Sleep Myth Monday: Alcohol for Sleep

This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re true.

Myth or Truth: Alcohol helps you sleep.

TRUTH

Alcohol DOES make you sleepy. However, don’t take that as meaning that it’s a good sleep aid. Once the alcohol wears off, people often wake up and can’t get back to sleep. Also, new research shows that it reduces the amount of REM sleep you receive, which means that even if you ARE asleep, the sleep isn’t productive. Here are a couple of SleepBetter articles with more information: 

http://sleepbetter.org/12-holiday-sleep-tips-9-dont-overdo-the-alcohol/

http://sleepbetter.org/new-research-why-alcohol-and-sleep-dont-mix/