Dr. Matt Walker

If you look at the statistics, that's highly likely.

In your lifetime, you are more than likely to go through either a period of challenging sleep or, in fact, a bout of insomnia.

Nor am I. And it's not because I have anything against it.

Great question.

So in terms of the mechanism, it seems actually not to be the alcohol, but some of the metabolic byproducts of alcohol.

We think that perhaps the main culprit may be some of the aldehydes that are the metabolic separate consequences of alcohol metabolism.

You make a good point though, in terms of the dose response timing curve, how late or how early do I have to cut myself off from alcohol?

People have done those studies and they have found that even an afternoon single glass of wine, if you measure sleep in the way that we measure it at Bicenter with high fidelity, you can see compromises and impairments.

I wish I could tell you otherwise.

I would say that based on that data, the principal protocol advice I would have for you is go to the pub in the morning.

That way, by the time you're about to sleep, the alcohol is out your system.

No, no, I would never.

As a public scientist, I would never advocate necessarily for morning.

I'm just kidding you.

But that's sort of one of the unfortunate consequences.

there does seem to be an impact to say that there isn't is just me not being truthful about the data but again if you think about the trade-off here if you're going out or you're having friends over and you're going to make an incredible evening of memories and you're going to open a favorite bottle of wine and have a couple of glasses of wine is your sleep going to be compromised yes it is

But maybe that's worth the trade-off for that specific night.

I would just not wish you to, and you've spoken a lot, and so has our dear friend Peter Atiyah and others.

There just doesn't seem to be any safe amount of alcohol.

But I would say think about that trade-off simply, however, don't make it a habit that you're doing it, you know, multiple nights a week or more.