Extended Effects oF Alocohol on the Sleep Cycle
Extended Effects of Alcohol on the Sleep Cycle We all are aware of the negative effects that are synonymous with drinking alcohol. We know how it makes us feel and most of us understand the physiological effects as well. But how many of us are aware of the effects drinking alcohol has on our sleep, and how it disrupts our normal sleep cycle? Alcohol disturbs our sleep cycles and changes our normal patterns of sleep. Depending on how dependant a person is to alcohol, these changes could be harmful, and permanent. To fully understand this, you must know how the sleep cycles work. Sleeping is not a steady state, but a series of cycles that occurs throughout the night. To complete an entire cycle, it usually takes about 90 to 100 minutes, occurring about 4 to 5 times every night. The brain waves taken through an electroencephalograph (EEG) determine what stage of sleep a person is currently in. There are four stages of NREM sleep and one stage of REM
In some cases, alcohol can actually cause sleep disorders. It is a common thing to grab a glass of wine or have a drink of alcohol before bed to help aid in the sleep process. Even though the alcohol has left a person's system, these effects can still happen. Sleep helps your body recover from the day to day activities we endure throughout our life. Obtaining a certain amount of NREM and REM sleep is crucial for well-being and is vital for rebuilding the mind and body. Sleep disruption manifests to the next day with sleepiness and fatigue, and can make you unaware of your surroundings. Combining alcohol along with the process of sleep greatly raises the possibility of suffering from one or more of these health problems, and can cause irreparable effects on a person's health and life. If this is your method of achieving sleep, you should seriously consider the drawbacks. Drinking alcoholic beverages before sleeping disrupts the cycles and interrupts normal patterns of sleep. Alcohol also has been known to increase symptoms of sleep deprivation and make current sleep disorders worse. Lack of sleep can result in mood disorders, heart disease, impaired breathing, memory deficits, impaired social and occupational functions, and a total deprivation of sleep can cause death. Alcoholics are at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea and other disorders due to the reaction of the body when induced with alcohol. These disruptions do not only occur when drinking before sleep, but also can occur even if alcohol was ingested earlier in the day.
Common topics in this essay:
NREM REM,
Sleep Cycle,
rem sleep,
sleep cycles,
alcohol sleep,
normal patterns,
normal patterns sleep,
sleep stage,
drinking alcohol,
brain waves,
process sleep,
sleep patterns,
patterns sleep,
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