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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bad news for you OP. I used to enjoy great wine pairings with high end meals too, prior to age 60. It just doesn’t work for me at all now. Not only does it destroy my sleep and wreck my next day, but now I find I don’t even enjoy the wine any more and it kills the food experience. It’s wack.

OP. What do you do at dinners now? I don’t generally like mocktails because they are almost always too sweet. What works best for you as a pairing?

Water. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

I do better when I drink earlier and then hydrate later in the evening. A glass of wine at 5pm followed by dinner with several glasses of water doesn't seem to bother me. But if I have wine or cocktails later especially after dinner I have a much worse night sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"gummies" are the stupidest of stupid ideas. You have no idea what's in them, they're not regulated at all. THC extracts have been linked to CHS and other horrible withdrawal syndromes, most edibles have dyes and synthetics in them, they're crap for your teeth, and you'll build a tolerance faster than you think.

And that's before we get into what you're doing flooding your brain with neurotransmitters and activating your endocannabinoid syndrome all willy-nilly.

Calling it a cutesy name and treating it like a snack doesn't make it less of a drug. Gummies are for idiots.

OP. I am not moving to gummies. I tried one once and hated it. It is not an option for me.

Also, I don’t really enjoy wine for the relaxation anyhow. I like it with high quality food, and the only time I have a glass is when I am at a very nice restaurant. I drink maybe 2-3 glasses of wine a month, always with a nice meal.

I am sad to lose that culinary experience because I love a good wine pairing but that is where I am, it sounds like. I like the culinary experience, but I like sleep and not feeling like garbage the next day more.

I'm with you. I like the taste, and I like to cook and think about what kind of wine or beer will taste good with what I've made.

I'm really not interested in giving it up completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've started throwing up in the middle of the night after drinking ONE glass of wine.

Oh goodness. This sounds awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is your new reality. And it’s not a peri thing — I’m a man and it affects me the same way.

I choose sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is your new reality. And it’s not a peri thing — I’m a man and it affects me the same way.

I choose sleep.

Interesting, thanks for posting. I didn’t realize men were impacted the same way. But now that I think about it, my dad who always enjoyed a single glass of wine with nice restaurant meals when I was a kid no longer does that. He stopped drinking entirely. I didn’t make the connection to bad sleep though.

[Anonymous]

90 percent of the time, I will pick sleep.
Every so often, it's still nice to let loose and unwind with margaritas -- but I know my sleep will be sweaty/interrupted and I'll wake up to pee 100 times too. With age, it has become increasingly not worth it. I often get a mocktail instead when out.

[Anonymous]

My sleep is absolutely terrible whether I have alcohol or not. It's so frustrating because none of the tips for better sleep seem to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sleep is absolutely terrible whether I have alcohol or not. It's so frustrating because none of the tips for better sleep seem to help.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Same. I keep fooling myself and having a glass and then regretting it. Night sweats. Anxiety next day. It’s not worth it. But I do like a nice glass with dinner when I go out. It’s not the same with a cocktail. I’ve discovered some de-alcoholized wines and drink them at home. But restaurants don’t always have that option.

[Anonymous]

In answer to the person who asked earlier about the biological mechanism - alcohol impacts estrogen metabolism and aromatase receptors, so it can dial up the perimenopause symptoms like flushing and sleep impacts. Its why its also a risk factor for breast cancer.

I think some of what may be additionally going on if you're mostly only having wine with restaurant or other special meals is that they can be pretty high in sodium and you may be going to sleep a bit dehydrated. Food, especially high water content and high fiber food, eaten before or with alcohol will reduce alcohol absorption. So, you could try hydrating before and after and waiting to sip the wine until food's been served. (In the food and beverage industry and also in peri)

[Anonymous]

I don’t drink wine anymore. I can have one cocktail made with a clear spirit such as gin or vodka, and as long as I drink it early enough and get a little walk or activity in before bedtime (along with water) I am fine. Any deviation from this will have negative consequences for me, including messing with my sleep.

[Anonymous]

This happens if I am drinking as little as you drink. In the winter and spring I am less social and can go months with no drinking. Then if I have 2 drinks at a party, I can't handle it: sleep disrupted and I have a sour, sick feeling in my stomach that isn't quite nausea but very unpleasant.

But in the summer I am more social and have 1-2 drinks, sometimes even 3 drinks, several times a week without issue.

Usually I am ok with one drink even in the winter. I almost never do wine ever anymore though, and NEVER red, it's too acidic or something. Beer or a cocktail.

[Anonymous]

Not only can I no longer enjoy a consequence free single serving of alcohol after 6 pm, but now even mocktails are messing with my digestive system. I’ve had dumping from the sweeteners.

I’m getting into seltzer.

[Anonymous]

How is this a question sleep?!