[Health] Does a glass of wine affect sleep?

[lukazi]

Hi guys,

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on whether a glass of red wine before bed affects sleep? I spoke to my sleep doctor and he said that this is fine, because it's only one glass (implying that this is only the problem for heavier drinking). However, I would be keen to hear what your experience is in regards to this.

As you can tell, I really like my red wine

Thanks

[DaveCar]

I average maybe 2.8 beers a night (0-4 range), and I dont think I see any pattern relating to the daily differences at all in my graphs. Back when I use to drink quite a bit more, the wife would always report me snoring louder and more often when my party mode was on , so I suspect there is a relationship at some point... Im just too old to drink that much nowadays lol
That being said, everyone is a different animal. But I cant see a problem with one glass of wine (unless your glass is large enough to hold a bottle's worth lol)

[StratCat48]

When I occasionally had a glass of red wine during the evening I noticed my heart rate (monitored on an O2Ring) went up an hour or so into my sleep. This elevated HR also corresponded with a drop in my O2 saturation levels and also showed increased motion activity during the period of the elevated HR. My AHI numbers as reported from the CPAP software were generally higher, but not so much as to be of concern. I didn't feel as rested in the morning. I get somewhat the same effect if I have something that has a relatively high sugar content in the evening before bed. I now mostly have a cup of Camomile tea with a light snack while watching Netflix. If I do enjoy a glass of wine in the evening hours, I try to stick with a dryer one (not sweet) that has a low alcohol percentage. 
Everyone has a different metabolism, so your own mileage may vary on consumption.

[Geer1]

Does it affect it? Yes.

Is it an issue? Probably not but likely situational. Only way you can know is by trying nights with and without it.

[hegel]

A glass of wine right before bed? Hmmm. I try to stop drinking wine at least several hours before bed. Or do you find that a glass of wine relaxes you and puts you in the mood to sleep? I have taken to having a twenty or thirty minute stroll an hour before bed. that seems to help. It's relaxing.

[SevereApnea]

Good question!

It would be different for everyone, depending on the state of your liver, existing fatty liver, your tolerance for metabolic risk, your liver ability to metabolise alcohol, other medications that might effect alcohol metabolism etc.

Also, it may depend on whether you are talking about the effects of alcohol or the preservatives.

White or red, whenever I used to have a glass in the evening (even with meals) then hey presto.......bing.......wide awake early in the morning around 2 AM like a switch coming on......stuffy nose/headache. No good. I prefer good sleep to good wine.

Pure Wine (internet search) drops are said to get rid of the sulphates/preservatives but doesn't work for me, so I guess it's the alcohol. 

Pretty much never touch the stuff. For me there are heaps of better ways to relax at night and get ready for bed (rule #1 never watch the "News" in the evening for example! that's enough to keep anyone awake all night).

It would definitely be worth keeping a log/diary and checking the quality of sleep, AHI, flow limitations etc on nights with/without alcohol, then you can see if your Doc is correct!

[StevesSp]

I had a minor drinking problem for a few years due to work stress. I would drink every evening, usually two or three glasses of wine though occasionally more.

When I had to give up work, I was able to seriously reduce my intake and now only drink at the weekend. Always wine. I don't like spirits much and only rarely drink beer.

I never drink past 6-7pm though, because drinking later ruins my sleep.

Curiously, some of my best nights AHI-wise are the nights when I have had wine. I don't sleep better or worse, but often have fewer apneas. Many of my highest scores are on Thursday nights, when I haven't had alcohol for four nights or longer. I have no idea why.

It should be acknowledged that regular, especially daily, drinkers develop a degree of tolerance, which is one of the reasons why our reaction to alcohol varies person to person.

Having said all this, I can't recall the last time I was actually drunk and haven't drunk myself insensible since my stag night in 1975 

[Sleeprider]

Beer, wine, alcohol does not affect CPAP therapy much, but it can really mess with sleep quality. Everyone has their own individual tolerance and reaction to SUI (sleeping under the influence). If it negatively affect you, you know it, and you probably know what threshold is acceptable. There are no rules. If you regret it in the morning, take note and don't do that.

[StratCat48]

Around the time I started my CPAP therapy back in 2020 I had found the article below. 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-alcoh...ea-3014680