Women and Alcohol

Women who drink alcohol before bed may have more sleep disruptions than men.
HealthDay (2/15, Preidt) reported, "Alcohol appears to cause more sleep problems in women than in men," according to a study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Investigators monitored the sleep of "59 women and 34 men in their 20s who consumed either alcohol until they were drunk or a non-alcoholic beverage before they went to bed." They found that women who consumed alcohol had "fewer hours of sleep, woke more frequently and for more minutes during the night, and had more disrupted sleep compared to men who drank alcohol."
The WebMD (2/15, Ware) noted that the study took place "over two nights" and 29 of the 93 participants had a "family history of alcoholism. ... 'A substantial portion of the population uses alcohol...to help with sleep problems. This perception may relate to the fact that alcohol helps people fall asleep quickly and they may be less aware of the disruptive effects of alcohol on sleep later in the night,'" said study author Dr. J. Todd Arnedt of the University of Michigan.