Alcohol mythbusting hub
There are many common misconceptions around alcohol and alcohol harm. Read some of the most commons ones to better understand the true impact of alcohol on our health, family, workplaces and on our society.
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Although we might initially drop off to sleep after drinking alcohol, alcohol actually disrupts our sleep, specifically the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) part which is responsible for how rested we feel.
Skipping this affects the quality of our sleep and leaves us feeling more tired as we spend less time in a deep sleep that we need.
Add to that the trips to the bathroom (alcohol makes you wee) and extra sweating, this is the perfect cocktail to have you waking up feeling sleepy and dehydrated with a sore head.
Your partner won’t escape the poor sleep either: alcohol is a muscle relaxant, and when the tissue in your throat and mouth are more relaxed you’re more likely to snore.
Spoiler alert! Alcohol doesn’t help you sleep.
Although we might initially drop off to sleep after drinking alcohol, we spend less time in the deep sleep we need to feel well-rested which leaves us feeling more tired.
That’s because alcohol actually disrupts our sleep, specifically the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) part which is responsible for how rested we feel.
Add to that the trips to the bathroom (alcohol makes you wee) and extra sweating, this is the perfect cocktail to have you waking up feeling sleepy and dehydrated with a sore head.
The truth is that most of us who cut down on alcohol sleep beter, lose weight, have more energy and generally feel better.
Spoiler alert! Red wine is not good for you.
A component of red wine, called 'resveratrol', has been shown to provide some aspects of heart health in some people. But you'd have to drink an unrealistically large quantity to have a real effect and the risks of drinking a large amount of alcohol would far outweigh the benefits!
What is not in doubt is that drinking large quantities of red wine increases your risk of high blood pressure and stroke, not to mention liver disease, cancers and many other conditions. So if you want the benefits of resveratrol without the negative health risks, stick with red grape juice or just red grapes.