We can't find evidence that holds up here. Proponents are reasoning from mechanism or analogy rather than direct human data, and the most credible skeptics raise objections we can't dismiss.
The third part of alcohol in terms of an equation is that it's quite potent at blocking your REM sleep, your rapid eye movement sleep. And REM sleep is critical for a variety of cognitive functions. Some aspects of learning and memory it seems to be critical for aspects of emotional and mental health.
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Alcohol, if we're thinking about classes of drugs, they're in a class of drugs that we call the sedatives. And I think one of the first problems that people often mistake, alcohol is often used as a sleep aid for people who are struggling with sleep when things like over the counter remedies, etcetera, or herbal remedies have just not worked out for them. And alcohol, unfortunately, is anything but a sleep aid.
the sleep that one gets after drinking alcohol is greatly disrupted sleep.
alcohol is probably one of the most misunderstood sleep aids in a quotes that there is it is no sleep aid at all now if I didn't understand what I know about alcohol and and sleep I would think that too which is look when I have a night cap just before bed or two even though I don't wear them um I I may actually just fall asleep very easily and feels like I stay asleep very soundly across the night so it's a great sleep aid and it really helps me there are at least I would say three issues with alcohol the first is that alcohol is in a class of drugs that we call the sedatives and sedation is not sleep but when you take on board alcohol in the evening you mistake the former for the latter and you think it helps you fall asleep the second thing is that because it's sedation or actually it's probably related to sedation if I were to show you the electrical signature of your deep sleep when you're just sleeping naturally versus when you have alcohol in your system it's not really the same it's not a naturalistic form of deep s it mimics it looks not too dissimilar but if I really do my analyses and I almost like that Pink Floyd album where I take the white light of electrical brain activity coming from your head as you're sleeping and split it apart into all of the different components there are some components that are no longer present or some that are abnormally present the second issue with alcohol is that it fragments your sleep so it will litter your sleep with all these punctuated Awakenings throughout the night the danger that is that many of those Awakenings with alcohol you don't remember because they're too brief but then you wake up the next day and you think well I didn't have a problem falling asleep I didn't have a problem staying asleep but I just I feel rough I just don't feel restored by my sleep and you don't add two and two together the final concern with alcohol is that it's quite a potent Blocker of your rapid eye movement sleep or REM sleep
no alcohol it just it w sleep
so alcohol fragments sleep you wake up more times during the night sometimes you don't even realize you're waking up but if you do again pay attention to a sleep tracker you'll probably notice more wake ups and it seems to block rem sleep more than non-rem deep sleep
Alcohol is probably the most misunderstood sleep aid or sleep drug. It's what most people usually reach for when over-the-counter medications have failed. Alcohol is a sedative. It's a class of drugs that we call the sedatives. And sedation is not sleep.