I was a nightcap drinker, which is how my parents were as well. And i really thought of it as something that i needed to help me fall asleep. I actually immediately started sleeping better. Woke up feeling more well rested. Stopped waking up in the middle of the night worrying about work. Sleep then becomes more fragmented as you experience and alcohol is also a a suppressant of a rem sleep - rapid eye movement or dream sleep. So it's very short term gain, and that it helps you to fall asleep, but certainly the the negative effects far outweigh that.