Alcohol And Sleep

[Tutahl75]

I have a group of friends that like to get together and have drinks on the weekend. I try not to get carried away but sometimes I enjoy having three to six drinks.

However, I've noticed that it effects my sleep. It leaves me on edge for a couple of days. I've had trouble with my sleep since i was having my symptoms of celiacs pre diagnosis. After diagnosis my sleep has improved a bit but still gets frustrating.

Just wondering if anyone has noticed this as well.

[Bonnie]

Hi There,

Yes I have the same problem. My sleep has improved dramatically since going gluten-free 5 months ago.

I have bocome totally intolerant to alcohol though. Apart from making me really tired and sick - the hangover starts on the first drink, and I get drunk from one, it wakes me up during the right. I usually wake up between 1 and 3 am which is 'liver time', and cannot get back to sleep at all.

I believe that my liver has been struggling for so long with all the toxins from gluten and all my other food intolerance I didn't know about, now that its healing, the alcohol is like poison in my system. I get the same effect from taking half a sleeping pill!

That's my theory anyway! However, in answer to your question - yes alcohol definitely interferes with my sleep.

I have basically given up drinking altogether - its not fair - I crave a nice red wine!

Yvonne

[Janelson]

I have bad reactions depending on what I drink. I can drink a entire bottle (wouldnt do it) of Ron Diaz vanilla rum and feel fine. However give me Barcardi Rum and I will pass out and be in bed for over a day. I made that mistake and thought I had to go to the hospital the next day after only 2 drinks. So what I am gettng at is are you drinking the same drinks or does it not matter???

[Bonnie]

Good question! Wine is my worst culprit - red or white. Make me really ill. But I have tried whisky, vodka and gin. They took slightly longer to make me feel sick but all made me very badly hungover - while still drinking!

Yvonne

[Eliza13]

When I drank before diagnosis, I was sick/exhausted for aobut 7 days. I no longer drink b/c of how bad I feel. Anyone know if it is b/c of celiac?

[skbird]

Bonnie - I have a similar experience. I used to drink quite a bit, anywhere from one to 8 drinks in a day/evening. I used to be able to tolerate it pretty well. When I went on a low carb diet nearly 4 years back I started losing my ability to drink alcohol. At this point I can't drink 2 ounces of wine without having a hangover.

My husband, who has no known gluten problems is an alcoholic but I think he is finally quitting. He is tired of falling asleep by 10pm and waking at 2am and being up the rest of the night.

I think the liver bit is very true for me, and maybe I'm still working on cleaning out stuff from all the foods I ate that weren't good or ok for me. Or maybe most people really have a problem with alcohol and they just have gotten used to it - once they quit it will come back to them, like some of us with gluten?

What convinced me I needed to stop drinking alcohol was getting a blood test kit. I have hypoglycemia problems (though not as bad since gluten free and avoiding corn) so I got a test kit to track certain foods. One of the last times I drank a glass of wine I saw my blood sugar go from 95 to 42 in about 20 mins. 42 is bad, and almost the lowest I've seen my blood sugar go (saw it hit 35 once, and am sure it's been worse but when you're that low, testing is not easy to do, nor should it be a priority). Normal blood sugar ranges should be around 75-115.

From what I understand, since your liver has to process the alcohol (as it's a toxin) AND your liver is in charge of releasing stored sugar in order to keep you level when you are dropping, if it is overwhelmed, it cannot do both, so it doesn't release sugar. So your blood sugar is dropping, your liver is not doing anything to stop this, and you crash. If you drink before going to bed, this will still happen, to various degress. When your sugar goes too low, your body wakes up and says "feed me!!!" and that is often why people wake up a few hours after passing out from alcohol.

Stephanie

[elonwy]

When going through questioning for causes for insomnia one of the mentioned triggers is alcohol. Normal people with no issues have sleep problems assiciated with alcohol. It makes sense that when your diet changes, your reaction to alcohol would change too.

