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9 Tips For Drinking Wine Before Bed

3 min read

Drinking wine before bed, unfortunately, doesn’t always lead to the most effective sleep. Any alcohol can disrupt our sleep patterns. Thankfully, if you still want to get in your sleep without sacrificing a glass of wine before bed, there’s a way to do it.

Follow these nine tips for drinking wine before bed:

1. Know the Risks of Drinking Wine Before Bed

Wine can help you fall asleep faster but the quality of sleep won’t be there. You are more likely to wake up throughout the night and you will actually get less deep sleep by consuming wine. Therefore, if you want to drink wine before bed, it’s best to follow some key steps. Otherwise, you are likely to wake up tired in the morning.

2. Limit How Much You Drink

If you have ever overeaten and gone to bed immediately after, it’s not exactly a great experience. Limit how much you drink. A full bottle of wine is a terrible idea. However, 1-2 glasses should be alright.

3. Give Your Body Time to Process the Wine

Allow yourself 3-4 hours after you stop drinking wine for your body to process everything it’s consumed. So, for example, if you’re planning bedtime to be at midnight, you will want to stop drinking wine sometime around 9 pm. This will allow your body to metabolize the wine.

This, of course, varies depending on age, health, and even gender. Generally speaking though, a minimum of three hours is a smart move.

4. Flush Your System With Water

After you’re done drinking wine for the night, you will want to switch to water. Experts recommend two glasses of water to every one glass of wine. This water helps flush your system, helping to process the sugar and alcohol both.

5. Always Drink With Food

If you want to have a glass of your finest wine, we know having a meal with it might not be priority. Snacking works though. It helps your body absorb and process what it’s taking in. It’s also likely to help you mentally know when to call it quits and switch to water.

Unfortunately, note that when we eat with our wine, it prevents us from getting a buzz as quickly. This means, if you’re drinking wine for a buzz, you may have to consume more to get there.

6. Do Not Drink Wine If You’re on Sleeping Pills

Any sort of prescription medications like Ambien or opioids does not mix well with wine. They pose some major health risks. Even over-the-counter medications like Benadryl can further emphasize the respiratory depression side effect that can come with wine.

By combining sleeping pills and alcohol, you’re further suppressing your body’s ability to breathe. Although you can drink wine during the day, avoid doing so in the evening or at night.

7. If You Have Sleep Apnea, Avoid It

Wine can worsen sleep disorders like sleep disorders. More than 1.8 million Canadians have sleep apnea. The condition interrupts breathing during sleep. Wine and other forms of alcohol suppress breathing. The end result is a very dangerous dynamic.

Furthermore, if you sleepwalk or have restless legs syndrome, you will want to avoid wine or any alcohol for the same reasons as it aggravates the condition.

8. Drink Red Wine

More than other types of wine, red wine before bed has been shown to have a number of advantages. A single glass of red wine can help you lose weight, protect your cardiovascular health, act as a preventative to several diseases, and may even help you live longer.

9. Do Not Make Wine Before Bed a Routine

Habits are a powerful thing. Without knowing it, we train our minds and bodies to react certain ways to actions and behaviours. Although enjoy a glass of wine is tasty and well worth it, making it a nightly indulgence could be a mistake.

Ensure you’re not relying on it as a sleep aid or in a manner to help you get in the mood for sleep. If you do, you may encounter difficulty sleeping without it.