IPAs and sleepiness

This is a just shot in the dark and i'm no expert. But if you're coming late, and its the end of the week, and you're relaxing while watching a movie, there is a good chance that sipping on an alcoholic beverage, especially a heavier one like an IPA (as opposed to a light beer or macro lager) will induce sleepiness.

 

Hops are a natural sedative, similar to chamomile. I think Bob Marley's Mellow Mood Tea contains hops.

 

And do other beers not have the same effect? What about carbohydrates in general? I feel like thise two are more likely culprits but if not then i suppose hops could be the cause. As a possible solution, perhaps sip quickly so as to finish before falling asleep or run some cold water on your wrists, this will cause a short term drop jolt of energy, then drink the beer.

 

I could swear that IPAs make me sleepier than other types of beers and alcohol. Perhaps it is hops' supposed sedative properties.

 

@HorseheadsHopHead

Hops are a powerful sedative, whereas is alcohol is a depressant. Essentially hops make you sleepy, whereas alcohol depresses the central nervous system.

Don't think hops have an effect? Try having a couple glasses of wine one evening (and no beer). And then on another night, have liquor but no beer or wine. If you have some self-awareness, you'll see the psychoactive effects are not limited to just ethyl alcohol. The sensations are different.

Hops have long been known to help with sleep, as even in days of old people used to drink hop tea and put hops inside pillowcases to make you go to sleep:

http://www.motherearthliving.com/mother-earth-living/sleep-pillows.aspx

There are strong scientific experiments to document the sedative power of hops. Here one such article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22849837

Abstract
The hop (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, is a sedative plant whose pharmacological activity is due principally to its bitter resins, especially to the α-acid component 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. The mechanism of action of the resin of hop consists of increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric (GABA), inhibiting the central nervous system (CNS).

OBJECTIVES:
To analyze in an experimental model of diurnal animal the sedative effect of hop, a component of beer, on the activity/rest rhythm.

METHODS:
Experiments were performed with common quail (Coturnix coturnix) similar to humans in the sleep-wake rhythm, isolated in 25 × 25 × 25 cm methacrylate cages, with food and water ad libitum, in a room with artificial ventilation (22 ± 1 °C) and a lighting cycle of 12L/12D (n = 5). The doses administered, close to the content of non-alcoholic beer, were 1, 2 and 11 mg extract of hop as one capsule per day, at 18:00 h for one week. A control group received capsules only with a methylcellulose excipient and a basal group received no treatment. The chronobiological analysis of the animals' activity captured and logged by the software DAS24 was performed using the Ritme computer program (cosinor methods).

RESULTS:
With the dose of 2 mg, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction of the arithmetic mean nocturnal activity (23 ± 3.0) with respect to the basal (38.56 ± 2.79), control (38.1 ± 2.8) and other doses groups 1 mg (52.04 ± 3.65) and 11 mg (47.47 ± 5.88). This dose of 2 mg, similar to the concentration in beer, was more effective in reducing nocturnal activity than the other doses of 1 and 11 mg, as well as preserving the circadian activity/rest rhythm.

CONCLUSION:
The concentration of 2 mg of hop extract effectively decreased nocturnal activity in the circadian activity rhythm. On the basis of this investigation, administration of non-alcoholic beer would be recommended due to its hop content and consequent sedative action, which would be an aid to nocturnal sleep.

 

great question. Do Stouts or Imperial Stouts have the same effect? You might want to look into lower IBU range beers pales ales or hybrids or lagers or belgian blondes.
Might want to take a nice jolt of caffeine before you consume or get home from work or before you do any drinking.
As others have said hops are a natural sedative and alcohol is a depressant so without something to counter balance those effects.

damn @Sixpoint beat me to it

 

I figured as much, but I wasn't sure if it was entirely scientific or if it may have been old wives' tales. Thank you for providing more detailed information.

 

Note that the cited study also seems to suggest that a "moderate" dosage is needed. The higher dosage used did not produce the sedative action.

Looks like it should be "one and done."

 

I've made Hop Tea and usually gave me the "Calming" factor after two glasses....bless those little Bitter Green Boogers!

 

You will find hops in a lot of herbal sleep remedies...

 

alcohol, its the alcohol.

*why do you think Nyquil works so well?

 

@Shroud0fdoom

yup, and the study was done on quail too - so hard to determine what a moderate dose for a bird would be! ;-)

 

:-)

I think you mean "moderate dose for a human."

 

FYI, there's also a good chance you're looking at an interaction between the effects of the hops and some modest disruption of your biorhythms created by the irregularities of your work schedule. There are some reasons to believe that if you worked a more regular pattern it would be less of a problem.

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/shift-work-and-sleep

 

I bought a pound of whole flower Columbus Hops a few years back. Just by breathing in the "Cheese" (Gold Resins) I felt calmer...I'm ADHD and others noticed a difference in my behavior. In my Hop Tea I would use only a few grams per 8 ounce serving. It was fun while they lasted.

 

For every mouth full of IPA beer, have a swig of a rum and coke or Red bull. I mean it looks to me that you would be falling asleep no matter what beer you are drinking.

 

C2H6O.

Just a wild guess.

 

:-)

Well if your wild guess is correct, shouldn't it be happening with all beers rather than just IPAs?