Study: Alcohol disrupts women's sleep
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Avnish Jolly
Feb 15, 2011, 11:10:39 PM2/15/11
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Study: Alcohol disrupts women's sleep
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health/your_health&id=7961251
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Denise Dador
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Some women don't think twice about having a
glass of wine around bedtime. In fact, they may think it helps them
get to sleep. But new research says alcohol may actually be disruptive
especially for women.
A new University of Michigan report finds women who drank to
intoxication had sleep disturbances, woke up more frequently during
the night and lost about 20 minutes of sleep.
Twenty minutes of lost sleep may not seem like a big deal but a recent
British study found that a woman's body actually needs 20 more minutes
per night of sleep than a man's. And if you don't get a lot of sleep
to begin with, 20 minutes can make a big difference.
"They may think that they have slept all night but their sleep quality
is very, very poor," said Dr. David Thompson, director of the Sleep
Disorder Center at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
He says people who drink alcohol often think they're sleeping soundly
but in reality they don't reach deep sleep. The reason is when alcohol
dissipates in the blood it sends a wakeup response to your brain which
results in a light, easy-to-disrupt sleep.
"Our brain is now alert and has difficulty then with reinstitution of
sleep," said Thompson.
Why does alcohol affect women's sleep more than men? Thompson thinks
it has to do with hormones.
So what should women do to get a better night's rest? Thompson says
don't drink any more than an ounce of alcohol before sleeping. And
don't drink it right before you sleep.
"If there is a substantial length of time between that one or two
ounces and bedtime, there's probably not going to be a major impact on
your sleep," said Thompson.
If you still think alcohol makes you sleep better, think about how you
feel the day after a night of drinking. Thompson says that groggy
feeling probably has more to do with disrupted sleep than alcohol.
(Copyright ©2011 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health/your_health&id=7961251
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Denise Dador
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Some women don't think twice about having a
glass of wine around bedtime. In fact, they may think it helps them
get to sleep. But new research says alcohol may actually be disruptive
especially for women.
A new University of Michigan report finds women who drank to
intoxication had sleep disturbances, woke up more frequently during
the night and lost about 20 minutes of sleep.
Twenty minutes of lost sleep may not seem like a big deal but a recent
British study found that a woman's body actually needs 20 more minutes
per night of sleep than a man's. And if you don't get a lot of sleep
to begin with, 20 minutes can make a big difference.
"They may think that they have slept all night but their sleep quality
is very, very poor," said Dr. David Thompson, director of the Sleep
Disorder Center at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
He says people who drink alcohol often think they're sleeping soundly
but in reality they don't reach deep sleep. The reason is when alcohol
dissipates in the blood it sends a wakeup response to your brain which
results in a light, easy-to-disrupt sleep.
"Our brain is now alert and has difficulty then with reinstitution of
sleep," said Thompson.
Why does alcohol affect women's sleep more than men? Thompson thinks
it has to do with hormones.
So what should women do to get a better night's rest? Thompson says
don't drink any more than an ounce of alcohol before sleeping. And
don't drink it right before you sleep.
"If there is a substantial length of time between that one or two
ounces and bedtime, there's probably not going to be a major impact on
your sleep," said Thompson.
If you still think alcohol makes you sleep better, think about how you
feel the day after a night of drinking. Thompson says that groggy
feeling probably has more to do with disrupted sleep than alcohol.
(Copyright ©2011 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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