Does drinking help you sleep?

Does drinking help you sleep? If your answer is yes, then I'm glad you are reading this post. Before, I also drink alcohol to make myself sleep. Whenever I drink, it's easier for me to fall asleep. However, when I wake up, I still feel tired. Then, I stumbled upon an article that says alcohol helps us to fall asleep quickly but stops our body from getting the deep sleep we need. Alcohol prevents us from getting the rest our body should have.

Luckily for me I don't drink, so I never felt the need to drink alcohol just to be able to sleep. Taking alcohol to be able to sleep isn't really advisable, so people shouldn't really try it.

I don't know people who use alcohol solely so they can get some sleep. But I've noticed though that people who are drunk tend to fall asleep faster.

@OP instead of using alcohol to get you to sleep you could try this:

- Drink some warm milk before going to bed.
- Eat one or two bananas before going to sleep.
- Watch less TV and don't use your smartphone an hour before going to sleep.

All the best!

I have also never used alcohol as a means of getting some sleep but I have heard some people say it or maybe they just use it as an excuse to drink. I have noticed though just like what @Rainman said, that when someone drinks alcohol, it is indeed faster to fall asleep. This is not a good practice that is worth recommending for someone who's finding it hard to sleep though. There are other numerous ways other than alcohol that aids in getting the sleep that one needs.

It's true drinking helps one sleep, until you can't fall asleep without a drink. I remember nights when I'd toss and turn until the wee hours just because I had foregone that bedtime drink. It's just not worth it. Learn to slepp naturally without relying on alcohol or other substances.

I can relate, when I drink is really easy for me to fall asleep, I just feel really tired and I don't care where I am, lol. But as you've said when you woke up is the worst part of the process, is not just the fact that your body still feels tired, when I wake up I'm usually with a pretty bad hangover, so for me it's not the best idea to drink a lot and then go to sleep.

Yep, alcohol interferes with REM and deep sleep stage sleep. Alcohol CAN HELP with insomnia, but there are much better solutions to insomnia than drinking alcohol. In the past, I used to self-medicate with alcohol for my insomnia... until I later discovered that I had a sleep disorder! When my sleep disorder got treated, I quit drinking alcohol to fall asleep.

I don't think I ever used alcohol specifically for the purposes of falling asleep but I often did fall asleep after drinking a certain amount. It was never "good quality" sleep though, and really if anyone is having issues with falling asleep I would recommend trying natural things (cutting back on caffeine, winding down earlier in the evening and avoiding technology/bright screens for a while before bed).

No, I have never used this to go to sleep. I have used a Benadryll to try to get to sleep, and of course it worked. I know a woman who pops pills to get sleep. What is the difference both are bad in my eyes, but alcohol has a bad stigma that pills don't.

My husband used to drink alcohol to make him sleep whenever he cannot sleep. Back then, couple of months ago, he would drink at least a bottle a night because he says he cannot sleep. But I noticed that he built a tolerance to alcohol this way and would need higher amounts a couple of weeks later. And his sleep isn't really that great as well, specially since he depended on the alcohol for him to sleep.

Now, he has quit alcohol and sleeps better. One minute he's just on his phone and the next, he's already dozing off. I think his sleep is also deeper because even if our son is noisy, he doesn't get disturbed as much. So all in all, quitting alcohol has really helped him get that much better sleep.

While drinking does help you fall asleep, a better option maybe to drink some warm milk or tea before bed. Also, put away the electronics about 30 minutes before bed and pick up a book or magazine or encyclopedia and you will be off to sleep in no time.

I think it could help you get to sleep, it's getting up that's the problem. When you fall asleep drunk you wake up with a hangover and that makes you wish you didn't drink. I think that alcohol isn't a good sleep aid at all. The best way to get good sleep is to eat healthy, work out and drink plenty of water.

When I asked my dad why he drank alcohol, he told me that alcohol helped him to sleep. He was suffering from insomnia and instead of taking sleeping pills, he opted to just drink until he passes out. But the thing is, even though he was able to sleep, he wakes up really early. He was only able to sleep for about 4 hours everyday. This went on and on for years. Alcohol doesn't really help with sleeping problems. It's just a temporary solution, which just creates more problems in the long run.

I never use alcohol to sleep, but if I had some drinks earlier in the day, I might find it easier to go to sleep. Alcohol is a depressant, and it might cause you to wake up later but it may help you go to sleep initially. I just find it easier to sleep if I have had some alcohol during the day. I haven't really paid attention to if it wakes me up later or not

Alcohol does in fact help you 'fall' asleep. Staying asleep now is the problem. Alcohol causes your body to have urges to release more liquid so liquids like sweat and urine will start to make their way out of the body. During this time, it can be very uncomfortable to sleep and the initial sleep called 'deep sleep' were alcohol takes you directly to is interrupted and in essence you aren't getting a good night's rest. It's not wise to drink alcohol to sleep as there are many alternatives such as milk, water etc.

I know a lot of people that will have a couple of drinks before they go to bed because it helps them sleep, but the problem is, over a period of time your tolerance level will go up.

At one time you might feel that one shot of whiskey or a couple of beers helps you get the sleep you needs, but that will then gradually start to increase. That's when there's possibly going to be a problem later on in life.

Hello guys, I am a Medicine Woman of my tribe, and when I saw this, and read a few of the posts, I decided that I probably could be of a bit of assistance.

Non-alcoholic ways to help sleep!

• Valerian Root - You can find these capsules in the pharmacy section of most stores. Valerian Root helps stimulate the hormones in your body needed for sleep (melatonin). Taking two or three Valerian Root capsules about an hour before bedtime will help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Yarrow Flower - I am not sure if this is a tea that sold in stores already or in capsules, but if you can get your hands on it, add it to some chamomile tea or your Valerian root! In combo it makes for a great sleeping aid. It's basically like Valerian root, only a different type of flower.
• Chamomile Tea - Sipping some hot tea does the trick, but Chamomile tea is the best. Add a little peppermint leaf to your chamomile tea and you're good to go. It relaxes your entire body, is caffeine free, and is aromatic.
• Sleepy Time Tea- I have a recipe that we make for our particularly insomniac clients that has several organic herbs inside that helps sleep including Valerian Root, Yarrow Flower, Chamomile and Peppermint. If you would like to talk to me about this tea, please feel free to send me a message.

My dad used to drink so he could go to sleep. He had an unusually high tolerance for an Asian guy, so he'd have to drink more and more every night for less refreshing sleep. And he always woke up with a terrible hangover.

I, on the other hand, have one of the most furious cases of Asian glow known to man. It's bad enough for my self esteem that it steers me away from alcohol unless absolutely necessary.