Heavy alcohol consumption and sleep quality

A study in China assessed the association between total alcohol intake, specific alcoholic beverages and sleep quality in a community-based cohort.
Setting: The Kailuan community, China.
11 905 participants who were free of a history of CVD, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and head injury in or prior to 2012 were included in the study. Alcohol consumption (amount and frequency intake) and alcoholic beverage type were collected in 2006 (baseline) and 2012. Participants were grouped into non-, light- (women: 0-0·4 serving/d; men: 0-0·9 serving/d), moderate- (women: 0·5-1·0 serving/d; men: 1·0-2·0 servings/d) and heavy- (women: >1·0 servings/d; men: >2·0 servings/d) drinkers. Overall sleep quality was measured in 2012 and included four sleep parameters (insomnia, daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, snoring/obstructive sleep apnoea).
A dose-response association was observed between higher alcohol consumption in 2006 and worse sleep quality in 2012, after adjusting for age, sex, socio-economic status, smoking status, physical activity, obesity, plasma lipid profiles, diabetes and hypertension. A similar association was observed when alcohol consumption in 2012 was used as exposure. Alcohol was associated with higher odds of having short sleep duration (adjusted OR for heavy- v. non-drinkers = 1·31; 95 % CI: 1·09, 1·57) and snoring (adjusted OR for heavy- v. non-drinkers: 1·38; 95 % CI: 1·22, 1·57). Consumption of hard liquor, but not beer or wine, was significantly associated with poor sleep quality.
Higher alcohol consumption was associated with poorer sleep quality and higher odds of having snoring and short sleep duration, the study concludes.
Source: Zheng D, Yuan X, Ma C, Liu Y, VanEvery H, Sun Y, Wu S, Gao X. Alcohol consumption and sleep quality: a community-based study. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Oct;24(15):4851-4858.