Anonymous wrote:I have a Fitbit and noticed that my nighttime heart rate is much higher when I've been drinking. If I over do it it's crazy! I usually don't drink after dinner time anymore because of the effect on my sleep. I'm 37.

I also find that alcohol affects my heart rate.

It always did for me - it's why I'm not a huge drinker. One drink at most, earlier in the day (like at an afternoon barbecue)

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Interesting. So, I guess it isn't so bad if you drink earlier in the day, like with coffee and caffeine.

I can't stand drinking alcohol early in the day. It just sort of lugs me down, takes the edge off my energy. If I have a drink, I'll have it in the evening and it doesn't bother my sleep. On the other hand, I prefer caffeinated drinks (coffee, etc) earlier in the day. But if I have coffee after dinner, I can still fall asleep at night.

OP here. Interesting. So, I guess it isn't so bad if you drink earlier in the day, like with coffee and caffeine.

It is simply a fact that alcohol interferes with sleep. Insomnia is not uncommon.

I have a Fitbit and noticed that my nighttime heart rate is much higher when I've been drinking. If I over do it it's crazy! I usually don't drink after dinner time anymore because of the effect on my sleep. I'm 37.

Woman, 42. This started for me a couple years ago. Now even one glass of wine after 8:00 and I am awake most of the night.

I sleep fine when I drink my wine (once or twice a week). In fact, I can drink caffeinated coffee not too long before bed and sleep just fine. I'm in my early fifties so maybe that'll change down the road.

Anonymous wrote:I am a woman (50) and def sleep better when I don't drink my wine at night- just noticed this recently.

Same! I also get the middle-of-the-night wake-up that OP describes. Ugh.

Woman here, 44, and this is true for me as well. I can have one drink and be fine, but 2 or more is just not worth it anymore.

I am a woman (50) and def sleep better when I don't drink my wine at night- just noticed this recently.

What's worse is drinking to cope with stress. Then you're up in the middle of the night thinking about those things that are stressing you!

Drinking is a young man's game.

I'm in my mid 40s and that happens to me when I drink. So I've cut down on drinking a lot because I sleep horrible if I drink.

I'm 60, never drank a lot, never more than 2-3 beers in an evening, and that no more than once or twice a week. But when I have more than one beer I now notice I'm waking more in the middle of the night, sometimes not falling back to sleep and dragging the next day. Wonder if anyone else has experienced this.