Coffee is a great beverage. It wakes you up, boosts your energy, and improves your memory. However, if consumed at an inappropriate time of day, it can also disrupt sleep.
Keep reading to find out how coffee affects your bedtime.
Caffeine is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system. When you consume caffeine, it can stay in your bloodstream for up to 6 hours and affect your sleep patterns even after you've stopped drinking coffee. For some people, caffeine will not affect their sleeping patterns at all. But for others who are sensitive to its effects, it may keep them awake for several hours or even prevent them from sleeping.
The best way to avoid this problem is by limiting how much coffee you drink each day: no more than 2 cups per day! Suppose a person consumes more than this amount (or any other caffeinated beverage). In that case, they will start experiencing side effects such as restlessness and difficulty falling asleep when bedtime rolls around every night.
Caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning
People who drink caffeine before bedtime report having difficulty sleeping. Caffeine increases the time it takes to fall asleep, reduces total sleep time, and increases the number of awakenings during the night.
Caffeine also reduces the amount of time spent in REM sleep (the deep, restorative stage of slumber) and may make you feel less rested even if you get some shut-eye.
Although it's generally not recommended that people consume caffeine within 6 hours of going to bed, researchers aren't sure whether this affects sleep quality or daytime functioning. Most studies have tested caffeine's effect on sleep after 8 hours have already passed since ingestion.
Caffeine in coffee can affect your sleep, depending on how much you have and when you drink it.
When and how much you consume can affect your sleep patterns if you're a coffee drinker. Caffeine stays in the body for about five to seven hours, and it's best to stop drinking coffee at least six hours before bedtime.
A study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience found that drinking caffeine later in the day can keep people awake at night. Researchers found that daytime caffeine consumption strengthens our neural association between alertness and light exposure at night—even when we've been awake all day and have plenty of time to sleep.
Caffeine advantages of people working at night
While coffee may not be the best choice for a drink before bedtime, it benefits people who are most active at night. For example, caffeine can help keep people awake and alert when working in the middle of the night.
So while caffeine can be helpful for those who work at night, you should note that it may lead to problems if you have trouble sleeping during daylight hours because of its effects on your circadian rhythm (internal clock). Because of this effect, some people recommend avoiding caffeinated beverages after 2 p.m. However, others point out that drinking small amounts before bedtime could help them fall asleep faster because of their calming effect on nerves already worn out from a long day's work!
Conclusion
Now that you know, you can take steps to ensure that your coffee isn't having an adverse effect on your sleeping patterns. For example, if you find that your body doesn't tolerate coffee well, drinking it in the afternoons isn't a good idea. If it keeps you up at night, cut back on the amount of coffee you drink during the day and rely more on decaf.
At the end of the day, moderation is key; if you consume too much caffeine, it may interfere with your sleep patterns. To avoid that complication, make an effort to limit your caffeine intake as best you can – and even better, try and have at least one "caffeine-free" day per week.
Try out Lyger Coffee if you want to keep an eye on your caffeine intake morning, noon, and night! It is made of 100% Arabica beans, which means it only has 6 milligrams of caffeine compared to other types of beans containing 10 milligrams. Learn more about Lyger Coffee here!