Understanding the Impact of Alcohol on Melatonin and Sleep

Nigel Harpley
Jul 29
3 min read

Updated: Nov 22

The Relationship Between Alcohol and Sleep

Melatonin is often called the "sleep hormone," but what happens to it when you drink alcohol? This post explores how alcohol impacts your body’s natural melatonin rhythm and whether melatonin supplements, when combined with alcohol, help or hinder sleep.

This article supports my Alcohol & Sleep deep dive, where you can explore how alcohol disrupts REM, causes hangxiety, and stalls recovery.

What Melatonin Does in Your Body

Melatonin is produced naturally by your brain’s pineal gland in response to darkness. It acts like a signal, not a sedative, to prepare your body for sleep.

Melatonin Levels

Rise gradually in the evening
Peak in the early morning hours
Fall away as daylight returns

Melatonin doesn’t knock you out. Instead, it helps align your internal clock (circadian rhythm) with the natural day-night cycle.

How Alcohol Affects Natural Melatonin

Even small amounts of alcohol can interfere with melatonin’s natural rhythm:

Delays melatonin release: Alcohol shifts your circadian timing, making it harder to feel sleepy at the right time.
Suppresses production: Studies show alcohol can reduce nighttime melatonin by up to 20%.
Leads to poor REM and deep sleep: Alcohol fragments sleep cycles, especially in the second half of the night.

These disruptions can create a vicious cycle: you drink to fall asleep, but your sleep becomes lighter, more broken, and less refreshing.

What if You Take Melatonin After Drinking?

Most experts don’t recommend combining melatonin supplements with alcohol. Here’s why:

Both affect the nervous system: The combination may increase grogginess, dizziness, or confusion.
Metabolised by the liver: Taking both can strain detox pathways, especially if your body’s already processing alcohol.
Unpredictable effects: You may fall asleep quickly but wake up wired or foggy.

The Cleveland Clinic advises against combining melatonin and alcohol because of the heightened risk of side effects like dizziness and next-day fatigue. If you’re drinking regularly and also taking melatonin to fix your sleep, your body’s getting mixed signals, not real rest.

If you have been drinking and also take melatonin:

Wait at least 3–4 hours before taking melatonin, if at all.
Understand that alcohol may override or cancel out its benefits.

Want the full deep dive into alcohol’s effect on sleep architecture? Check the Alcohol & Sleep guide here.

Is Melatonin Useful When You Stop Drinking?

If you’re newly alcohol-free, chances are sleep is a concern. You may feel more wired at night, wake up too early, or dream more than usual. These are common effects of your body recalibrating back to its natural sleep cycle after relying on alcohol as a sedative. Most people find their sleep improves over time with a regular sleep routine, such as consistent waking times.

What Melatonin Might Help With

Resetting your circadian rhythm
Supporting early routine building
Mild assistance falling asleep

What Melatonin Won’t Do

Replace deep, natural sleep
Mask emotional processing

A 2022 review on sleep interventions during alcohol withdrawal found melatonin showed modest benefits for sleep onset in early abstinence but wasn’t a cure-all.

Always check with your GP before changing or starting any supplements, especially if taking other medications. It's not necessary at all.

How to Support Better Sleep

In early sobriety, your body may be in REM rebound, and it’s also relearning how to rest without alcohol. Here are evidence-based steps to support sleep naturally:

Create a calming, consistent nightly ritual:

- Take a warm shower

- Dim the lights

- Sip caffeine-free herbal tea like chamomile or lavender

Drift off using deep breathing or guided exercises: Techniques often cited in sleep research and recommended by experts like Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Matthew Walker.
Track and observe your routine and sleep for a few weeks:

- Ritual followed?

- Falling asleep time

- Number of wake-ups

- Dream intensity

- Morning clarity

Consider temperature and light exposure:

- Cool, dark sleep environment

- Avoid bright lights and screens in the evening

- Get morning light exposure

- Aids melatonin signalling and deeper restorative sleep

Bottom Line

Melatonin works best when your body gets a clear, consistent message: It’s time to sleep. Alcohol muddies that signal. If you’re relying on both to sleep, you may be getting sedation, but not restoration. Your body deserves better than mixed messages.