Sleep and Caffeine
Before we start let’s do a little assessment of your current caffeine story:
What and how much of caffeinated drinks or foods are you eating across your day. (chocolate, coffee, green tea, black tea, decaf coffee/tea, energy drinks, coke).
What time is it when you consume your last caffeinated item? Before bed? Lunchtime?
On a scale of 1-5 (1 = not at all rested and 5=completely rested), how do you feel when you wake up in the morning?
Would you classify yourself as sensitive to caffeine?
Okay now that we have a little idea of what your caffeine story looks like let’s dive into the details of caffeine and why it may be wreaking havoc on all your efforts to sleep better through looking at the research!
Drinking coffee and consuming caffeine is completely normal and something most of us do on a daily basis. Did you know that research in the US stated that approximately 85% drink at least 1 caffeinated beverage every day? Most humans use caffeine to help then become more alert either earlier in the morning, staying up over night and/or just to get through the day.
Caffeine works to keep us alert because of how it blocks the receptor sights for a neurotransmitter called adenosine. When adenosine builds up, we feel the “sleep pressure” kick in. That is the feeling of hitting a wall. When we drink caffeine, it removes that uncomfortable feeling and we can keep going along with our day. In the end reinforcing and increasing our likelihood of consuming more caffeine when we have that feeling again.
There are many variables to consider when understanding how caffeine may impact your sleep, one being how much you are consuming and another being how sensitive you are to caffeine.
Caffeine may cause the following sleep problems to arise :
Decrease in slow wave sleep when caffeine consumed later in the evening. Slow wave sleep is important of restfulness as it is the most restorative stage of sleep.
Difficulty falling asleep within 20 minutes of laying down to sleep. This problem can quickly spiral if we spend too much time in bed not sleeping. Insomnia can start to creep in and take over.
Staying up later into the evening because you are not feeling tired and having to wake up at your regular time usually leads to daytime sleepiness.
If you notice yourself experiencing any of the above sleep difficulties you may start with tracking your caffeine intake. If you notice an improvement in your day, and less daytime sleepiness it could be the culprit!
Since caffeine has a half life of 5-6 hours, it is important to cut yourself off from any caffeine (even decaf if you can) at ~12pm to give your body enough time to process and eliminate any caffeine left in the system.
As always, consult with your doctor if you have any concerns and if you need any sleep support do not hesitate to reach out!
xoxo, Nicole
References
Mitchell, Knight, Hockenberry, et al. (2014). Beverage caffeine intakes in the U.S. Food Chem Toxicol;63:136-42
Clark, I., & Landolt, H. P. (2017). Coffee, caffeine, and sleep: A systematic review of epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 31, 70-78.
Note: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission if you click through and purchase, at no additional cost to you.