For anyone who's grown used to drinking a nightcap before bed, the first few weeks of alcohol -free nights can be extra challenging because the body has gotten used to relying on alcohol's help to drift off to sleep. When alcohol is first removed from one's nightly routine, it can feel like your sleep system is rusty or even broken. Many people I work with end up concluding, "I can't fall asleep without alcohol."

Why the Nightcap Feels Necessary (But Isn’t)

But that’s the exact disempowering belief that often keeps drinkers trapped in what I call the nightcap-loop. The truth is, regular alcohol consumption disrupts your natural circadian rhythm , and the more you rely on the bottle to fall asleep, the more dependent your sleep becomes. (I broke down how this works in my last article

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