London, August 16 : A pint of alcohol has traditionally been thought of as one of the best ways to drop off for a healthy sleep.

But now, a new study has found that nightcaps have the opposite effect.

Researchers at Akita University in Japan found that alcohol in the bloodstream leads to a deep sleep for the first half of the night but shallow sleep for the rest of it, reports the Telegraph.

Volunteers were given three different doses of pure alcohol at three-week intervals and their sleep was tested.

Any disturbance to the quality of the sleep was shown in the variations of the subject’s heart rate.

The researchers also found that too much drink before bed not only disturbs sleep but could also have a significant effect on the body’s digestive system and induce other illnesses.

Dr Yohei Sagawa, of the department of neuropsychiatry at Akita University, said: “Although the first half of sleep after alcohol intake looks good, the result of the assessment shows that drinking leads to insomnia rather than good sleep.”

The study has been published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. (ANI)