It’s time to put down that third glass of wine.
We’ve renamed it Unhappy Hour.
Imagine this: you went out last night for “one drink”, and you stuck to it. Seriously. One standard drink. Not even a, ‘One – but the bottle’s nearly empty so shove it all in’ measure. Just ONE.
How to fall asleep in less than one minute.
So we’ll forgive your smugness if the words ‘victory dance’ feature in your plans for tomorrow morning. But before you can fist-pump the air, something else is pumping… and it’s your head. It’s 4am. You’re awake, you can’t sleep, you’re grumpy, you’re tired and you’re thinking, NOOOOO, this is it. I can’t drink anymore. I’M OOOOOOOLD.
The good news? When it comes to booze, we’re all in the same boat. The bad news? That boat is the Titanic.
Sleep + alcohol does not end well.
Science has spoken.
17 reasons you’re not getting enough sleep at night.
Dr Christian Nicholas, a neuroscientist at the University of Melbourne’s Sleep Laboratory, monitored the effect that a vodka and orange nightcap had on 24 participants who were invited for a rather unusual sleepover in his lab.
He found that after drinking the booze, people experienced ‘delta’ brain activity – the good stuff, linked to restorative deep sleep – but also ‘alpha’ activity, which tends to occur when the brain is awake.
Having both of these going on together is a bit like trying to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time – it’s hard to get a nice pattern going. So, overall, your sleep quality sucks.
Worse news still for your barman. If you regularly booze before bed over long periods of time, “This could have significant detrimental effects on daytime well-being and neurocognitive function such as learning and memory processes,” Dr Nicholas adds.