Vol 28. Could one glass of wine ruin your sleep?

If you have at some point (or still) believed “alcohol helps with sleep,” you are not alone.
9 out of 10 people I work with hold some version of this belief.

Some say it outright, like: “I need a nightcap to sleep well.”
Others hold a subtler version, like instinctively reaching for a glass of wine after a long day to “rest better.”

But have you ever wondered: if alcohol really aids sleep…
How come no doctor ever prescribes it for insomnia?

Or if alcohol truly helps us rest better…
How come we never see heavy drinkers skipping into work Monday morning after their “good night of alcohol-aided sleep”?

A Finnish study helps answer these questions: despite the feeling of deep sleep, alcohol interferes with the body’s ability to recover during sleep.

In fact, even 1–2 glasses of wine can cut recovery by up to 9.3%. Heavy drinking (more than 2 glasses) can slash it by 39.2%.

No wonder, back in my drinking days, I was often puzzled by how my mother-in-law seemed to have more energy than I did on the holiday mornings.

Turns out, it wasn’t just that mountain air is better than city air (though it is) — it was because she didn’t have alcohol secretly robbing her of sleep quality every night.

Jeanette

✨ Micro-Dose Takeaway: Your Member-Only Bonus

Name the Belief:
“A glass of wine helps me sleep better.”

Examine the Belief:

• How come no doctor ever prescribes alcohol for insomnia?

• How come we never see a heavy drinker skipping to work after their “good night of alcohol-aided sleep”?

• A Finnish study showed that even one glass of wine can negatively affect sleep quality. (More numbers are in this month’s deep dive.)
  
  

Rewrite the Belief:
“Even one drink can cut into my sleep quality, no matter how asleep I feel in the moment.”