Vodka’s Origins in Healing and Sleep
Historically, vodka was not just seen as a recreational beverage but also as a medicinal tool. In the early days of vodka production, particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia, it was often used as a remedy for various ailments, including aiding sleep, relieving pain, and even treating wounds. Traditional recipes of infused vodkas often contained herbs, roots, and other natural ingredients to enhance these medicinal properties.
Why You Can’t Sleep
If you find yourself relying on something—whether it’s alcohol, supplements, or medication—to help you sleep, it’s essential to understand that these are temporary solutions that do not address the root cause of your sleeplessness. One of the most common issues for “thinkers” or people with active minds is that their brains are constantly processing thoughts. This can lead to waking up frequently, possibly every hour.
You may also experience strong, vivid dreams that wake you up. These dreams can trigger a rush of cortisol and activate your fight-or-flight response. While you manage this stress throughout the day with distractions, your body at night needs proper nutrition that specifically nourishes your sympathetic nervous system and adrenal glands.
Not sleeping due to pain can often be the result of muscle tension and sore fascia. When we toss and turn at night, trying to get comfortable, it’s usually because tight muscles, especially around areas like the hips, cause discomfort. If you press around the hip area, you may find tender or tight spots that are probably muscle knots. Laying on these knots for extended periods can create pain, disrupting sleep.
Acupuncture is a simple and effective way to relieve muscle knots. The needles are so thin that they allow the muscles to release tension, creating a soothing sensation rather than pain. If you can’t comfortably sleep flat on your back, it’s likely due to muscle tension and knots that need to be addressed. It is unsatisfying to just compensate with pillows. The real solution is releasing the tightness. Often, we do not stretch properly before or after activities, and this can lead to muscle tension, making restful sleep more difficult. We also need nutrients to allow those muscles to contract and relax. Overuse of muscles with not enough recovery (relaxing) nutrients keep muscles contracted.Other causes of interrupted sleep I hear include needing to use the bathroom at night. This might be a result of not having enough salts (sea salts and minerals) in your diet to retain water in the cells properly, making frequent urination a problem. You will probably recognize this symptom as the quantity is a large amount of output. Multiple trips can also stem from habit forming behaviors, or consuming diuretic foods and drinks close to bedtime.
Understanding Alcohol and Sleep
There’s a common misconception across the internet that all alcohol is bad for sleep and that drinking before bed is harmful. While it’s true that excessive alcohol can disturb sleep patterns, alcohol for over 8000 years was used for healing and especially sleep! Alcohol is made from various foundational ingredients, like potatoes, agave, hops, grains, and corn, each with different properties that have different effects on the body. Putting wine, beer, and liquor in the same category is like saying the health benefits of cheese, pudding, and corn are the same.
Hops, a key ingredient in beer, is known for promoting sleep, and historically, beer was used for healing all kinds of ailments along with being an antibiotic. Rather than indulging in drinking games like quarters or flip cup :), drinking beer with the intention of improving sleep, could actually help you rest better!
Vodka when consumed in moderation and combined with the right ingredients, can be more beneficial than harmful. It’s not just the alcohol itself that matters but what you put in your drink.
Enhancing Vodka with Herbs and Fruits
Instead of mixing vodka with soda, you can enhance its properties by infusing it with herbs, vegetables, and fruits. This not only adds flavor but also allows for better and faster absorption of health benefits, supporting better sleep and overall well-being.
Vodka infusion using goji berries, tart cherries, cardamom, ginger, sarsaparilla, and coconut sugar can help you have the red wine experience without the negative effects.
Click here for Wine Down Infusion benefits and recipe.
For example, adding sarsaparilla and vanilla to vodka creates a delicious root beer flavored infusion. Sarsaparilla is known for its benefits to joint, stomach, and heart health, while vanilla adds benefits like skin and heart health. Infused with herbs like these, vodka offers more than just a good time! This is an infusion that supports your body’s systems. Remember, each food, herb and fruit has unique qualities.
Never add Sodas with Alcohol
Unless it is an all natural soda and not today’s sodas with chemicals, you unknowingly sabotage the benefits of alcohol by mixing it with regular and especially diet sodas, which contain chemicals your body can not process. Artificial ingredients are worse on the liver than alcohol.
When you understand your health deficiency or excess,
choose foods that work toward that goal.
If you’re managing stress, anxiety, or racing thoughts, focus on addressing the root cause. Food is chemistry to your body. For example, stress hormones deplete specific vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, so it’s important to eat real foods rich in vitamin D throughout the day. Tailor your diet to your specific needs. Medications often mask the condition and don’t provide the essential nutrients your body needs during this time.
Dr. Mary Devereaux holds a Doctorate in Integrated Health and is a licensed, practicing acupuncturist in Melbourne, FL. She is also a board-certified herbalist in the state of Florida.