How Drinking Can Degrade Sleep Quality

As anyone who has had more than a few drinks knows, alcohol can very quickly lead to an impressive hangover. It’s common knowledge that overindulging leads to short term issues like headaches and nausea, but some of alcohol’s effects on sleep are lesser known. As a foundational part of our health, good sleep is essential not only to remaining healthy, but also in helping the body recover from the effects of alcohol.

When functioning correctly, soon after falling asleep, the body enters into slow wave sleep, when it focuses on physical recovery. Next, the body cycles into REM sleep, which is the stage when the brain gets rest. When alcohol enters the picture, these cycles are disrupted. With spirits in the body, the system must focus on processing it, and isn’t able to enter these healing stages of sleep. When we can’t access these deep levels of restorative sleep, we wake up feeling less than rested or ready for the day.

While the effects of alcohol on sleep are many, alternative spirits offer a means to imbibe while being mindful of our health. Non-alcoholic beverages, such as hemp-infused spirits, allow imbibers to enjoy a cocktail without altering sleep cycles. In fact, some suggest that the CBD found in hemp-infused spirits may actually be beneficial for sleep. Hemp-infused spirits allow us to continue to indulge while thinking intentionally about sleep and our bodies.