We’ve all been there – that innocent glass of wine or one more cocktail, right?

At 64 I am part of the generation where drinking WAS an activity!

Holidays, birthdays, weekends, and celebrations in general, involved drinking.

Sure, I still enjoy a yummy glass of wine or a favorite tequila, but what I enjoy even more is a great nights sleep. There is absolutely NOTHING better than waking up refreshed and filled with energy for the new day.

With the holidays around the corner NOW is the perfect time to create a game plan for navigating booze and protecting your sleep.

Here are some of the ways alcohol affects your sleep:

Disrupted Sleep Patterns: While alcohol may initially make you feel drowsy, it actually disrupts your natural sleep cycle. It can prevent you from entering the deeper stages of sleep, leaving you feeling less refreshed in the morning.

Increased Wakefulness: Alcohol can lead to increased wakefulness during the night. You may find yourself waking up more frequently, and it can be challenging to fall back asleep.

Impaired REM Sleep: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is essential for memory consolidation and overall cognitive function. Alcohol can diminish the time spent in REM sleep, impacting your mental clarity and focus.

Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic, causing increased urination during the night. Dehydration can disrupt sleep and lead to morning grogginess.

Snoring and Sleep Apnea: Alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat and airway, which can increase the likelihood of snoring and exacerbate sleep apnea.

Staying well hydrated, is ALWAYS my #1 tip for managing alcohol. But here are some other hacks to help you sip festive and enjoy in moderation.

Select natural, organic or biodynamic wines. Commercial wines are grown with excessive amounts of chemicals and produced with additives like sugar, flavorings and chemicals to make commercially produced wines addictively delicious. I always order clean-crafted natural wines for the holidays to ensure what I am drinking not only tastes delicious, but doesn’t contain any additives. Just wine made in the traditional way!

Drink non-alcoholic cocktails. Bitters & Soda is a fun and easy way to sip something tasty with wellness benefits. The bitters at All The Bitter are produced without alcohol as a preservative and are made from medicinal grade herbs and spices, including adaptagenic herbs that can elevate your mood. I am obsessed with their NEW Lavender Bitters. I use these all the time with club soda and lime, in hot water as a toddy or even as a wellness tonic if I feel a cold coming on.

Kristen Coffield

I am a passionate advocate for food as medicine, life navigator and culinary coach. This is my space for sharing what excites, inspires and motivates me to live my best life. It began as a recipe blog for nourishing, simple, weekday meals and has become something much bigger… a guide to resilient wellness. I am excited to share my knowledge of how daily habits can cumulatively help you to live like you mean it and age like you want to.