Why that “night cap” could be a bad idea

Even though alcohol is a depressant, it doesn’t have the positive effect on sleep like most people think.

While a good, stiff drink might help you fall asleep, it could cause difficulty for you later on in the night. Once the initial effect of the depressant wears off during the second stage of the sleep cycle, your body experiences what can be described as a backlash effect, causing extra periods of wakefulness or restlessness throughout the night. That’s why alcohol drinkers who pass out do not wake up feeling rested and revived the next morning. In addition to the dehydration caused by the alcohol in their systems, the quality of sleep was poor, and that poor sleep results in feeling awful the next day.

So before going for that glass of brandy or that “Hot Toddy” before bed, try some of these tricks and remedies instead. And remember: if you feel that you need to have alcohol to fall asleep, it could be a sign that you need to seek help from your doctor.