Alcohol and Sleep

Avoid alcohol close to bedtime.  Alcohol is disruptive to sleep, particularly if you have a mental health disorder. Keep these facts about alcohol and sleep in mind when deciding when and how much to drink:  

• Avoid alcohol at least four to six hours prior to bed.
• A common but inaccurate belief is that alcohol helps people sleep. Research has shown that alcohol dramatically disrupts sleep throughout the night.
• Deep restorative sleep is more difficult to achieve after drinking alcohol.
• Alcohol aggravates snoring and sleep apnea.  Sleep apnea has been linked to chronic medical conditions including hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.

People are still likely to feel tired after sleeping following a night of drinking as they will have missed out on quality sleep.