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While this may sound beneficial, it’s not. Our sleep
structure has biologically evolved over the years –
and changes aren’t good for our physical and
emotional health. “REM sleep is important for mental
restoration, memory and emotional processing and
is often when you dream. A lack of this can lead to
cognitive impairment, an inability to concentrate
and daytime drowsiness,” Dr Sarkhel adds.
Once alcohol has been metabolised, the body often
feels the impact of the ‘rebound effect’ in the latter
half of the night, and moves to a lighter slumber from
which it’s more likely to be woken up. This means
that those who have indulged in the evening often
find themselves wide awake at 2 am and unable to
get back to sleep.
A further problem occurs if you’re relying on
alcohol to help you drift off, and using its sedative
quality as a sleep stimulus. “Because I was using
drink to help me sleep, I found my body unlearnt its
natural rhythms and so on the nights I didn’t have any
wine, I struggled to switch off because my body didn’tLook for your motivation:
For me, it was my daughter. I wanted to give up alcohol for
her and to be a better mother, and in many cases having
an external motivator makes the commitment stronger.
You could also use the ‘fast forward’ technique to motivate
you – imagine your tomorrow and consider if you’ll be able
to do all the things you’d planned to do if you drink tonight.Know your triggers:
Triggers are individual to all of us, but it’s important to
recognise and understand what it is that makes your
habit stick, and try to reduce your exposure to any triggers
which might prevent you succeeding.Don’t listen to your brain:
Don’t let your brain talk you out of your decision to stop
drinking. This part of your body doesn’t like change, and it
will tell you all sorts of lies in order not to rock the boat, but
I never met anyone who said they regret giving up alcohol.Get help:
If you’re finding it hard to stop drinking, I would advise that
you ask for help. So often people rely on their strong will,
but sometimes this just isn’t enough and you need a little
extra support.Break the habit
If you want to cut out or limit the amount you drink, Aggie has some tips...know what to do,” Aggie says. “I was like a living
zombie on certain days and my mental health was
in shreds. I was really anxious, my self-esteem
was out the window and my relationship with
myself suffered.”
Indeed, while a lack of sleep can have negative
health consequences for any of us, it’s particularly
noticeable for those who struggle with stress and
anxiety, or other mental health issues.
“The relationship between mental health and
alcohol is rather complex,” Dr Sarkhel says. “We
can broadly divide this into two categories: primary
harmful use and secondary harmful use. Primary
harmful use refers to those who may develop anxiety
or depression as a direct result of alcohol. Secondary
harmful use relates to those who may already be
experiencing mental health issues and, in this
instance, the use of alcohol is an attempt to cope
with the distressing symptoms of these issues.
“In either situation, a lack of sleep can be
particularly problematic as we know that sleep
disturbance is a well-recognised trigger for many
conditions, such as anxiety,” Dr Sarkhel explains.
This means that it can be even more difficult
to kick the habit.Dr Arghya Sarkhel
Dr Sarkhel is the lead consultant
psychiatrist and founder of the
Living Mind clinic, which offers a
holistic approach to health and
wellbeing. For more information
visit livingmind.co.uk