2 ms·

Hmm, as far as hangovers she says "Does drinking impact your sleep? I don’t get hangovers. If I overdo it and I get a headache, that’s saying a lot. Most peopl

Hmm, as far as hangovers she says "Does drinking impact your sleep? I don’t get hangovers. If I overdo it and I get a headache, that’s saying a lot. Most people in their 40s are sick for a day and a half. If I drink too much, then I may go to bed at two and get up at six — maybe I get an extra hour’s sleep!" Severe alcoholics often don't get a full night of sleep because they wake up when the depressant effect of the alcohol wears off, the same reason people shake in the mornings - in the absence of alcohol, the chemicals the body releases to compensate for constant alcohol cause overstimulation. My experience with drinking a fair bit last year is I would get 4-6 hours of sleep a night, and wake up wide awake with no hangover, too. On nights when I hadn't drank, I'd sleep 7-9 hours which is normal for me. I'd say it's all a matter of neutransmitter balance, which varies even in normal people. Bipolar folks often only need 2-4 hours of sleep in manic phases, and feel great, but may sleep for 8-12 hours in depressive states. Someone who is hypomanic could be expected to sleep just 4 hours a night and have difficulty sleeping longer.

peteretep 12y ago
> Severe alcoholics often don't get a full night of sleep > because they wake up when the depressant effect of the > alcohol wears off ... the same reason people shake in > the mornings I don't think I'd have ever classified myself as an alcoholic, although I used to drink a lot, and now I drink nothing. For a while, I ran a party-promoting business and held down a job as a programmer at the same time, typically going to bed at 2am having drunk maybe the equivalent of ~20 shots of vodka, 3-4 nights a week, and getting up to be in work by 10am. I was definitely stumbling around a bit by the end of the evening, and I needed some strong coffee in the morning, but seriously impaired I was not (although I imagine driving would have been a bad idea at any point in this cycle). Assuming I distributed my drinks fairly evenly from 9pm to 1am, and using the British system of "units" of alcohol, peak blood alcohol was at 1am with ~ 15 units. Less 1 unit an hour, means at 9am wakeup time, I have the equivalent of about 3.5 pints of beer in my blood, and the alcohol doesn't properly drop off until about 3pm in the afternoon - which anecdotally was when I used to feel dreadful. I can't imagine a "severe alcoholic" running out of alcohol in the blood stream overnight.
- code_duck 12y ago
  >I can't imagine a "severe alcoholic" running out of alcohol in the blood stream overnight. Well, it's the reason for delirium tremens. Alcohol doesn't have to be zero to cause morning withdrawal - just less than whatever your body is accustomed to. As far as amount metabolized per hour, I believe that increases with habituation and tolerance. Myself, I was hardly an alcoholic - just hanging out with one, and he'd entice me to a bar each and every night for 2-7 beers. Waking up as described was my experience.

peteretep 12y ago

> Severe alcoholics often don't get a full night of sleep > because they wake up when the depressant effect of the > alcohol wears off ... the same reason people shake in > the mornings I don't think I'd have ever classified myself as an alcoholic, although I used to drink a lot, and now I drink nothing. For a while, I ran a party-promoting business and held down a job as a programmer at the same time, typically going to bed at 2am having drunk maybe the equivalent of ~20 shots of vodka, 3-4 nights a week, and getting up to be in work by 10am. I was definitely stumbling around a bit by the end of the evening, and I needed some strong coffee in the morning, but seriously impaired I was not (although I imagine driving would have been a bad idea at any point in this cycle). Assuming I distributed my drinks fairly evenly from 9pm to 1am, and using the British system of "units" of alcohol, peak blood alcohol was at 1am with ~ 15 units. Less 1 unit an hour, means at 9am wakeup time, I have the equivalent of about 3.5 pints of beer in my blood, and the alcohol doesn't properly drop off until about 3pm in the afternoon - which anecdotally was when I used to feel dreadful. I can't imagine a "severe alcoholic" running out of alcohol in the blood stream overnight.

code_duck 12y ago
>I can't imagine a "severe alcoholic" running out of alcohol in the blood stream overnight. Well, it's the reason for delirium tremens. Alcohol doesn't have to be zero to cause morning withdrawal - just less than whatever your body is accustomed to. As far as amount metabolized per hour, I believe that increases with habituation and tolerance. Myself, I was hardly an alcoholic - just hanging out with one, and he'd entice me to a bar each and every night for 2-7 beers. Waking up as described was my experience.