Eliminating alcohol has improved the quality of my sleep

Since eliminating alcohol, I’ve been getting the best rest I’ve ever had.  Consuming alcohol affects sleep quality and energy levels.  Sleep is the foundation for good health and plays a critical role in the body.  Alcohol has sedative effects, so it may not immediately look like a culprit for poor sleep… however it disrupts the body’s regulation of sleep, especially during the periods of Slow Wave Sleep, which is the most physically refreshing part, and REM Sleep, which is the part that helps us learn and remember.  This is because the sedating effects wear off overnight.  And the more you drink, the worse this disruption is.  In the short-term, having a bad night of sleep will make you grumpy and irritable and increase feelings of stress and anxiety.  But in the long-term it can affect your metabolism and weight gain, cause higher blood pressure, and weaken your immune system.

I love sleep.  My childhood nickname was Alexa Bear (since I would “hibernate”).  And precisely because I value and crave my sleep, when I was drinking alcohol I became very irritated and annoyed after a sleepless night.  Tossing and turning, waking up multiple times, feeling a bodily heaviness and that inevitable headache, having weird dreams, and irregular sleep patterns always took it out of me.  Even knowing full well that my poor sleep was a result of my own choices to drink, I would still wake up grumpy and feel like shit.  This usually resulted in naps or sleeping all day.   

Since eliminating alcohol, I fall asleep instantly.  I rarely wake up in the middle of the night, unless there’s an earthquake (I do live in LA…), and I have no issues getting up in the morning.  I have proudly become that obnoxious morning person who sets one alarm, never snoozes it, and jumps out of bed.  My energy levels stay consistent throughout the day and I’ve even decreased my coffee consumption.  

A good day truly begins with a good night’s rest.