• And much more!

If you want a deeper dive after the video, some of these research references may be of interest and help:

• If you want a geek dive into this topic overall, this is a great resource (link).
• Regular moderate-to-heavy drinking increases cortisol in men and women (link). Heavy alcohol use, whether one-time or chronic, increases cortisol levels – and may be related more to the toxicity of acetaldehyde metabolites from alcohol and our varying ability to process/excrete it (link and link).
• Excessive intake of food (which can cause impaired sleep) following alcohol consumption is caused by hyperactivity of hypothalamic Agrp neurons (link).
• Noctural leg cramps and alcohol consumption (link and this clinical tip).
• Alcohol and GABA rebound and poor sleep (clinical tip).
• Dose-dependent impact on REM sleep (link).

If you missed my hour-long video on Sleep Myths and Truths for Practitioners, you may catch the recording here.

I appreciate the opportunity to support your learning on these key topics!

Warmly,