A nightcap was the least rewarding choice
To be honest
At the end of the last installment, I wrote that this would be a painful topic. That is exactly right.
I like alcohol. I still drink it now. And,there was a time when I used to drink alcohol on nights I couldn't sleep.
Lying in bed for an hour, unable to fall asleep. I start to get anxious. I have an early start tomorrow. So I get up and have a drink in the kitchen. When I do that, I can certainly fall asleep.
It works, you know. That's why it's so troublesome.
It is true that it "works"
First, let me make this clear. A nightcap is actually effective. It is not just in your head.
Alcohol helps you fall asleep, andit is said that it can even increase deep sleep, at least in the first half of the night.
So, a nightcap becomes a successful experience in the short term. I couldn't sleep, I drank, and then I slept. So I'll do it again. The logic is completely natural.
The problem was what happened in the second half of the night.
The true nature of that thing where you wake up at 3 a.m.
Does that ring a bell?
That thing where you snap awake around 3 a.m. on a night you drank before bed.
I had always thought it was just because of my age. I was only half right, but there was another main culprit.
Acetaldehyde.
It is a substance produced when alcohol is broken down in the body, and it is often mentioned as the cause of hangovers. This has astrong sympathetic nervous system stimulating effect. The sympathetic nervous system is the one that switches the body into activity mode.
In other words, while you are sleeping,a substance that jolts your body awake is being created inside you.
The alcohol you drank before bed starts to be broken down right around the middle of the night to dawn. It is only natural that you would wake up then. It is said that the more you drink, the more frequently these mid-sleep awakenings occur.
I was buying only the entrance to sleep and paying the price at dawn. That was the kind of transaction it was.
Moreover, Japanese people are at a disadvantage
Here, I have something quite important to talk about.
It is said that people with weak activity of the enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde (ALDH) are common among Asians, including the Japanese. This means that compared to Westerners, they are more easily affected even when drinking the same amount.
I once thought, "In foreign dramas, don't they have a glass of whiskey before bed?" That might be because their physical constitutions are different.
Furthermore, the ability to break down alcohol also declines with age.
I used to be able to sleep soundly even after drinking, but lately, if I drink, I wake up in the middle of the night. That wasn't just my imagination; it was simply that my processing speed had dropped. The part where I thought, "Maybe it's because of my age," was half right.
The problem of it becoming less effective
There is another structural weakness to a nightcap.
You develop a tolerance to the hypnotic effects of alcohol.
With the same amount, it gradually becomes less effective. You are drinking because you cannot sleep, yet the amount you drink increases little by little.
Moreover, it is only the "effect" that you develop a tolerance to. The effect of making sleep shallower and the burden on the body remain faithfully.
The amount needed to sleep increases.
The quality of sleep obtained decreases.
Only the burden on the body piles up.
The only benefit disappears first, and only the disadvantages remain. I cannot think of a trade-off that is less worth it than this.
The conclusion is simple.
I don't mean to say that you should stop drinking. I drink too.
This is all I want to say.
Do not use alcohol as a substitute for sleeping pills.
Drinking for enjoyment and drinking to fall asleep are completely different acts. The problem is when you reach for a drink because "you can't fall asleep." That one glass is the entrance to the vicious cycle I mentioned earlier.
If you are going to drink, drink like this
So, how should one drink? I have settled on these three points.
1. Keep it to a small amount
It is useful to know the guidelines for quantity. One go of sake or one medium bottle of beer is roughly 20g of pure alcohol. The average daily amount considered to increase the risk of lifestyle-related diseases is 40g for men and 20g for women.
For women, one medium bottle of beer already reaches that guideline. I was quite surprised by this.
2. Finish by an early dinner
Drinking right before bed is the worst; it is more realistic to drink with dinner and finish there. Furthermore, have that dinner as early as possible.
3. Leave as much time as possible before getting into bed
This might be the most important point.
It takes time for alcohol to leave the body. For 20g of pure alcohol, or one go of sake, roughly 3 to 4 hours is considered the standard (though this varies greatly depending on constitution and physique).
This means that a drink right before bed reaches its peak decomposition while you are asleep. You are sleeping during the time when the aforementioned acetaldehyde is most active.
Conversely, the more time you leave between finishing your drink and getting into bed, the smaller the damage. If you finish your evening drink at 7 PM and go to bed at 11 PM, that is much better.
Rather than "what to drink," it is "when to finish drinking." Changing this is probably more effective.
Once again, a story about the environment
…So, I have written down something that sounds like a resolution.
Those who have read up to the previous part may have noticed: I have a weak will, so I usually cannot keep such resolutions.
Therefore, this time as well, I tweaked my environment.
Do not keep alcohol in a place you can reach before bed.
I stopped keeping a stock. On days I want to drink, I buy only enough for that day on my way home. Just by not keeping it in the refrigerator, the option of a late-night drink physically disappears.
On nights when I cannot sleep, I do not think, "Alright, I'll go to the convenience store now." It is too much trouble. This hassle works in place of willpower.
Whether it was the lighting or the smartphone, the conclusion was the same in the end. Do not try hard to quit; arrange things so you do not have to do it.
The real issue probably lies elsewhere.
Finally, perhaps the most important point.
A nightcap is a result of something, not the cause.
Before that, there is always the state of 'it's painful because I can't sleep,' and you are reaching for alcohol to try to do something about it. If that's the case, even if you only remove the alcohol, the pain remains.
The shortcut to breaking free from nightcaps is to properly face the insomnia itself is what is generally considered. Correctly evaluate your inability to sleep and seek treatment if necessary. That is faster than trying to suppress it through endurance.
I am not a doctor, so I will not write specific methods here. But one thing I can say is that it is faster to consult someone than to rely on self-taught alcohol methods.
If it is painful that you cannot sleep, that is a state where it is okay to seek advice.
Things you can do starting tonight
Do not use alcohol as a substitute for sleeping pills
If you drink, keep it to a small amount (approx. 20g of pure alcohol, equivalent to 1 go of sake or 1 medium bottle of beer)
Finish drinking by an early dinner
Leave as much time as possible between finishing your drink and getting into bed
Do not keep alcohol in stock
If sleepless nights continue, consult a professional before drinking
Next time
Now, a big question remains.
So, what should I do on nights when I can't sleep?
Alcohol is no good. Smartphones are no good. If you think the correct answer is to just lie in bed with your eyes closed and endure it... actually, that is the worst thing you can do.
Next time, I will talk about the rather scary truth about 'being in bed when you aren't sleepy'.
※This article summarizes general information regarding sleep and is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. If you have concerns about your sleep, please consult a medical institution.
→ Next article: On sleepless nights, you should not persist in bed
→ Series table of contents: Sleep is a deduction-based system