My 2p

Elonwy

[canadianbowlofcherries]

If I have more then a couple drinks, I don't sleep well at all. Having just finished college I've seen people heavily sleep for 12 hours after a night of drinking. This has not been my experience. Beer is the worst. Before I started suspecting celiac disease/gluten intolerance I could never figure out why even a couple sips of beer made me really queasy. I was always considered a lightweight, but I think even that's stretching the definition of being a "two-can sam". A lime margarita and I'm fine but I will never even look in the direction of beer again. In a fit of ignorance last year I drank four. Might as well have been 80 Oh well I'm sure my liver and wallet are better off.

[Bonnie]

Stephanie,

That is really interesting and makes perfect sense to me. You have done the intelligent thing and stopped completely.

I had 2 small glasses of red wine on Thursday night last week, woke up at 12.55 and didn't go back to sleep. I was so sick and nauseous the next day, I had to leave work half way through the day.

Its just not worth it, is it? I'm actually glad its happened though - I think I was drinking a bit too much anyway! Vicious circle - drinking to sleep but not working so taking sleeping pills as well.

Yvonne

[skbird]

Yvonne - Well, I think for me it is simply that I am used to giving up indulging in things I formerly liked. Like gluten, like nightshades (all that Mexican and Thai food... I had to give up...) and some sugars. And shellfish - that was really hard. The more I have seen my general well-being improve from eliminating foods, the better I feel about doing it. Though I'm having a problem stopping eating corn - I feel like I'm not learning there.

For my husband, who is 51 and been drinking forever, he has been without alcohol for nearly two weeks now (which is very cool!) and he is sleeping like a baby. He still wakes in the middle of the night for a little bit, but goes back to sleep. I think he is convincing himself with this that he wants to stay this way. I'm really pleased for him, he has never been the bad alcoholic, but he still goes overboard from time to time.

We talked this weekend about the fact we are attending my brother's engagement party next month and we will both have a glass of wine or champagne in honor of this, and I am already thinking of my strategy. Something that helps is if you really need to have some alcohol and it gives you problems is to take some activated charcoal tablets before and after drinking it. Of course the problem is how to look inconspicuous doing so... Have you seen those "Chaser" ads - the supplement to prevent hangover? It's basically just activated charcoal. I have also taken charcoal when I have ingested some tomato or pepper, unintentionally, and it has lessened the symptoms for me. I don't think it would work for gluten, but I haven't tried that either.

Additionally, if you must have a glass of wine, if you try to consume some complex carbohydrates shortly after and another snack about 30 mins after, it can help level out the blood sugar issues. I think what makes me feel sick from alcohol is the result of my blood sugar falling too low (as tracked by measuring it). That and not having enough water.

Anyway, I hope some of this helps. It's not totally scientific but does have anecdotal "proof" behind it, it works somewhat for me.

Stephanie

[zakismom]

I thought I was the only one who has developed a problem with alcohol since going gluten-free. I used to be able to drink my fair share and then some and only have a mild hangover. Now, forget it, I had a glass and a half of wine the other night and it felt like someone had dropped an anvil on my head the next day! I give up!

[Bonnie]

Stephanie, I wish your husband all the luck and hope he sticks to it. Its not going to be easy. My parents are alcoholics so I've seen it firsthand.

I forgot about the charcoal - tried it before and it definitely helped.

Zakismom - doesn't it make you feel a bit better to know you're not alone? Just a bit though - would still like to have a glass of wine and not think I'm dying the next day!

Yvonne

[Wandering Hermit]

Interesting!

Since going gluten-free, wine has been one of my "rewards" (if I cannot have beer, I will have some good wine every night!!).

Well, I also sleep very poorly and wake up several times a night, and generally feel like crap: headaches, body aches, dizzy all day long.

I guess it is time to try an alchohol avoidance experiment....

[skbird]

Thanks Yvonne. We've been married for 6 years and I have seen him "quit" before but is has been half-hearted attempts. But there is something different about it this time. I see in him what I see in me when I have to stop eating something I love - a determination to figure out how to live without it and move on to a healthier life. We'll see, and I'm not holding my breath!

