The sleeping process can be significantly disturbed by a variety of over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Drugs that may lead to insomnia include thyroid preparations, oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, and marijuana. As mentioned earlier, many over-the-counter medications also contain caffeine and can increase sleep disorders through over-stimulation.
According to a recent poll, Americans who frequently use alcohol were twice as likely to wake up during the night several times a week compared to those who do not drink. While alcohol may provide initial relaxation effects, the end result is interrupted, less restful sleep. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but when its effects wear off, it disrupts the deeper sleep stages during the second half of the night, explains Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Ph.D., a sleep researcher at the University of California at San Diego.
Alcohol can reduce overall sleep time, including both REM and non-REM sleep. This creates shortened, lighter, and less-restful sleep, because you will often awaken before reaching deeper, restorative sleep (stages 3 and 4) and REM sleep. If you are deprived of these stages of sleep, you will feel fatigued the following day. In one study, ten middle-aged men were given a moderate dose of alcohol six hours before scheduled bedtime. All subjects experienced reduced total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and REM sleep. In the second half of the night, they showed a two-fold increase in wakefulness. Alcohol is a simple sugar and may be a factor in the development of hypoglycemia, which can disrupt sleep patterns. It can cause decreased absorption of some nutrients essential for a good night’s rest, particularly the B vitamins, magnesium, and calcium. Alcohol is also a diuretic, which may interrupt sleep because of the necessity of urinating several times during the night.
Smoking also inhibits sleep. Because nicotine acts as a stimulant, many smokers have insomnia and other sleep problems. In a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 46% of smokers reported experiencing insomnia a few nights a week as compared to 35% of nonsmokers. Nicotine is rapidly absorbed by the mucous membranes in the mouth and quickly reaches the brain. Nicotine stimulates the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine, hormones that activate the body, increase heart rate, and elevate blood pressure.
