You Know Alcohol Is Bad for Sleep. Here’s How to Be Social Instead.

It’s Sleep Week! Tune in for Team SG’s hard-earned tips on how to get the best shut eye this side of an Ambien.

Every so often you see a tweet going viral to the effect of:

“I regret to inform you that I have adopted this healthy habit recommended by literally every wellness expert in the world, and it has, in fact, changed my life for the better.”

I’ll always smash that like button for messages like these because it’s a lesson I, too, have to learn over and over (and over and over) again.

Going to the gym in the morning instead of promising myself I’ll work out “later.” Eating frequent, smaller meals and snacks so I don’t get hangry like a small child.

And sleep.

I’ve always been a lover of a good night’s sleep, but there’s something about living in New York that makes going to bed before 11pm feel virtually impossible.

But seeing as I wake up before 6am every morning no matter what, I’m only cheating myself out of oh-so-necessary shut eye.

Since I know an early bedtime is more of a crapshoot than a covenant I keep, I’ve learned to hack the system instead.

Meaning? If I’m not always going to get a ton of sleep, at least I can make sure it’s good sleep.

So here’s where I’m at: I don’t drink during the week anymore.

Studies reported by the Washington Post show that even low levels of alcohol can impact your sleep negatively. Which at this point is just…common sense, right?

For me, two drinks is basically my limit even on the weekend, so the idea of “Let’s meet for a drink” has the effect of torpedoing my good night’s sleep practically as much as a Saturday night bender.

That said, I don’t want to let my lack of social lubrication obliterate my social life. I’m already a homebody, so I don’t need any more reasons to not get off the couch on a Tuesday night.

Thankfully, I’ve built a pretty good arsenal of alcohol-free hangs that you can work into your own social calendar in pursuit of a better night’s sleep.

4 Things You Can Do That Aren’t “Meet For Drinks” for Better Sleep

Catch Up Over Coffee > Catch Up Over Drinks

This one isn’t a nighttime activity, per se, but as I’ve advanced in my career and find more autonomy over my day, I’ve come to really relish the ability to take a break when it makes sense for me.

Whether it’s a coffee before the day gets going or stealing away for lunch in a different part of town, I love meeting friends during the workday.

Especially friends who have since decamped to the suburbs and I otherwise wouldn’t easily get to see on the weekend.

Get Together For A Game

No, not to watch a game…to play one.

To be fair, I haven’t tried this myself yet, but a board game cafe called Hex opened up in a long-abandoned Au Bon Pain in my neighborhood, and that place is constantly booked and busy.

They’ve got board games piled up on every imaginable shelf. They sell snacks. I’ve even seen a pizza delivered directly to a group of intense Settlers of Catan players. It’s an alcohol-free activity paradise!

Compare social media recs

The modern equivalent of a French salon! Meet up with a friend and your phones for guilt-free screen time.

Share your favorite Substacks, TikToks, and Instagram accounts. Save them up to go over all at once, or send them throughout the week and then review together in detail when you get together.

There’s just something uniquely special in 2025 about bonding over memes that are otherwise impossible to describe.

Watch a Show

If you’re lucky enough to live close to a friend, I highly recommend bringing back appointment viewing into your lives.

I remember watching Sex and the City every Sunday night in college with a group of friends in college, and I loved it!

You don’t have to make it a whole thing. No one needs to cook. Bring snacks if you want to be a hero.

You could do this with a show that airs episodes once a week —a fading relic of the monoculture I’ll always cling to! — or dive in with a show you can binge all at once.

I’m guilty of never watching The Wire (I know! I know!) and am actively trying to find someone to experience it for the first time with.

Shop #SGapproved natural aids to better sleep