Caffeine, Alcohol, and Your Sleep
When the human body and mind experience interrupted or reversed sleep patterns, various complications may arise. It is therefore crucial to comprehend the impact of our dietary choices on sleep and to explore potential remedies. This article represents the third installment in our series on sleep. In case you missed the preceding articles, they are accessible here and here. Now, let us delve deeper into the implications of caffeine and alcohol, and how they can disrupt a peaceful and restorative sleep during the night.
Caffeine is commonly present in various beverages and is classified as a psychostimulant compound. It is reputed to enhance alertness and physical performance. However, excessive consumption of caffeine can have detrimental effects. Caffeine, found predominantly in teas and coffees, shares a chemical structure resembling that of adenosine, a hormone responsible for inducing drowsiness. By occupying the adenosine receptors in the brain, caffeine impedes the reception of sleepiness signals, effectively prolonging wakefulness and heightening alertness.
However, because of adenosine build-up, a sleep debt is induced and once the caffeine is fully metabolized from the system, an overwhelming sleepiness or a caffeine crash kicks in and this can lead to caffeine addiction. Caffeine also suppresses the release of melatonin. The combination of these effects can make it difficult to attain a restful night sleep. Because of how long caffeine stays in the body before it becomes completely eliminated, expert advise is to check and curtail caffeine consumption to the early hours of the morning because caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours. This means that 50% of the coffee is still circulating in the brain 5 – 6 hours after it was consumed.
Caffeine disrupts sleep quality by decreasing the amount of deep sleep that an individual experiences leading to non-restorative sleep. Being deprived of deep and restorative sleep has consequences for all the systems of the body. One thing to note is that caffeine can be found in some of the most unsuspecting foods and beverages, and so it is important to check for the caffeine content of the foods we are consuming throughout the day. Yoghurts for example, may contain an added caffeine. Same goes for chocolates.
How does alcohol affect our sleep? A popular misconception is that alcohol makes for a restful night sleep; this is a complete opposite of what alcohol actually does to our sleep. Alcohol sedates ( it’s a sedative!), but sedation is not a naturalistic sleep. Alcohol leads to what is known as sleep fragmentation – very brief but highly frequent moments of awakenings that pass unnoticed. This leads to non-restorative sleep. Alcohol disinhibits the nervous system and activates the the fight-flight system of the brain and interferes with the sleep phase called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
REM sleep is an important factor for longevity and if it is disrupted very often, it can lead to a shortened lifespan. One of the things that happen when alcohol interferes with REM sleep is that individuals may experience bizarre dreams because the brain is trying to cover up the REM sleep deficit. So while alcohol can lead to falling asleep, it does not actually support staying asleep. Sleep specialists believe that alcohol interrupts stages 3 & 4 of REM sleep, and that these stages of sleep strongly correlated with our immune function.
Now that we know of these factors that can affect the quality and depth of sleep, it is important to take steps to prevent sleep debt owing to these substances. A loss of few hours of sleep can compound to cause really deleterious problems. One of the common one is microsleep. It happens like magic and causes colossal damage in milliseconds of partially or totally shutting the eye especially when behind the wheels. The cognitive impairment associated with sleep debt is said to be similar to such as can be seen in intoxicated people. Here are a few takeaways from this article:
- Avoid taking coffee after 11am. Put an absolute stop to it after midday.
- Avoid heavy and prolonged alcohol intake to improve your quality of REM sleep.
- A nap is useful in restoring lost sleep. Take short naps and take them no later than early noon.
- Maintain sleep regularity; have fixed sleep and wake times and stick to it as much as possible.
- Check food and beverage labels for caffeine contents and avoid eating them late in the day.
In this article, we have discussed the impact of caffeine and alcohol on sleepiness and sleep. In the next article, we will delve into the topic of foods that can enhance our sleep quality. Don’t forget to share this valuable information with your friends and loved ones so they too can improve their sleep.
