Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) A study has found that
drinking before sleep results in an increase in frontal alpha power in
the brain, a development which is associated with disturbed sleep.
For
individuals who drink before sleeping, alcohol initially acts as a
sedative - marked by the delta frequency electroencephalogram (EEG)
activity of Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) - but is later associated with sleep
disruption.
"People likely tend to focus on the commonly reported
sedative properties of alcohol, which is reflected in shorter times to
fall asleep, particularly in adults, rather than the sleep disruption
that occurs later in the night," said Christian L. Nicholas from the
University of Melbourne in Australia.
For the study, the team
recruited 24 participants, healthy 18- to 21-year-old social drinkers
who had consumed less than seven standard drinks per week during the
previous 30 days.
Each participant underwent two conditions:
pre-sleep alcohol as well as a placebo followed by standard
polysomnography (a multi-parametric test used in the study of sleep)
with comprehensive EEG recordings.
Alcohol significantly increased frontal alpha power, showed the results.
"The
take-home message here is that alcohol is not actually a particularly
good sleep aid even though it may seem like it helps you get to sleep
quicker. In fact, the quality of the sleep you get is significantly
altered and disrupted," said Nicholas.
The study is forthcoming in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.