It's not just hangovers, alcohol's lesser-known side effect is sabotaging your sleep

If you're someone who likes to go out for a few drinks after work or even enjoy a nightcap in front of the TV at home, you might have noticed how you rarely feel well-rested in the morning - even if you're not hungover - and it turns out, there's science behind it.

We're all well-aware of the basics when it comes to alcohol. You shouldn't exceed 14 units per week, and if you consume too much in one go, you should fully expect to experience a nasty hangover the next day, which can induce sickness, headaches, and even depressive thoughts.

But it turns out alcohol actually has some less-talked about side effects that aren't spoken about as much - and it might convince you to stick with Dry January.

As many as 30 per cent of people with insomnia report using alcohol as a sleep aid, with 67 per cent of those saying it actually helps them drift off.

How alcohol is sabotaging your sleep, according to scientistsPexels

But despite the sedative feeling alcohol gives you when you hope into bed (caused by an increase in GABA in your brain), scientists say it could be worsening the quality of the sleep you do get.

While research suggest it takes three to six glasses of wine for alcohol to have any kind of sedative effect, once you are asleep, disruption can effect REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

It's thought alcohol can delay the first episode of REM sleep, which is associated with dreaming, and is important for cognitive function and emotional regulation. What's more, you'll likely feel tired the next day too, even if you think you've had enough sleep.

This could be because once your body has metabolised the alcohol, you'll likely experience a "rebound effect" where your body tries to compensate for the alcohol-induced changes in sleep.

One study even indicated that after multiple nights on the booze, the effects were still felt during the first night where no alcohol was consumed, suggesting it takes multiple days to actually recover from drinking, even if you don't feel it.

The good news is the damage to your sleep isn't permanent, and by using alcohol more mindfully, you can go back to sleeping like a baby.

It comes after a doctor revealed the alcoholic drink that is the “healthiest” choice and the evidence backs it up. Elsewhere, researchers have also identified a form of drinking that is even worse for our health than bingeing alcohol.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.