Can drinking alcohol help you sleep? What happens if you mix alcohol with sleeping pills? Doctors reveal the truth: Fear of damaging the brain and liver may lead to 4 "sequelae"
Drinking a glass of wine before going to bed solves insomnia? Beware of 4 major side effects of drinking alcohol to help you sleep
Daily life is tense and stressful. Modern people face a high proportion of insomnia and sleep problems. Some people are accustomed to drinking alcohol before going to bed to help them fall asleep. Dr. Zhou Weibo from the Department of Psychiatry at Chung Ho Memorial Hospital of Kaohsiung Medical University warned that drinking alcohol before going to bed to aid sleep will have a negative impact on sleep quality in the long run, which may run counter to the original intention of helping sleep.
Dr. Zhou Weibai said that drinking before going to bed will indeed make people feel better to fall asleep at first. But after a few days, you will find that your sleep quality declines. Clinical studies show that 50-70% of alcohol addicts have sleep problems of varying degrees. Overall, long-term alcohol addiction will lead to the following conditions:
Dreaming becomes frequent.
Light sleep.
It becomes difficult to fall asleep.
Easy to wake up early.
Dr. Zhou Weibai explained that long-term drinking not only results in poor sleep quality, but may also have a negative impact on the mood of patients with mental illness. Symptoms of patients with clinical depression and bipolar disorder often become unstable after drinking alcohol. If combined with the problem of “alcohol addiction”, the condition may become complicated and difficult to recover. Therefore, Dr. Zhou Weibai suggested that when related mental illnesses occur, emotional problems should be treated to avoid addiction problems caused by alcohol abuse, and alcohol treatment should be received in a timely manner.
Do sleeping pills and alcohol help you sleep better? May cause difficulty in liver metabolism and damage to the brain
Groups with severe sleep problems may engage in inappropriate medication behavior such as drinking alcohol and taking sleeping pills. Dr. Zhou Weibo pointed out that both alcohol and sleeping pills are metabolized by the liver. Taking both at the same time will increase the burden on the liver and slow down metabolism. Sleeping pills and alcohol both have inhibitory effects on brain function. The additive effects of the two will cause hangovers, Aggravating the effects of drugs, causing dizziness, general weakness and other conditions, doctors remind that sleeping pills and alcohol should not be taken at the same time or alternately to avoid damage to the brain.
Dr. Zhou Weibai explained that compared with previous sleeping pills, the serious side effects of current sleeping pills have been greatly reduced. However, sleeping pills should be taken according to the doctor’s prescription when needed. Self-medication must be avoided, which may lead to “increasing weight” or other dangers. Patients should discuss medication use with their physician, use medication to help sleep when needed, and reduce medication dosage at other times to reduce the risk of addiction.
Is insomnia caused by these “bad habits”? Does eating health food help you sleep?
Dr. Zhou Weibai believes that the source of insomnia problems can often be traced, such as a noisy sleeping environment, excessively cold or hot temperatures in the sleeping space, and extremes of dryness and humidity. In addition, drinking coffee, tea, cola and other caffeine-containing beverages and refreshing drinks before going to bed may aggravate insomnia and should be avoided before going to bed. If you use electronic products to watch TV shows or play video games before going to bed, a large amount of blue light will overstimulate the brain and cause insomnia. Good sleep habits and a regular biological clock should be developed to help sleep quality
