You booze, you snooze...but not very well.

If you've had a few, the likelihood is that you'll fall asleep almost as soon as you turn out the light.

But our sleep patterns are such that you're actually not doing yourself any favours.

Boozing before bed interferes with the normal sleep process because it can send you straight into deep sleep. This means that you miss out on the first stage of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. 

When you're in deep sleep, your body restores itself, but as the grog wears off, your body slips back into REM sleep which is a lot easier to wake up from. Many people will wake up after just a few hours when they have been drinking. 

In the course of a "normal" night, you would normally have six to seven cycles of REM sleep which will usually leave you feeling refreshed when you wake up. But if you have been drinking, you may only have one or two cycles, which will leave you feeling drained and short of rest when you do wake up.

Top tip for a great night's sleep: Stay off the sauce...or at least give yourself a few hours off before you hit the hay.