Experts do not recommend drinking coffee in the evening, because such a habit can cause insomnia. However, some coffee drinkers may experience the opposite effect. Let's study the issue in detail.
Lovers of the invigorating drink often do not follow any recommendations. They drink coffee several times a day and even before going to bed. Interestingly, espresso affects everyone differently. Some people, after a cup of strong drink, toss and turn all night and cannot sleep. Others sleep without feeling any impact. Still others - after drinking coffee before bed, they fall asleep as if they had taken a sleeping pill. It turns out that the drink does not invigorate everyone. For some connoisseurs it has the opposite effect. Next, let's look at how coffee affects sleep if you drink it at night.
Is it possible to drink coffee at night and how much?
There have been no large-scale world-class studies on the relationship between sleep quality and coffee consumption. But this topic is very much on the minds of individual research groups that conduct experiments among volunteers.
Most people come to the conclusion that drinking caffeinated drinks before bed is not a good idea, but there are also those who recommend coffee as a stimulant for falling asleep quickly and ensuring sound sleep.
Scientists from Wayne State University in Detroit invited 12 boys and girls who had no sleep problems to take part in the experiment. Every day they received three tablets containing the amount of caffeine equivalent to 3-4 cups of strong coffee, and two placebos, which only the scientists knew about.
The subjects had to take one tablet 6 hours before bedtime, 3 hours before, and immediately before falling asleep. The tablets had different colors, so it was easy to track whether they contained caffeine or not.
After studying the diaries of the participants, in which they noted the quality and duration of their night's sleep, the researchers came to the conclusion that the majority of people who drink coffee less than 6 hours before bedtime experience insomnia.
Most people who drink coffee less than 6 hours before bedtime experience insomnia
Other experts from Detroit also agree with their colleagues: the Center for the Study of Sleep Disorders has conducted related studies.
More than ten thousand people were involved in the experiment. They drank the same number of cups of coffee every day. Some - in the first half of the day, others - in the late afternoon.
By the end of the observations, there was a clear division into two groups: those who drank strong drink after 17:00 experienced problems with sleep, and those who preferred morning coffee did not notice such consequences.
Alternative to a coffee drink at night
With the question about the benefits and harms of coffee at night, everything is clear, but how can a student who is taking a session and studying the material not fall asleep at night without coffee? Chicory will be a complete replacement for an invigorating drink. It normalizes metabolism and cleanses the kidneys.
Another suitable analogue is barley coffee. Thanks to this drink, the human body is able to produce more collagen, thereby improving the condition of human skin and hair.
A strong coffee drink in the evening and at night will not be a suitable solution for people who are used to taking care of their health and feeling cheerful in the morning. Drink coffee before bed only occasionally, unless absolutely necessary.
The appearance of insomnia
Insomnia after a cup of strong drink is caused by blocking the hormones adenosine and melatonin. They are responsible in the body for relaxation and good sleep. Caffeine interferes with the production of these neurotransmitters, while stimulating the production of adrenaline.
Canadian scientist Chin Mo Zhou suggested that subjects drink coffee before bed if they had less than 4 hours to drink. After such a short rest and a cup of strong drink, the participants in the experiments were cheerful and almost did not feel tired. At the same time, there were no problems with falling asleep.
Using driving tests, it turned out that concentration was not affected. However, you should not use this method of recharging too often.
How to reduce harm after drinking coffee before bed
In order not to deny yourself the consumption of an aromatic drink in the evening, you need to know how to neutralize the effect of caffeine on the human body. The most effective methods include:
- adding a small amount of lemon to a coffee drink;
- reduction in coffee strength;
- replacing the usual strong and aromatic liquid with a coffee cocktail;
- You can also drink coffee with milk at night.
Lemon will reduce the harm of drinking coffee
How to drink coffee and sleep soundly
So, it is advisable to drink coffee in the first half of the day, since the half-life of caffeine is about 6 hours. This does not mean that you don’t have to limit yourself in the morning: the caffeine norm for an adult without health problems is about 400 mg per day, which is about 3-4 cups of espresso. If you overdose on coffee before noon, you will most likely suffer from insomnia in the evening.
About 8% of people are immune to caffeine or have a reaction in their body. In other words, coffee has a soporific effect on them. However, you should not use it without restrictions, since problems with the cardiovascular system or blood pressure caused by excess adrenaline have not been canceled.
