Alcohol and Sleep

You know what I'm going to say, right?!

Cut out the alcohol!

This blog is for the sober, sober curious + open-minded. You knew it was coming 😉

Here are 3 thoughts on alcohol + sleep.

Me, Mark + the housewives, 3 am rush of sh!t to the heart + squeezing in a nap 😴

Me, Mark + the housewives

Before quitting drinking, I habitually snuggled up with my “house red” (Mark West) and binge-watched episodes of The Real Housewives after the rest of my family had gone to bed. This was “me time”. I'd watch tv and drink wine to shut off my brain and decompress from the day. I'd look out the windows and watch the other houses go dark as I continued to binge and sip. I'd finally freak out about how late it was and go to bed knowing I'd stayed up too late, drank too much, and would be exhausted and sluggish the next day.

3 am rush of sh!t to the heart

My BFF, Maggie, calls that sudden, terror feeling a “rush of sh!t to the heart”. This was how I'd wake at 3 am after a Mark + Real Housewife night. I'd wake at 3 feeling anxious and hating myself for drinking too much and fall back in and out of sleep until I'd drag myself out of bed to get the kids off to school.

Can I get a nap??

My first thought when I got out of bed was “how can I sneak a nap in today?" The answer was I couldn't and a nap wasn't going to solve much anyway. I was SO TIRED all the time. Not to mention the hangover I pretended not to have as I went about my day taking care of business and wondering if anyone else felt like I did. Rinse + repeat. Does any of this sound familiar? Drinking alcohol decreases REM sleep and sleep quality, increases sleep disruptions, + contributes to sleep apnea, heavy snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Of the many benefits of not drinking, I'd have to say that getting a night of good sleep is in the top 3. Good sleep improves your mood, helps you think more clearly, and get along better with the people in your life. Highly recommend 🙌