WC of Sleep

Alcohol Clearance & REM Disruption

Estimate when your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches zero, allowing normal sleep architecture to resume.

1 drink = 12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirit.
Unmetabolized Drinks at Bedtime:
REM Blockade Active

Alcohol is a powerful REM sleep inhibitor. You will likely experience fragmented sleep and a "REM rebound" (vivid, stressful dreams) as the alcohol finally clears around into your sleep.

System Cleared

Assuming standard metabolic rates, the alcohol should be processed before sleep onset, minimizing architectural disruption.

Methodology & Assumptions

Sedation is Not Sleep

Alcohol knocks out your cortex. It sedates you, mimicking sleep. But physiologically, alcohol triggers a fight-or-flight response, raising heart rate and body temperature. Crucially, it completely blocks REM sleep while active in the bloodstream.