I was reading the somewhat scary book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker just knowing that alcohol was probably due for a moment under the microscope, and so it was…
The sedative effects of alcohol create two effects to sleeping. One is that it disrupts a full continuous nights worth of sleep and secondly, the chemicals set loose by alcohol prevents REM sleep (the dreaming part of sleep).
Other sleep problems are more pressing such as being shoehorned into a business or school schedule that does not care if you got your full 8 hours or if you are an early riser or late riser. Caffeine and other eating habits as well as the use of blue LED lights in our devices are contributors to sleep issues as well.
And while this blog is all about beer, I do have to advocate for changing your habits to not drink as much (I’m cutting back on the amount I consume) and to not drink late into the evening and to excess.