Although drinking alcohol may help you fall to sleep, it actually disrupts your sleep later in the night resulting in fewer overall hours of sleep. Now there is research that shows this disruption of sleep is more pronounced for women than men.Scientists believe this is because women metabolize alcohol differently than male drinkers.
University of Michigan researcher J. Todd Arnedt studied 59 women and 34 men who were given a placebo beverage or alcohol to the point of intoxication. Their sleep was monitored from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. and they completed questionnaires before bedtime and after awakening.
Fewer Overall Hours of Sleep
Compared to the males in the study, the researchers found that the women:
- Had fewer hours of sleep
- Woke more frequently and for more minutes
- Had more disrupted sleep.
Family History Not a Factor
Other findings of the study included:
- Family history of alcoholism was not a factor in sleep disruption.
- Alcohol produced solid sleep in the first half of the night.
- More wakefulness was reported in the second half.
But Arnedt's study found no differences between the two groups in terms of sleep disruption.
Source: Arnedt JT, et al "Sleep Following Alcohol Intoxication in Healthy, Young Adults: Effects of Sex and Family History of Alcoholism." Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research February 2011. More Information:
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alcohol has totally ruined my sleeping pattern.I waske up in the night feeling very anxious which causes me to have a panic attack
I don’t doubt the conclusions, but I am quite curious about the methodology — what “placebo beverage” would make the user unaware that she was not actually drinking alcohol?