Limit alcohol consumption
Alcohol and other addictive substances can actually lead to nightmares. So, if you want to improve the quality of your sleep you should avoid wine, beer, liquor, and other alcoholic beverages before going to bed. Unfortunately, many people drink alcohol to fall asleep quickly, but there are many studies that have shown that it also contributes to poor quality sleep during the night.
In fact, drinking alcohol before going to sleep can aggravate breathing problems, because it relaxes your throat muscles and it could lead to snoring and sleep apnea. Moreover, you will wake up in the middle of the night because of it and you will have a nightmare more often.
“Alcohol may seem to be helping you to sleep, as it helps induce sleep, but overall it is more disruptive to sleep, particularly in the second half of the night,” says researcher and the medical director at The London Sleep Centre in the U.K., Irshaad Ebrahim. “Alcohol also suppresses breathing and can precipitate sleep apnea.”
According to Michael Breus, Ph.D., and a sleep specialist in Scottsdale, Ariz, “alcohol is not an appropriate sleep aid. If you rely on alcohol to fall asleep, recognize that you have a greater likelihood to sleepwalk, sleep talk, and have problems with your memory.”
