The study of alcohol's effects on sleep dates back to the late 1930s. Since
then, an extensive literature has described alcohol's effects on the sleep
of healthy, nonalcoholic people. For example, studies found that in nonalc
oholics who occasionally use alcohol, both high and low doses of alcohol in
itially improve sleep, although high alcohol doses can result in sleep dist
urbances during the second half of the nocturnal sleep period. Furthermore,
people can rapidly develop tolerance to the sedative effects of alcohol. R
esearchers have investigated the interactive effects of alcohol with other
determinants of daytime sleepiness. Such studies indicate that alcohol inte
racts with sleep deprivation and sleep restriction to exacerbate daytime sl
eepiness and alcohol-induced performance impairments. Alcohol's effects on
other physiological functions during sleep have yet to be documented thorou
ghly and unequivocally.