A drink or a good night’s sleep: pick one?

[Anonymous]

Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of my life? I do not drink much at all, maybe 2-3 glasses of wine a month with a nice dinner. But I have always really enjoyed that nice glass of good wine.

I’m early 50s, and have noticed that over the past year as I am in perimenopause, I can’t even have that single glass of wine if I want to sleep. I wake up tired, I get night sweats, I have to go to the bathroom and my sleep is interrupted. This is after literally a single glass of wine, I never have more than one.

What the heck is this horror show? I’m barely drinking! I just want the occasional glass of wine with a nice dinner but I am more hungover from a single stupid glass than far worse evenings when I was 22.

Does it get better? Am I doomed to never enjoy a nice wine pairing again without paying the price for 24 hours? Please give me hope.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but, yes, this is likely how you’ll be for the rest of your life. Welcome to “old” age. There are many unwelcome surprises such as this.

[Anonymous]

I have learned I will always pick the good nights sleep. The one drink doesn’t just cost me the sleep- I feel bad the next day, which means I’m less likely to move or workout and more likely to make poor food choices. It is never worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have learned I will always pick the good nights sleep. The one drink doesn’t just cost me the sleep- I feel bad the next day, which means I’m less likely to move or workout and more likely to make poor food choices. It is never worth it.

+1. I figured this out a few years ago and now it’s rare that a single glass of wine, beer, etc are “worth” the hassle. A bad night’s sleep combined with life… typically equals multiple days of feeling crappy.
I DO find that an earlier drink has less effect than a later one. So a mid-afternoon beer is not quite as damaging as a glass of wine with dinner.
The attraction of drinking is mostly gone at this point, to where it literally does not occur to me.

[Anonymous]

Try one without sulfates/sulfites.

[Anonymous]

47 and I've almost completely stopped drinking in favor of sleep and feeling good the next day. I will occasionally have half a beer on vacation, just for the taste.

[Anonymous]

Grab a gummy and a mocktail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try one without sulfates/sulfites.

What does this mean? Can you ask for this at nice restaurants?

[Anonymous]

I’m 46 and have mostly given up drinking for the same reason, OP. I also saw positive changes in my weight and blood sugar - maybe they’re not directly related, but it’s been hard for me to move both of those numbers for awhile.

[Anonymous]

What causes this change?

[Anonymous]

I have the same thing now at 45 but for me, I get massive spikes and anxiety and can’t sleep.

I have found if I have a single drink early in the evening before 8 PM then I don’t have this effect. Maybe this is why older people dine so early!

[Anonymous]

I pick sleep and yes, this is what it is.

I used to be a big drinker in my 20s and early 30s, and also really, really enjoyed the occasional glass of wine in my 40s. In my 50s, it’s not worth it.

There are many negatives with aging and menopause that cause your quality of life to go down and don’t have easy fixes. This is not one of those. Don’t drink. Easy peasy…. If this is difficult for you then maybe you have bigger problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try one without sulfates/sulfites.

What does this mean? Can you ask for this at nice restaurants?

They should have one, just ask for organic wine.

[Anonymous]

OP. Well, I guess I’m glad to understand it’s not just me. It’s hard to believe I get a hangover from a single glass of wine but I just feel so bad the next day. I have been picking sparkling water more often just to avoid the impact, maybe I’ll just call it a day on wine altogether. I drink so little as it is that the appeal as opposed to the hangover isn’t great.

I am curious about the biological mechanism going on here, but it seems real. I have also seen it go the other way, at least it seems that way: a few people who I knew were regular but not problematic drinkers in our 20s and 30s seem to, from the outside, have crossed over into something that seems worrying to me. I don’t think they could stop drinking now. Like in their 50s, they just can’t handle it the same way but they are also more dependent.

[Anonymous]

For me- a drink gives me awful anxiety. I’ve stopped drinking. Turning 50 next week.

I’m a big fan of gummies and a mocktail.