Alcohol and Sleep

Alcohol sedates you into sleep faster, then fragments the second half of the night—less REM, lighter stages, and more wake-ups as your body metabolizes the drinks. Even one to two moderate drinks measurably suppress HRV and raise resting heart rate overnight, which is why a nightcap often trades thirty minutes of easier sleep onset for a groggy morning.

If you drink, finish three to four hours before bed, add water, and expect wearable recovery scores to dip. Track patterns rather than guilt.