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For every glass of wine, drink at least one glass of water. This helps the body from becoming dehydrated from the effects of alcohol. (Photos.com)
Recently, I was talking with someone who is generally fit and well but has a sleep issue. He sometimes fails to get to sleep easily. Even when he does, he tends to wake up several times during the night and can often have difficulty getting back to sleep.
It’s sometimes not obvious why someone has problems sleeping. One quite-common factor is alcohol. If someone has sleep issues and usually drinks alcohol in the evening, drinking less or nothing invariably helps.
Of course, it’s possible for someone to have sleep issues that have nothing to do with alcohol. Indeed, teetotalers can have problems sleeping. However, if someone has sleep issues and drinks alcohol, drinking less almost always helps.
A study published online on Aug. 16 in Clinical and Experimental Research reminded me of the insomniac man I had met. The study tested the effects of alcohol on sleep. Subjects were assessed through sleep with a measure known as heart rate variability. This can give information about the activity of the autonomic nervous system.
This is the part of the nervous system that influences everything from breathing and heart rate to the stress response and sleep. The autonomic nervous system has two main parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic part is activated when we are alert and stressed. The parasympathetic part is more dominant when we are relaxed and at rest.
When we sleep, it’s important for the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to be weighted on the parasympathetic side. It is partly this that allows sleep to be deep and restful.
This study found that alcohol disrupts parasympathetic activity, and more alcohol generally meant more disruption. In other words, there is evidence that alcohol can disrupt our ability to get deep, restorative sleep.
These are three things I have found can help individuals drink less without feeling deprived:
1. Do not start drinking when you’re thirsty. The thirstier we are, the more we will tend to drink. The less thirsty we are, the less alcohol we will tend to drink.
It makes sense to ensure we’re properly hydrated prior to starting drinking. The aim should be to drink enough water to keep our urine pale yellow, and there should be no sense of thirst prior to drinking any alcohol.
2. Do not start drinking when you’re hungry. Alcohol can provide ready fuel for the body, and some people will find that hunger can stimulate the desire to drink. Some people will crave alcohol if their blood sugar level drops below normal.
One common manifestation of this phenomenon is a tendency to drink a glass of wine, beer, or a mixer prior to food in the evening. Individuals coming home or entering a restaurant in a hungry state will often reach for the alcohol before anything else. When individuals manage their appetites better, they almost always drink less.
One simple tactic here is to eat something such as some nuts in the late afternoon or early evening.
3. Match each alcoholic drink with one of water. This tactic generally works wonders to quell alcohol intake. For example, matching each glass of wine with a glass of water usually leads to less wine being drunk and also dilutes any negative effects the alcohol may have.
Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine. His website is DrBriffa.com
