Will Drinking Alcohol Cause Insomnia?

Insomnia is a disorder that prevents a normal nights sleep, the person suffering from insomnia will either not be able to fall asleep or they will wake after only a few restless hours of sleep. Many people have tried drinking alcohol prior to bedtime thinking that this would make them sleepy when in fact it can have the opposite affect on a person who suffers from insomnia. It can in some cases add to a list of problems the patient already has and as a stimulant it can make the insomnia more severe.

One of the most problems with a person suffering from insomnia that uses alcohol to battle the disorder is that they usually will put off seeking treatment. This alone can allow the insomnia to progress rather than dissipate, along with the fact that depending on alcohol as a sleep remedy can start a dependency on alcohol. This can limit the amount of treatment options an insomniac will have available to them if dependent on alcohol.

For many people suffering from insomnia they feel that having a few drinks helps them to unwind and rids them of stress. The truth is that while it can make a person feel relaxed at the time the alcohol takes affect later when sleeping the body dehydrates and after a few hours of sleep the person suffering from insomnia will wake without having enough rest. This will also affect the persons waking hours, they can often have a short temper, be irritable and have slower alert responses.

It has also been researched that alcohol affects the sleeping pattern and can affect the deeper sleep cycles not allowing the body to have quality REM sleep.

The person that does enjoy an occasional drink should limit the time they have a drink to several hours prior to bed so that the affects of the alcohol has worn off. This gives the body time to re-hydrate prior to sleep and this will give the suffer of insomnia more chance to get quality sleep for the amount of time they are able to sleep.

There is also the problem that drinking alcohol with all of the medications that can be prescribed for insomnia. These medications do not mix well with alcohol and can even be dangerous to the person who takes these medications and drinks while taking the medication. This includes drinking prior to bedtime and then taking one of these medications can cause an adverse affect and can have dangerous effects from the combination.

It has also been proven through research that the person who drinks alcohol often is more at risk to develop insomnia over time. For this person it can become a continuous battle between alcohol and insomnia. This also becomes a problem to diagnose underlying causes for the insomnia such as other conditions that would cause the person to develop insomnia.

Rather than using alcohol to educe sleep there are many different types of treatments that are effective to ensure a nights sleep for the person who suffers from insomnia.