The Importance of Sleep

Last night I had a couple of Heineken Zeros with some good friends in the pub.

It's the first time in a while that I've done anything like that, and I feel all the better for it.

The taste of lager on my tongue this morning has led me to the computer, though, to type a few thoughts out on Drink Free.

I'm Tired

This morning, despite having a great time in the pub with the boys last night, I'm feeling devoid of proper energy.

I wanted to hit parkrun this morning and continue my fitness recovery following a recent injury.

I just didn't have it in me, though, and I'll settle for hitting my step goal today instead.

Nowadays I aim to be in bed around 10 pm and get up around 6 am, allowing for a good 8 hours.

I might give myself 30 minutes leeway around that schedule depending on what is going on in life, but I've found it to be a good rule over the last couple of years of my life.

Things haven't always been that way, though.

The Insane Drink/Work Schedules of my Youth

Conversation at the pub turned into us reminiscing about how we used to be able to go out on a Friday or Saturday, knock back drink after drink, often Red Bull-infused drinks because why not go the whole hog in removing any chance of a good kip?

But we'd still make it into work in the morning off the back of 3-4 hours' sleep on a good night.

The thought of this now just fills me with dread.

A young body is much more resilient, and I did get through a day's work on no sleep. Not easy work either- tough physical work, stacking shelves, and dealing with the general public!

In my twenties, thankfully, I had a lot more patience with people. People who would make out that you had ruined their day by not ensuring a plentiful supply of almond croissants at 7 am.

Piss off.

In my teens and twenties, a hangover was a one-day event. Nothing that couldn't be cured with a few hours on Modern Warfare online and a roast dinner, followed by 10 hours of sleep to catch up on the lost hours the night before.

Job done.

When I got into my 30s, a hangover was a 3-day festival.

Good Sleep Became Unattainable

I am no doctor, but this Guardian article succinctly answers why the hangover becomes a multi-day event as you get older.

Essentially, your body just gets less efficient at evicting the shit stuff out of your system.

The liver and kidneys have reached the 9th round of the boxing match with booze and do not have the same punching power they had in the 1st and 2nd.

Fair enough.

Sleep in itself is just lower quality under the influence of alcohol.

I would always stay up later as I got older and had a few drinks at home on a Friday, reducing the actual timeframe to get some shut-eye.

Alcohol reduces your ability to achieve REM sleep, which is normally the latter stage of the sleep cycle that is responsible for -

1. Brain Function
2. Emotional Regulation

Two things that, if you are having trouble with alcohol consumption, are pretty big factors.

In addition to this, my weight had crept up, and alcohol was increasing my tendency to snore, which I believe led to borderline sleep apnoea.

I would 'wake up' in the morning feeling like I had barely slept and was as far from feeling refreshed as you could possibly be.

Alcohol Free Sleep

Generally, I feel like my sleep quality has improved since giving up alcohol. To this day, it remains the primary reason that I choose to remain sober.

Over the past 3 1/2 years, I've been more productive and more energetic than at any other point in my life.

I really put this down to having a steady sleep pattern with a reliable schedule.

It is the foundation on which everything else is built with regard to my health, and if you are in a tough spot right now, it is the first thing I'd suggest you try to improve.