Beer and insomnia

[badmajon]

For some reason I have noticed that whenever I have one or two beers, and stop drinking about an hour before I go to bed, I have terrible insomnia. If I drink nothing, I can fall asleep fine. If I stop drinking right before I go to bed, I sleep fine. I can also drink a ton of beers and sleep fine!

Basically light drinking (barely 'feeling' it) and stopping about an hour before bedtime makes it impossible for me to sleep. Hit me again last night and I see the pattern now. Is this common for anyone else?

 

[treacheroustexan]

For some reason I have noticed that whenever I have one or two beers, and stop drinking about an hour before I go to bed, I have terrible insomnia. If I drink nothing, I can fall asleep fine. If I stop drinking right before I go to bed, I sleep fine. I can also drink a ton of beers and sleep fine!

Basically light drinking (barely 'feeling' it) and stopping about an hour before bedtime makes it impossible for me to sleep. Hit me again last night and I see the pattern now. Is this common for anyone else?

Sure is. I got off work 2 hours ago and I'm on beer #2 watching some basketball. I will be in bed within an hour and if I'm lucky and actually fall asleep, I will be awake within 4 hours.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Yes this can be common, THe reason I am not aware of. I find that drinking water or other fluids in general can help. With me after 40 ounces of beer I can get 4 hours of sleep and 3 hrs of tossing and turning,.

 

[badmajon]

I know that drinking too much can mess with your sleep cycles but this usually means you will wake up after one or two sleep cycles and not be able to catch the next one. I have not heard any explanation of the two-beer cup of coffee effect that keeps me from falling asleep, which is different.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I know that drinking too much can mess with your sleep cycles but this usually means you will wake up after one or two sleep cycles and not be able to catch the next one. I have not heard any explanation of the two-beer cup of coffee effect that keeps me from falling asleep, which is different.

Yeah I guess you're right. My problem isn't really just falling asleep. It's also staying asleep once I fall asleep Wish I could be more help!

 

[badmajon]

Trazodone helped me out a lot when I was adjusting to getting off of shift and I had sleep problems for about year following that. Helped me both fall asleep and stay asleep. Once I stopped hating sleep and my 'relationship' with it got better, I eventually was able to get off of it.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Trazodone helped me out a lot when I was adjusting to getting off of shift and I had sleep problems for about year following that. Helped me both fall asleep and stay asleep. Once I stopped hating sleep and my 'relationship' with it got better, I eventually was able to get off of it.

Can't think of the name, but when I worked 7pm-7am 3 days on and 3-4 days off, I would take an antidepressant after work to fall asleep at night time on my days off because my schedule was so messed up and I liked falling asleep with my lady at night when I could (otherwise I would have kept my "normal" sleep schedule). The only problem with that is i made me a total a-hole when I woke up. I slept so good but after waking up I was the worst person you could ever talk to. Lol. That was short lived. Glad to not be on that schedule anymore!

 

[kombat]

Let me guess: you're around 40 years old? You're not alone.

 

[Natdavis777]

I just have plain ole insomnia. Have been this way since I was 18. I can easily stay up 24-30 hours straight. Even when I worked construction, I could do a 12 hour day, and easily stay up until 7 or 8 the next morning. OTC meds never worked. Most are just 50mg benadryl, which Ive been up to 200mg with nothing. At the hospital, 50mg and you are required to have a driver. I have to take a prescription to sleep. I have no correlation with insomnia and beer though.

 

[TX_Brewing]

Glad I am not the only one. One thing I have thought (engineer here not biologist) is that the body metabolizes ethanol into sugar, maybe that give you (us) the energy, of course drink enough and the depressing effect of alcohol takes hold.... Just my thought and worth every penny you paid for them.

 

[kh54s10]

I am not in your camp. 1 or 2 and I can sleep well. 5 or 6 and I sleep like a log, like passed out without really passing out. On odd occasions I don't sleep well but it usually has nothing to do with drinking.

 

[Natdavis777]

Glad I am not the only one. One thing I have thought (engineer here not biologist) is that the body metabolizes ethanol into sugar, maybe that give you (us) the energy, of course drink enough and the depressing effect of alcohol takes hold.... Just my thought and worth every penny you paid for them.

You are correct. ETOH is metabolized as energy, 7 calories per gram (compared to carbs or protein at 4 calories per gram)

 

[WarmGas]

Glad I am not the only one. One thing I have thought (engineer here not biologist) is that the body metabolizes ethanol into sugar, maybe that give you (us) the energy, of course drink enough and the depressing effect of alcohol takes hold.... Just my thought and worth every penny you paid for them.

I came to the same conclusion but it would be nice to have this confirmed by some (real) research, other than me just drinking homebrew every night!

 

[TX_Brewing]

I came to the same conclusion but it would be nice to have this confirmed by some (real) research, other than me just drinking homebrew every night!

Judging by your forum name it may be best you not judge by doing this every night!!

 

[daveMN]

You are correct. ETOH is metabolized as energy, 7 calories per gram (compared to carbs or protein at 4 calories per gram)

This is somewhat correct. ETOH is metabolized into CO2 and H2O (ETOH > Acetaldehyde > Acetic Acid > Acetyl-CoA > CO2 + H2O). This is an exothermic reaction, i.e., gives off energy.
The net effect is that I wake up at 2 AM and can't get back to sleep.

 

[Natdavis777]

The net effect is that I wake up at 2 AM and can't get back to sleep.

Sounds like my dad's issue. If he goes out on a weekend night for a few pints somewhere, he is always complaining about being up around 1 or 2 AM and cant go back to bed, so he ends up watching westerns until the morning and starts his day.

 

[day_trippr]

The last handful of years I've made a nice chocolate imperial stout my night-cap.
It's never let me down: I sleep the sleep of the dead - and wake up feeling great, to boot.

Then again, I'm wicked old, so maybe that's just an affliction of you young'uns...

Cheers!