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Wine — that heady, complex, mysterious, marvelous nectar! What romantic movie scene does not begin with the pop of a cork or the end with the last savory swallow of beautiful Bordeaux? Though wine and its alcoholic cousins may lead us to feel heavy-lidded and seem to whisk us more easily to sleep, the initial daze gives way to broken sleep later in the night.

Deep sleep is replaced by lighter sleep stages. REM sleep, dreaming sleep, is reduced in the first half of the night and may rebound to produce vivid, disturbing dreams later. As the liver breaks the alcohol down to other chemicals that can be safely eliminated from the body, one of the resulting metabolites has stimulating properties almost as strong as espresso. Waking between 1 and 3 a.m. with difficulty falling back to sleep is often associated with drinking alcohol in the evening.

And roses — ah, roses! The sweet and pungent fragrance of deep, red velvet fills the heads of lovers with visions of eternal ecstasy (oh yeah, and pollen). A big bouquet of your darling’s favorite blooms may pose another sleeping challenge. If your honey is allergic, one of the main physiologic reactions is the release of histamine. This gives us the runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing. In the brain, histamine gives a strong signal for wakefulness.

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Dr. Yatin J. Patel, a board certified pulmonologist and sleep expert, affirms that allergies and peaceful sleep are not compatible bed partners. 

It seems our favorite perennial presents may not be the stuff of dreams after all. They may, in fact, be keeping our partners from the sound sleep they so desperately desire.

So when you’re struck with the desire to shower your beloved with tokens of your affection, you may want to skip the chocolate, wine and roses.

Perhaps a nice card will do.

Oh — and diamonds! No one I know has ever lost any sleep over diamonds.

Patty Tucker, a medical practitioner for over two decades, has specialized in sleep medicine since 2001.