Lifestyle · 5 min read · 2026-01-28
Why a nightcap ruins your sleep
Alcohol helps you fall asleep — and then destroys the sleep that follows.
The trade you don't want
Alcohol is sedating in the first 2–3 hours. Then, as it metabolizes, it triggers a rebound effect: lighter sleep, fragmented sleep, and dramatically reduced REM. Heavy drinkers commonly wake at 3–4 AM and can't fall back asleep.