2023-11-15 09:50:43
It is not strange to hear that drinking a little alcohol before going to bed helps you sleep better. It is an erroneous belief because although it contributes to better sleep, it makes it more fragmented and of poorer quality, which impairs rest. Furthermore, its use as a hypnotic can lead to addiction.
There are many myths surrounding alcohol and not only that it helps you sleep better, which is why experts emphasize the importance of dismantle the hoaxes About this most consumed psychoactive substance in Spain.
Consumption figures
Today is the World Alcohol Free Day and according to the last Survey on Alcohol and Drugs in Spain (AGES), 93.2% of the population aged 15 to 64 claims to have consumed it at some point in their lives. (tobacco is placed behind). 76.4% affirm that they have consumed it in the last year; and 64.5%, in the last month.
And 9% drink alcohol daily.
By sex, there is a higher prevalence of consumption among both men and women. And young people try it for the first time around the age of 16 (16.6).
False myth
Its consumption as a hypnotic when believing that alcohol helps you sleep better is a danger, which is based on a myth, as warned the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies (FESMES).
“It is common to think that drinking a little alcohol helps you sleep better. “It really helps you fall asleep better, that’s the truth, although the myth is that it’s not quality sleep.” says the psychiatrist and member of FESMES, Sonia Carratalá.
Carratalá elaborates that with alcohol, sleep comes sooner but is of poorer quality and this substance has more of a sedative effect than a “facilitator of adequate sleep.”
Explains that drinking alcohol before going to sleep causes the sleep is more fragmentedblocks the REM phase – which is “fundamental” for adequate management of emotions and the consolidation of memory -, increases snoring and aggravates apneas and the symptoms of restless legs syndrome.
Danger of addiction
The psychiatrist emphasizes that it is one of the most used anxiolytics and hypnotics for millennia and poses a danger because if its consumption becomes normal, for example to cope to insomniait becomes chronic.
EFE/Javier Lizón
In this sense, the expert points out, “affected people may begin to find it more difficult to fall asleep, which may push them to consume higher doses of alcohol to achieve the effect they previously obtained; and, consequently, the risk of developing an addiction increases.”
Therefore, “there is a bidirectional relationship” since suffering from a sleep disorder leads people to seek substances to improve their rest, “sometimes requiring increasingly higher doses.” And at the same time, those who suffer from an addiction to any substance, such as alcohol, have more problems sleeping.
Hence the importance of health professionals, especially those in the field of mental health, paying attention to sleep problems in people undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction in order to be able to solve them as soon as possible, Carratalá emphasizes.
And how do you know if you are addicted to alcohol?
To identify alcohol addiction, the López Ibor Clinic exposes the main signs:
Excessive consumption and on any occasion: Consuming excessive amounts in various events, including inappropriate situations.
Normalize consumption: Believing that certain drinks are not alcoholic – wine or beer, for example.
Constant desire to drink.
Absence of control.
Alteration in behavior: Violent or hostile reactions indicate a problem, whether sober or drunk. Yonfulfillment of social work or academic responsibilities.
Lack of interest in other activities: Alcohol becomes the center of life, relegating other activities.
Change of social environment: Breaking up family relationships and friendships to look for others with the same dependency.
Abstinence syndrome: Experiencing symptoms such as anxiety, fever, sweats or insomnia when stopping drinking.
Impossibility to avoid consumption: Failed attempts to stop drinking indicate a need for treatment.
Guidelines for dealing with addiction
To combat excessive alcohol consumption, the López Ibor Clinic indicates the importance of being aware of the problem as a first step and understanding the motivations for drinking, without distorting or justifying them.
Once the person is aware of the problem, “reasonable” reasons must be generated to change the lifestyle, which will make addictive behaviors more difficult and promote functionality and quality of life.
Consequences in the body
And it is more than known that alcohol has a harmful effect on the body, especially the liver. Therefore, excessive consumption generates the accumulation of fat in this organ, generating fibrosis, which can cause alcohol-related liver disease.
In fact, according to the Spanish Foundation of the Digestive System (FEAD) 6% of the population in Spain suffers from alcohol use disorder, the most common cause of developing chronic liver disease, such as liver cirrhosis. In addition, it is the cause of death of one in eight men and one in twelve women when the pathology progresses.
Liver ultrasound. EFE/Manuel Bruque.
Alcohol, recalls the FEAD, is also related to the possibility of suffering from cancerthus influencing its incidence and mortality.
Therefore, remember that both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have already asked the European Parliament to create more awareness about the link between alcohol consumption and the development of this disease. disease.
In order to reduce the incidence of the two most common liver diseases, the FEAD launched the campaign “A healthy life for a healthy liver” with which it tries to promote its knowledge through the dissemination of information prepared by experts.
#Alcohol #sleep