Is Alcohol Messing With Your Sleep? Can't Sleep Over 6 Hours After Drinking

Maybe it’s time to stop drinking altogether?

You can still sleep? After just two drinks, I can’t sleep at all!

Once I hit 35, I realized that if I drink more than three drinks, I wake up early and feel awful. Anxiety kicks in too.

I heard from a sleep expert that alcohol doesn’t actually make you sleep; it sedates you. The difference is that you miss out on the brain activity that helps restore your body. Alcohol messes with GABA, the neurotransmitter that helps you sleep. It may put you to sleep, but it’s not the same as real rest.

I’m the same. That’s why I stopped drinking.

There was a time I drank a lot, and while it helped me fall asleep quickly, my sleep quality was awful. It’s a tough trade-off.

Try taking melatonin before bed—it might help.

Rory said:
Try taking melatonin before bed—it might help.

I’ll give it a try. Thanks!

Monty said:

Rory said:
Try taking melatonin before bed—it might help.

I’ll give it a try. Thanks!

I take half a Valium when I feel like this. It works great for me.

I can’t sleep at all when I get drunk. Usually, I only sleep for 1-2 hours. I’m 21, and I’ve only been drinking for a couple of years, but I have plenty of sleep issues, so it’s not surprising.