Alcohol andsleep apneahave a complicated relationship.
Drinking alcohol can worsen your snoring and increase your risk of sleep apnea.
That’s because of the effects that alcohol has on your body, particularly your airway.
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This article discusses how alcohol affects your body while you’re asleep.
It also explains how alcohol can contribute to sleep apnea and snoring.
The Connection Between Alcohol and Sleep Apnea
Drinking alcohol relaxes the muscles in your airway.
At night, this can cause obstructions in your upper airway, leading to sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start while you sleep.
It causes loud snoring with occasional gasping, choking, or snorting sounds.
It can also lead to daytime sleepiness and low energy.
Alcohol can also cause nasal congestion, making it harder to breathe through your nose.
In other words, drinking alcohol can worsen OSA.
This will make the drops in your blood’s oxygen levels (desaturations) more severe.
Does Alcohol Cause Other Sleep Problems?
Drinking alcohol can affect your sleep in a number of ways.
Research shows drinking alcohol disrupts the brain’s normal electrical activity during sleep, altering your sleep cycle.
A 2021 survey found 23% of adults reportedbinge drinkingin the prior month.
But even occasional moderate drinking can disrupt circadian rhythms and interfere with your sleep.
Does Alcohol Cause Snoring?
When you drink alcohol, the effects on your airways can also lead to an increase in snoring.
That’s partly because alcohol decreases your drive to breathe.
It slows your breathing and makes the breaths you take shallow.
In addition, alcohol can relax the muscles of your throat, which can allow yourupper airwayto collapse.
This can cause vibrating of the soft tissues, leading to snoring.
Does Alcohol Cause Insomnia?
Even small amounts of drinking can affect your quality of sleep.
Those figures increase the more you drink.
Should You Avoid Alcohol if You Have Sleep Apnea?
If you have sleep apnea, your provider will encourage you to avoid alcohol.
At the very least, they will suggest that you do not consume alcohol a few hours before bedtime.
Drinking in the evening or before bed worsens sleep apnea making it more difficult to breathe.
The more you drink, the worse effect it can have on your breathing and sleep.
Fortunately, CPAP treatment can reduce the effects of alcohol on OSAbut only if you remember to use it.
Research shows people who drink alcohol frequently have lower rates of compliance with CPAP treatment.
It is also important to confirm that your CPAP machine is set up under typical sleeping conditions.
Tell your healthcare provider if you drink frequently.
An autoCPAP machine can adjust the pressures through the night, which may help to avoid this issue.
However, this may not cure OSA and could make it worse.
Summary
Consuming alcohol can affect your sleep and might increase your risk of sleep apnea.
Ideally, people with OSA should refrain from drinking alcohol altogether.
If youre having sleep problems or symptoms of sleep apnea, talk to your provider.
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