A glass of wine before bed, good dreams are hard to come true

Author: Sui Yanling, deputy chief physician, Shandong Provincial Hospital

Reviewer: Zhao Haiyan, deputy chief physician, Peking University Third Hospital

After a busy day, more and more people hope to unload the fatigue of the day by drinking a glass of fine wine at night, hoping that the magic of alcohol can lead them into a peaceful night and sweet dreams. However, scientific research has found that drinking before going to bed will not only fail to achieve a good dream, but may make the dream become disturbed, making it difficult to enjoy true peace.

1. What is insomnia? What are the dangers of insomnia?

Sleep is essential to maintaining people's physical and mental health. However, many people often suffer from insomnia due to various stresses or troubles.

Insomnia in a broad sense refers to dissatisfaction with the quality or quantity of sleep. It is usually manifested in the following aspects.

1) Difficulty initiating sleep.

2) Difficulty maintaining sleep, frequent waking up, or difficulty returning to sleep after waking up.

3) Unable to recover from sleep after waking up early. Epidemiological surveys show that up to 50% of the elderly complain of difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep, and the overall incidence of insomnia in the elderly is higher than that in young people.

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In addition, insomnia is a risk factor for high blood pressure, stroke, mental disorders including anxiety and depression, and reduced immunity.

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2. People with insomnia have tried various methods to improve their insomnia, and some of them drink alcohol before going to bed. So, is it advisable to drink alcohol before going to bed to treat insomnia?

1) Alcohol disrupts sleep rhythm. A small amount of alcohol intake may promote sleep and increase the time of light sleep in the first half of the night to a certain extent. However, alcohol will act on adenosine and wakefulness-promoting neurons, thereby disrupting deep sleep in the second half of the night, manifesting as multiple sleep interruptions in the second half of the night, causing sleep homeostasis disorders, severe insomnia in the second half of the night, and excessive daytime sleepiness.

2) Drinking before bed affects sleep hygiene. Some people drink by the bed and then look at their phones to wait for sleep to come, while others cannot get up on time the next day after drinking. Drinking before bed is not conducive to maintaining a regular sleep schedule or stabilizing emotions before bed. Therefore, drinking before bed is not recommended. Try to develop a habit of relatively fixed sleep schedules and regular work and rest. Regardless of when you fall asleep that night and whether you are satisfied with your sleep quality, you should get up on time the next morning.

3) Alcohol has an osmotic diuretic effect. Drinking alcohol will increase urine output and make people want to urinate, which will interrupt sleep.

4) Alcohol affects the body's nighttime temperature. A French study showed that alcohol has a hyperthermic effect on the body at night. Alcohol changes the body's circadian temperature rhythm and aggravates sleep disorders and mood disorders. Mood and sleep disorders, jet lag, shift work and aging are known to cause changes in the body's temperature, and drinking alcohol can exacerbate such changes.

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Drinking before bedtime may seem to bring a moment of peace, but it actually hides hidden dangers. Rather than relieving insomnia, this approach may have the opposite effect and aggravate sleep disorders. Although a small amount of alcohol intake may temporarily suppress brain activity and promote sleep, it will quickly cause a disruption in the sleep cycle, resulting in a significant reduction in sleep quality. Therefore, using alcohol as a "folk remedy" to treat insomnia is not only unwise, but may also have long-term effects on health. The correct approach is to adopt scientific methods to improve sleep, such as regular work and rest, creating a comfortable sleeping environment, and proper physical exercise, which can help improve sleep quality and promote physical and mental health.