Why Do I Wake Up Early After Drinking? A Sleep Mystery Unraveled
The short answer: alcohol messes with your sleep cycles
I was just ranting to my friend Jake the other day after a night out. I told him, “Dude, I had three glasses of wine and crashed like a baby… but then, BAM! Wide awake at 5 AM. WHY?” And Jake laughed because he’d had the same experience — and trust me, we’re not alone.
When you drink, you might fall asleep fast (thanks, sedative effect), but alcohol totally disrupts the deeper stages of your sleep, especially later in the night. That’s why you often wake up earlier than usual and can’t drift back off.
How alcohol affects your sleep stages
The false promise of deep sleep
At first, alcohol boosts slow-wave (deep) sleep. That’s why you feel super drowsy and knock out quickly. But (here’s the catch), as your body metabolizes the alcohol — usually a few hours in — it leads to lighter, more fragmented sleep. Basically, your brain becomes more alert even though your body’s still wiped.
Suppression of REM sleep
REM sleep is where your brain does all its emotional and memory processing. Alcohol reduces REM early in the night, then causes a rebound later, which can be super vivid or restless. Ever had those weird, chaotic dreams after drinking? Yep, blame the REM rebound.
The role of dehydration and bathroom trips
Alcohol = diuretic
Oh man, this one hit me hard last weekend. Alcohol makes you pee more, which dehydrates you. Dehydration can trigger thirst, headaches, or a dry mouth, all of which can pull you out of sleep earlier than you’d like. Jake told me he woke up twice at 4 AM just to drink water — I told him to stash a bottle by the bed next time (rookie mistake).
Blood sugar spikes and drops
Another hidden culprit: alcohol messes with your blood sugar. You might experience a sugar spike followed by a crash, which can jolt your body awake. I once made the mistake of drinking sweet cocktails all night, and wow… it was like my body ran a marathon in my sleep and woke me up starving at dawn.
Stress hormones kick in early
The cortisol surge
As your body clears the alcohol, cortisol (the stress hormone) levels rise. This can make you feel more alert, anxious, or even jittery — which is why you might wake up early and feel restless, heart racing a little, even though you’re technically still exhausted.
What can you do to sleep better after drinking?
Practical (but imperfect) fixes
Drink water between alcoholic drinks to stay hydrated
Eat a proper meal before drinking (slows absorption)
Stop drinking at least 2–3 hours before bed
Keep your sleep environment dark, quiet, and cool
But hey, full honesty? Even with all that, alcohol simply doesn’t mix well with restful sleep. That’s something I personally had to learn the hard way — no amount of “hacks” fully cancels out the physiological effects.
My final thought (and tiny confession)
Honestly, I used to think “I sleep better with a nightcap.” Now? I’ve realized that while it feels like it helps you doze off, it steals the quality sleep later. Jake and I actually made a pact recently to do more alcohol-free weekends — not because we’re saints (ha!), but because we just want to wake up feeling human again.
Have you noticed the same frustrating early wakeups after drinking? Drop me your weirdest or most relatable post-drinking sleep stories — I love hearing how others navigate this wobbly balance between fun and recovery.
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Is 172 cm good for a man?
Yes it is. Average height of male in India is 166.3 cm (i.e. 5 ft 5.5 inches) while for female it is 152.6 cm (i.e. 5 ft) approximately. So, as far as your question is concerned, aforesaid height is above average in both cases.
Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?
The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.
Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?
How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).
How tall is a average 15 year old?
Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years
| Male Teens: 13 - 20 Years) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 14 Years | 112.0 lb. (50.8 kg) | 64.5" (163.8 cm) |
| 15 Years | 123.5 lb. (56.02 kg) | 67.0" (170.1 cm) |
| 16 Years | 134.0 lb. (60.78 kg) | 68.3" (173.4 cm) |
| 17 Years | 142.0 lb. (64.41 kg) | 69.0" (175.2 cm) |
How to get taller at 18?
Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.
Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?
Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).
Can you grow between 16 and 18?
Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.
Can you grow 1 cm after 17?
Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.