Here's when you should stop drinking at night if you don't want to mess up your sleep

Can't sleep through the night? If you were up late drinking, it may be the fault of that beer or whiskey.

Despite the common myth that a nightcap can help you catch some Zs, alcohol and sleep don't actually mix so well.

It turns out that while an alcoholic beverage can help you fall asleep a little faster, drinking right before bed is a recipe for sleeping fitfully and waking up in the middle of the night.

There's no magic time to stop drinking, but three hours before bed is a good rule of thumb, J. Todd Arnedt, a sleep scientist at the University of Michigan, told Tech Insider in an email. Mahesh Thakkar, who studies sleep and alcohol at the University of Missouri, offered four hours between a couple drinks and bedtime as a good guideline for avoiding sleep disruption.

That said, the amount you're drinking matters too, and everyone's body processes alcohol differently.

Our advice? If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night after an evening of drinking or feel tired the next morning, you may want to push your closing time to a little earlier in the evening.