Sleeping has been a struggle for me for as long as I can recall. Whether it’s nights where sleep eludes me entirely, it takes hours before I finally doze off, or I wake up every half hour or so, there always seems to be an issue – leaving me feeling drained.
However, I’ve recently made some changes that have significantly improved my sleep – and ditching one particular habit appears to have done wonders. I’ve previously praised the benefits of taking magnesium every night, about an hour before bed, which has helped me fall asleep much quicker.
But this World Sleep Day (March 14), I’m reflecting on another factor that has also contributed – giving up alcohol. This year, I decided to participate in Dry January for the first time ever – and I noticed a substantial improvement in my sleep.
I’m not a heavy drinker, and my consumption is usually confined to weekends or special occasions, but it’s always been apparent that alcohol adversely affects my sleep. While others seem to become drowsy after consuming alcohol, I find that my body resists sleep even after just one or two drinks.
It appears I’m not alone in experiencing sleep disruption due to alcohol. Drinkaware suggests that while some people may find alcohol helps them fall asleep initially, it reduces the time spent in the crucial Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep, resulting in less refreshing sleep.
Alcohol can also worsen insomnia in some individuals, which seems to be the case for me.
A sleep expert, affectionately dubbed the ‘Sleepy Mummy’ on TikTok, has shared some noteworthy insights: “Alcohol might make you feel drowsy and help you fall asleep faster but it can interfere with the quality of your sleep. It reduces your REM sleep, which is the deep, restorative sleep that your body needs. REM sleep is crucial for memory, mood and overall brain function. Without enough of it you might wake up feeling groggy and unrefreshed, even if you slept for eight hours.”
This revelation prompted me to participate in Dry January this year, a month-long initiative to abstain from alcohol.
The biggest benefit I had from giving up alcohol is definitely massively improved sleep.
In the first month, I didn’t have any sleepless nights, and because (I think) of the magnesium too, I was able to fall asleep faster. As a result, I felt much more awake the next day, and my energy levels were much higher.
I enjoyed the effect so much I decided to keep it going for another month. The second month was mostly smooth sailing, although I did struggle with sleep when I had a cold for a week – but due to congestion more than anything.
A trip to Dublin in March meant I had a couple of drinks and pints of Guinnesses, and on those days I didn’t sleep well at all. I even decided to switch to Guinness 0.0 to make sure I wasn’t drinking too much, which is something I probably never would have done before.
I’m hoping to keep the experiment going to see if my sleep continues to be as good as it is, because feeling more fresh and having more energy is priceless.