New research shows a link between alcoholism and troubled sleep patterns. The study was published in the October 1st edition of the journal Sleep. According to Dr Ian M. Colrain, of SRI International in Menlo Park, who conducted the study, people who abuse alcohol report Insomnia and other sleep problems even after they quit drinking. Corlain stated that these changes are likely to make the problems with mental function worse that result from long-term heavy drinking.
Dr Colrain study compared 42 alcoholics who had quit drinking with 42 people with no history of alcoholism. all participants spent a night in a sleep lab where their brain activity during sleep was monitored. The alcoholics had been sober for an average of about 6 months each.
The study compared the slow-wave and REM sleep of the two groups. The alcoholics spent a significantly less time in REM, and slow-wave sleep than the non-alchololics.
Corlain goes on to say that the fact that these differences in sleep patterns persist after the subjects had quit drinking for long periods of time suggests that alcoholism may have a lasting effect on sleep
3:54 am on February 1st, 2010
Some people actually get addicted to drinking by initially using alcohol as a sleep aid. Three or more drinks will cause the average person to fall asleep sooner than usual. However, falling asleep faster is the only real benefit of alcohol for sleep. The more prevalent, disruptive effects include more frequent awakenings, worse sleep quality; reduction of deep sleep, and earlier-than-usual waking times, leading people to feel they did not get enough sleep. An alcoholic who is actively drinking experiences similar, but more severe, types of sleep disruptions. Hence alcoholics should get professional and medical help to get over this problem and have a healthy and much-required sleep.