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A nightcap is a warm alcoholic drink before bed that dates back to the 1700s. It can signify the end of an evening and is often recommended for people who have trouble sleeping, but regularly consuming alcohol before bed can lead to sleep difficulties.
A nightcap is a warm alcoholic drink before bed. Nightcap as a drink is an expression that dates back to the 1700s when people wore nightcaps to keep warm and thus promote better sleep. To some extent an alcoholic nightcap provides warmth and typically makes the drinker somewhat sleepy. At first, alcohol calms and causes blood vessels to dilate, which brings blood closer to the skin, making the drinker feel warmer.
Another potential origin for the term nightcap is the idea of ”capping up” the evening. In the past, a person was not considered fully clothed until they were wearing a hat. In other words, he or she hadn’t finished to the limit. Nightcap can thus be used to signify the end of an evening, and is so used in a number of films where a young woman invites a gentleman into her apartment or house for a drink.
As mentioned, a nightcap can be a drink of any kind, but usually contains alcohol. There are several groups of baristas who suggest a perfect nightcap recipe, often involving a blend of coffee liqueur or creme brulee with milk. Some include scotch, whiskey or other hard alcohols. Some argue that drinks such as cocoa, chamomile tea or warmed milk can also be called nightcaps, but tradition dictates an alcoholic drink, even in fiction. Charles Dickens, in the novel David Copperfield, describes Betsy Trotwood as she brings her nightly drink of wine and water into which she dips strips of toast.
Doctors used to recommend a moderate amount of alcohol before bed for people who experience trouble sleeping, but more is now known about the effects of alcohol on the sleep cycle. While an occasional drink before bed is fine, regularly consuming alcohol before bed can lead to sleep difficulties. Alcohol can make people feel drowsy and hot at first, but it also tends to cut the amount of REM sleep they get in half. It also has a tendency to promote much lighter sleep in the later part of sleep time, meaning that a person who has been drinking before bed may wake up more frequently and move through sleep cycles more quickly.
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