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Can giving up alcohol improve your sleep?

Alcohol may help some people fall asleep faster, but it can disrupt sleep patterns during the night, experts say

By
January 5, 2024 at 6:14 a.m. EST
(Illustration by Linnea Bullion for The Washington Post)
3 min

The question:

Is it true that giving up alcohol can improve your sleep?

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The science:

You may want to rethink that nightcap. Research shows that even one or two beverages containing alcohol in the evening is associated with reduced-quality sleep.

Alcohol may help some people fall asleep faster, but during the night it can disrupt sleep patterns, “so you’re not getting the restorative sleep you would get without alcohol,” said Aaron White, the senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Also, once the alcohol wears off, there can be a rebound effect, causing some people to wake up early and have trouble falling back asleep, White said.

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