Cause 9: Alcohol and Recreational Drugs
“Let’s have a nightcap; it’ll help me sleep.” Sound familiar? While alcohol might seem like a ticket to dreamland, its effects on sleep are more disruptive than you’d think. Alcohol, along with certain recreational drugs, might induce sleep but compromise its quality. This fragmented, lighter sleep can serve as a precursor to sleepwalking episodes.
Alcohol and many recreational drugs suppress REM sleep, the dreamy part of our sleep cycle. So, while one might fall asleep quickly after a few drinks, the deeper, more restful stages of sleep become elusive. This altered sleep architecture can create a gray area between full wakefulness and sleep – a perfect storm for noctambulism.
It’s not just alcohol; recreational drugs can dance on the strings of our sleep cycle. Substances like marijuana, though lauded by some for their sleep-inducing properties, can impact sleep quality. And as with alcohol, this interference with natural sleep rhythms can, in some cases, lead to sleepwalking.(9)
