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Alcohol Is the Only Thing that Helps Me Sleep, or Does It?

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Comorbid Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

The study of alcohol and its effects on sleep extend to the early nineteenth century, and although significant methodological issues may limit comparisons of studies, some consistent patterns have emerged. Acute alcohol use acts as a sedative, shortening sleep latency and increasing deep sleep in the first half of the night. However, the second half of the night is generally marked by more sleep fragmentation and increased REM sleep. Chronic alcohol use decreases sleep efficiency, REM sleep and deep sleep. This book chapter examines the interactions of alcohol and alcohol withdrawal on sleep and sleep disorders, including sleep-disordered breathing, restless legs syndrome and insomnia disorder in a case presentation. Clinical implications and diagnostic considerations are examined. The chapter concludes with a discussion and overview of treatment suggestions and clinical pearls for the case in question.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center Sleep Disorders Clinic, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Elliott Kyung Lee

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  1. Elliott Kyung Lee
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Correspondence to Elliott Kyung Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sleep Medicine, VA North Texas Health Care System, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics UT, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Imran S. Khawaja

  2. Minneapolis VAHCS, Hennepin County Medical Center, and University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Thomas D. Hurwitz

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Lee, E.K. (2019). Alcohol Is the Only Thing that Helps Me Sleep, or Does It?. In: Khawaja, I., Hurwitz, T. (eds) Comorbid Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11772-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11772-6_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11771-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11772-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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