Having a few nightcaps might help you fall asleep fast, but a new study claims going to bed tipsy might wake you up in the middle of the night, and leave you tossing and turning, especially women.
Researchers found women with the same blood-alcohol level as men sleep less soundly, compared to going to bed sober.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends drinking in moderation - if at all. The AHA defines moderate drinking as no more than two drinks per day for men, and only one drink per day for women.
Writing in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, scientists monitored the sleep of 93 men and women in their 20s after a "simulated" night of drinking; observing study participants in a sleep lab.
Individuals' sleep was observed on two occasions. The first night, volunteers drank Wild Turkey bourbon, or Absolut vodka mixed with caffeine-free Coke, until their blood alcohol content reached 0.1. On the second night, about one week apart, study participants drank a placebo; a drink with only a few drops of alcohol in each glass. Researchers say only a few volunteers were fooled.
After each drinking session, individuals were sent to bed for eight hours. Scientists then monitored their brain waves, eye movement, and other sleep markers. When they woke up volunteers were asked to rate their sleep. Results showed men slept more soundly than women after drinking, and women slept roughly 20 minutes less than men, and woke up more often and for longer periods of time.
The scientists say more research needs to be conducted, but the findings challenge the notion that alcohol is a sleep aid.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of the adult population in the United States drank alcohol in the past 30 days, 5% of the total population drank heavily, and 15% binge drank.
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