How Late Is Too Late For Coffee?
The caffeine content in the coffee makes it a great pick-me-up for getting your day off to a productive start. However, if you’re drinking coffee later into the evening or after dinner, it could disrupt your sleep patterns due to its stimulating effects.
As much as we love coffee, it’s important to understand when it might be too late to drink. While coffee can provide an effective energy boost in the morning, and help you stay alert throughout the day, drinking it later and later into the night may not be wise.
The Effects Of Coffee On Sleep
The effects of coffee on sleep are well known, with one study noting that consuming coffee just a few hours before regular bedtime can greatly reduce the quality of sleep a person gets. Coffee contains high levels of caffeine, which is a stimulant drug that affects many people’s ability to wind down at night and prepare for sleep.
Drinking coffee can also lead to higher levels of tolerance, meaning more and more is needed to get the same effects as before. The study conducted by researchers found that those who had been given caffeine significantly reduced their sleep quality with the greatest disturbers being from three hours before or immediately before bedtime.
When Is The Best Time To Drink Coffee?
When it comes to knowing when the best time to drink coffee is, understanding how caffeine works in your system is key. Caffeine peaks in your bloodstream 30-50 minutes after consuming it and stays in your system for 3-5 hours.
After that, it begins to reduce with each hour until it is eventually all gone. For this reason, experts suggest that you should stop drinking coffee at least 6 hours before going to bed so that it does not interfere with your sleep.
For coffee drinkers who are highly sensitive to caffeine, drinking coffee after the morning can cause them to have difficulty sleeping later on at night. Caffeine tolerance varies for each person, so it’s important to consider this when choosing the best coffee drinking time of day for you to drink coffee.
When Should You Stop Drinking Coffee?
When it comes to knowing when is too late for coffee, it’s important to consider the time you plan to go to bed. Many people suggest no caffeine after 2 PM in order to get a good night’s sleep, but this may not fit most adults’ real schedules. If you go to bed much later than 8 PM, then it’s best to adjust your cut-off time for coffee consumption by six hours before that point.
Additionally, it’s important to consider the amount of caffeine you’re drinking each day. For coffee lovers with a large tolerance for caffeine, drinking coffee at night is unlikely to have a massive impact on their ability to get quality sleep.
However, if you rarely drink caffeine during the day, keep that in mind when consuming any after 2 PM as it’ll affect your ability to fall asleep more quickly and have restful sleep afterward.
Can Caffeine Be Flushed From Your System?
Caffeine is great for providing a much-needed boost in the mornings. However, drinking too much can lead to feeling jittery, insomnia, and anxiety. In some cases, it can be hard to keep track of how many cups of coffee you’ve had or how late you’re drinking it.
But there’s good news. You can flush the caffeine from your system faster by drinking water or herbal tea to help speed up its elimination! This will not only reduce the jitters but also make it easier for you to fall asleep at night.
So if you’ve had too much caffeine and are feeling restless, a cup of hot water or herbal tea might just be the answer to getting those jitters under control.
Should You Limit Your Coffee Consumption?
No matter what your bedtime is, it’s important to keep in mind how late you should be drinking coffee. After all, you don’t want to suffer from the jitters and sleeplessness that often come with too much caffeine.
Therefore, it is wise to carefully consider how many cups of your favorite coffee drink you consume per day and set a personal cut-off limit for when it is time to stop drinking coffee for the day.
Generally speaking, experts recommend limiting yourself to no more than four cups of dinner coffee per day since drinking more could result in negative side effects. Of course, this number can vary based on your own individual caffeine tolerance level.
How Can You Get The Most Out Of Coffee Without Interfering With Your Sleep?
To get the most out of coffee without interfering with your sleep, set a cut-off time and limit consumption. From the study above, it’s known that a caffeine dose taken 6 hours prior to bedtime can still affect sleep quality.
As such, it’s best to set a cut-off time for consuming coffee and other caffeinated beverages at least 6 hours before bedtime.
Furthermore, experts suggest limiting the daily intake of coffee to four cups per day (400mg of caffeine). Drinking more than that amount may lead to side effects such as anxiety and irritability in most people.
How Do You Sleep After Having Coffee?
Here are a few solutions that likely won’t hurt and could help you get some sleep.
1. Meditation
Meditation is an excellent way to help you get a good night’s sleep after having coffee. It can be beneficial in calming your mind and helping you fall asleep faster. If you’re already experienced in meditation, try using the tools you’ve learned and practice for about 20 to 30 minutes to get your chakras aligned.
2. Read A Good Book
One of the best ways to relax your body if you’ve had coffee too late is to pull out a good book and settle in for some reading. Not only will it help keep your mind off of caffeine jitters, but it can actually aid in helping you get some quality rest.
Studies have found that reading a book before bed can reduce your stress level by 70%, and the act of reading can make your eyes feel heavier, helping you doze off into dreamland.
3. Take A Stroll
If you find that it’s difficult to get to sleep after having coffee late in the day, one great solution is taking a short, brisk walk around the neighborhood.
This helps your body and mind relax so that you can drift off into sleep easily. A walk around the block also boosts your energy level, making it easier for you to fall asleep faster.
4. Set Your Phone To Flight Mode
One of the best ways to get a better night’s sleep after having coffee is to set your phone in flight mode. By switching your device over to this mode, you will silence all of those distracting beeps, alerts, and buzzers that can keep you up all night.
5. Reduce The Temperature Of Your Bedroom
One way to help you sleep after consuming coffee is to reduce the temperature of your bedroom. By doing this, you can mimic a natural cooling-down process which will make falling asleep quicker and easier.
Get the ideal range for your bedroom temperature between 60 to 70° Fahrenheit for the best results. That gives your body just enough heat in order to relax, but not too much as it will hinder sleeping time.
6. Make Use Of A White Noise App
If you’ve had coffee and are having trouble sleeping, one of the best options is to make use of a white noise app. These apps offer a range of calming sounds like water, fan, rain, and wind that can help block out distractions and other noises. Listening to these types of sounds can also be surprisingly effective in helping you fall asleep faster.
