’Tis the season to be jolly... and pay the consequences for our actions the next day.
Yup, for many of us, Christmas can bring forth many opportunities to have few sherries with family and friends – but how will this affect the quality of our sleep over the festive season?
A new survey carried out by bed and mattress manufacturer Silentnight took a closer look at who is most likely to believe that their sleep is disrupted by alcohol consumption.
The data revealed that one in four Brits (25%) believe that alcohol disrupts their sleep – and almost one third (29%) believe that this is more pronounced during the festive season as we head out to celebrate.
Gen Z came out on top as those with the most disrupted sleep, with almost half of those surveyed between ages 18 and 24 (45%) believing that their sleep was impacted by alcohol.
Not only that, they were almost twice as likely to admit this than the next age group up.
According to the 2000 people surveyed, women are a whole third more likely to believe that their sleep is disrupted by alcohol than men.
The truth is alcohol affects quality of sleep can affect because it reduces ‘sleep onset latency’, which means that it reduces the amount of time that it takes us to fall asleep.
After a couple of drinks, we fall into a deep sleep straight away (known as NREM sleep), and then for the rest of the night we stay in REM sleep, which can be fractured as we are easily awoken.
Alcohol can also act as a depressant, increase urine production, and cause dehydration – all of which lead to disturbed sleep.
While the data might not stop many of us from hitting the town for our Christmas parties this seasons – at least when we feel the above, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Winter calls for us to take greater care of ourselves and each other at this time of year, from our health and homes to our headspace and matters of the heart. Whether you’re seeing motivation or hibernation, HuffPost UK’s Winter Well series is here to help you through the short days and the longer months.