I am intrigued to see others on this list mention they can't handle alcohol anymore. I was really depressed about it at first, I love a good wine. But I hate feeling bad and just can't take that hangover feeling I get from the smallest amount of alcohol. One of my worst hangovers in ages was a year or so ago when I had a shot of gin mixed in a pint of soda water, and I ended up drinking only half, and I still felt like I'd been run over by a train.

I wonder if there are any long term Celiacs who have regained their ability to drink or if it's just what you have to live with as well? Sometimes I think my reaction is that I am out of the habit of drinking, but I don't guess that's really the case, if other people on this list are reporting similar experiences.

Oh well...

Stephanie

[Guest BERNESES]

I think I've joined the club too.... much to my chagrin. When I first went gluten-free, I had already cut out beer months before because 2 beers= 4 days of hangover yuck. So i switched to cosmos with vodka. That seemed to go OK for quite awhile (maybe 3 months after going gluten-free). In June, I tried Bard's tale gluten-free beer and had NO problem. I also tried Woodchuck Cider and had no problem. But then I got severely glutened so I didn't drink at all for about a month. After that I tried vodka toniucs and felt glutened. So, I tried SKYY vodka which is triple distilled and they say they are glouten-free. Forst ferw times, no problem, but then Wham! couldn't drink that either so back to no alcohol for a month. Last week I had a glass of wine with some Thai food and I felt like s!#$t! the next day and for several days after so, back to no alcohol. If I do try again, i will try either the gluten-free beer or potato vodka like Chopin. But I'm going to wait awhile. I like to have a few drinks occasionally, but if I have to give it up to feel better, oh well. I'll just eat more chocolate!

It severely interrupts my sleep. When I was in college and drank beer (like almost 20 years ago) I had no problem with sleep. But as I started to enter my 30's and, I think, my celiac disease symptoms started to emerge, when I drank I would wake up really early and not be able to go back to sleep. Then I would be tired all weekend. I NEVER drank during the week because of this. So, I MAY try again, but not for awhile. I like my sleep and health more (and chocolate!).

Good luck to your husband...it's so hard but if you are both in it together, it will be good. You can support each other. All the best, Beverly

[vancems77]

Hi, I see a lot of people here have trouble sleeping after drinking. I've heard conflicting things about vodka particularly; either that all kinds are fine or only particular kinds are fine. What I do know is that when I drink it, my heart races terribly when I'm trying to go to sleep, no matter how much I have, for about two hours. Does anyone know if certain kinds have gluten or does anyone else have this happen?

[Guest BERNESES]

My experience with vodka, which used to be my alcohol of choice, has been strange. At first, I could tolerate all vodka (technically it's all gluten-free because of the distillation process) then I could only tolerate SKYY which is triple-distilled. Then I could only tolerate potato vodka like Chopin (expensive but Yum!). Now, I can't seem to tolerate anything distilled. It's like someone said in another post, most Celiac's can tolerate grain products if they've been distilled (like vodka and gin) but someone hasn't told our bodies that. I think, if you are going to continue to try to drink it, stick with a potato vodka but if it makes your heart race, maybe it's not worth it? I don't know.

[Lisa]

From what I understand Alcohol is basically a solvent, like dish soap going through your body. For those that have been gluten-free for a while, you body is reacting to other toxins as gluten would be. The body gets more sensitized. (sp) If it dosn't react to gluten, it will react to other toxins. It is just what it does in it's defense.

I still drink, as alway in moderation and what I know is safe. I probably should not during the healing process, but I am holding on to the few consumeable pleasures that I have. If it becomes a problem I will discontinue.

If it hurts, makes you feel bad, quit.

Don't know if this will make any one feel better, but just though I would post in.

Lisa B.

[vancems77]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I thought all vodka was made from potatoes. I'll have to be more careful. I don't really drink that much, but when I do go out with friends, it's nice to be able to have a drink or two. I'll just have to watch it. Thanks again.

