This entry was posted 11 years, 9 months ago.
August 24, 2011
Wines and other alcoholic drinks can have temporarily sleep inducing effects on some people. After drinking a little bit of such beverages some of us started feeling extra relaxed, slowed down and sleepy. That is why such people sometimes believe that taking alcohol before the bedtime can be a great solution to induce sleep and prevent insomnia. Unfortunately, this idea has no common sense and the latest study carried out by a group of Japanese specialists at Akita University and the Akita Kaiseikai Hospital have shown that alcohol consumption before the bedtime can actually cause insomnia and many other serious sleep problems.
According to Daily Express, 10 male university students took part in the experiments. For a certain period of time they were given various alcoholic drinks (in various amounts and of various alcohol content) in exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes before the bedtime. 
Also, during their sleep the students were connected to special systems to monitor their brain and heart activities. This information later on was thoroughly analyzed by the scientists along with the comment of the participant regarding their sleep quality after having one or another dose of alcoholic drinks.
It turned out that high consumption of alcohol before the bedtime resulted in sleeplessness and restless night leaving the participants exhausted, depressed and thinking about using an alcohol treatment facility locator. Scientists linked high alcohol consumption to reduced amounts of REM sleep, causing very shallow sleep especially during the second half of the night. Besides, high doses of alcohol were found to affect the brain activity that controls the body when sleeping. Finally, alcohol suppresses the activities of nervous system that aid digestion and slow down heart rate which brings to more sleep problems. Experts say that all these effects can be very high in chronic alcohol users.
One of the leading specialists of the research group, Dr. Yohei Sagawa, the expert from the department of neuropsychiatry at Akita University comments on the course of the study as the following: ‘Although the first half of sleep after alcohol intake looks good, the result of the assessment shows that drinking leads to insomnia rather than good sleep. Good quality sleep is important for maintaining the systems which regulate the body’s recuperative processes.‘ To read more about this interesting study, check out the latest issue of in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
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