[Kelly Langenfeld]

I developed a terrible rxn/tolerance to alcohol after going gluten-free. I was always a beer drinker before, and there is a real learning curve to drinking hard alcohol since my diagnosis in 2/2004. I almost gave up drinking altogether. There were too many bad weekends to count d/t drinking Bacardi and cokes after my diagnosis. But, what I found is that you just have to be patient and rule out what you can handle and what you cannot. I can handle Absolute or Sky vodka, Woodchuck cider, and the new Ghrist (sp?) beer made from sorgum from Lakefront breweries. I don't have the adverse rxn that I used to when I drank other things. Just something to think about.

--Kelly Langenfeld

[Guest cainepole]

I was stupid and had too many glasses of wine just a few weeks after being diagnosed and got a DWI. So, I quit drinking for two reasons. But, after several months I thought to try again with my brain attached this time. After talking to a local brewer and reading a copy of a book on distilling I found out that distilling isn't 100% unless your talking about 200 proof alcohol. If the alcohol has flavor, it still has some of it's mash included. Even "triple distilled" isn't 100% alcohol, it has other things in it. My conclusion; anything that's original mash had no grains in it would be alright. Pure potato vodka (rye is what is usually used because of flavor), pure agave tequila, etc. But, more research has forced me to change my conclusion. The damage done to our intestines has begun to heal and now we can absorb alcohol closer to normal and we simply aren't used to it. A lot more toxins stay with us longer instead of being voided fairly quickly, so that to has to be harder on us than what we expect also. I've been gluten free and close to alcohol free for nearly a year and am doing much better than at any other point in my life. As for a reward to myself, instead of knocking back a cold one at the end of a shift, I spend my bar bill on tangibles. Books, movies, books, cds, books ... less time in bars=more time for me.

[Guest marshlakemom]

I wonder sometimes, if it isn't the sugar in alcohol that we are reacting to, because I think when we go gluten-free, we subconsiously cut out a lot of sugars. I know with me if I drink a can of pop, I get the shakes really bad, and god help me if I drink a can before going to bed.

I think it is common knowledge that when we consume alcohol, that we crash for a couple of hours, and then wake up and can't go back to sleep, or at least continue the night with a restless sleep. But I think we Celiacs are particulary sensitive to any stimulent.

Insomnia continues to be a major problem with me, and yes I do enjoy a couple of glasses of wine a few nights a week, might have to cut that out and see if that is my problem.

I know I also react very bad to any stimulent. I try to take an antihistamine to sleep, and all that I end up getting is restless leg, and even a worse night.

If I drink more than a couple cups of coffee in the morning, I get the shakes.

You know with cutting out all these things, you would think we would sleep like babies and feel like a million bucks......

Oh well, guess I have to be more vigilent about my gluten-free food intake, stop being in denial and cheating here and there, and maybe, just maybe I will sleep again or start to feel better.

Interesting thread.

Love to all you fellow Celiac's,

Deborah

[jenvan]

I have noticed that after going gluten-free, I am more affected by alcohol, which makes sense since I am absorbing more of what I am consuming, as opposed to the past. I don't have much of a desire for alcohol or sugary candies anymore, since they make me feel run-down, headachey etc. Perhaps my body will eventually adjust... but its not like I need either one of them really...

[sharell]

If I have more then a couple drinks, I don't sleep well at all. Having just finished college I've seen people heavily sleep for 12 hours after a night of drinking. This has not been my experience. Beer is the worst. Before I started suspecting celiac disease/gluten intolerance I could never figure out why even a couple sips of beer made me really queasy. I was always considered a lightweight, but I think even that's stretching the definition of being a "two-can sam". A lime margarita and I'm fine but I will never even look in the direction of beer again. In a fit of ignorance last year I drank four. Might as well have been 80 Oh well I'm sure my liver and wallet are better off.

also remember malt is in beer & that's another one of our no-no's. I also looked up ingredients in vodka & most seemed to be made with wheat barley.

[sonear]

Try B12 supplement. See Open Original Shared Link . There is also information on this site about how celiac causes B12 deficiency, which creates a reaction to alcohol, plus insomnia. Not to say that any of us need alcohol, but if you are deficient you will feel better overall and be less reactive if you get your levels back up. I take 100 mcg of a Methyl B-12 lozenge every few days and it has made so much difference. Good luck!