About 8% of people are immune to caffeine or have a reaction in their body
If you still want to drink coffee shortly before bed, you should reduce the concentration of caffeine in it: add milk, lemon, cream, or simply add more water. Not only will cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger add a piquant note to the drink, but they will also weaken the invigorating effect.
It is better to give preference not to strong espresso, but to softer drinks: Americano, latte or cappuccino. Or replace grain coffee with instant coffee. The freeze-dried product contains much less caffeine, which is why it is recommended.
How does insomnia affect the body?
Sleep plays a big role in a person's life. It is during sleep that the process of restoration of all body functions and rejuvenation of the body occurs. Adults need at least seven hours of rest to rest. And for some, nine hours of daily sleep is not enough to renew their strength.
If you do not sleep for the required amount of time, the immune system will suffer first. In addition, a number of other problems may appear:
- mental disorders of various etiologies;
- stressful conditions, depression;
- hypertension, diabetes, hormonal disorders;
- obesity or vice versa - anorexia.
There are many reasons for insomnia, one of the most common is excessive coffee consumption at night.
Moderate consumption of the aromatic drink (about three cups per day) only benefits the body. Insomnia does not threaten those who do not abuse espresso.
What will help you fall asleep
A cup of your favorite drink is still drunk, and now your body doesn’t want to fall asleep. In this case, it is necessary to neutralize the invigorating effect of coffee.
There are several recipes for how to positively influence the body:
- Drink warm milk with honey and cinnamon, it helps break down caffeine;
- Take a warm shower, give yourself a foot massage and put on warm socks;
- Relax by reading a book or scrolling through the news feed on your phone. The monotonous change of letters and pictures is similar to meditation and helps you fall asleep quickly;
- Get some fresh air. You don’t have to go for a night walk, just open a window or go out onto the balcony, 15 minutes will be enough.
Before going to bed, it is advisable to take a walk or get some fresh air.
How to fall asleep faster under the influence of caffeine - useful tips
But what to do if you drank coffee at night and need to rest? Neutralize the effect of caffeine or take the advice of experienced coffee lovers who have their own secrets for quickly going to sleep, regardless of the circumstances.
Advice one. You can pamper yourself before bed with a glass of warm milk, honey and cinnamon. Milk soothes, sets the mood for rest and helps to relax - this was known many hundreds of years ago.
Tip two. You need to try to relax. It’s worth forgetting about what the next day promises, how many hours are left before waking up. Thoughts about pleasant things, about the best moments of life will help. A good option is reading your favorite book. This should be done in bed, in dim light.
As soon as you feel sleepy, you can turn off the light and go to bed. An effective option is to close your eyes and imagine beautiful landscapes, try to hear the sounds of nature, smells, while breathing should be deep and relaxed.
Tip three. After coffee at night, the body is overexcited. After calming him down, you can try to fall into a sound, healthy sleep. Calm music, recorded sounds of nature, soft light from a night light or a “starry sky” lamp will help you find balance.
Drinks for a sound sleep
There are many drinks that can help you fall asleep quickly. As a rule, they contain natural ingredients and are not harmful to health. These include herbal infusions such as chamomile, lavender or valerian. You can add milk and honey to taste. The pleasant aroma has a relaxing effect on the nervous system and helps you to fully rest during the night.
Fermented milk products such as fermented baked milk, kefir, and yogurt not only promote sound sleep, but also benefit the intestinal microflora.
A milkshake with banana and almonds will help relieve muscle tension and get in the mood for sleep; it is rich in magnesium and potassium, which normalize cardiac activity.
The boost of energy received from a cup of coffee is short-lived, but problems with sleep after such a drink can last until the morning. For proper rest, it is better to drink a relaxing drink that does not harm your sleep, take a walk and ventilate the room. After 7-8 hours of full sleep, the body will not need emergency recharging.
Dangerous situations - when to call a doctor
Sometimes you want to sleep after coffee for more serious reasons that require treatment. The most common is dehydration. Someone thinks that it is easy to eliminate it - drink water and everything will be restored. Not really. Fluid loss entails the transfer of fluid from cells to the intercellular space.
At the same time, the spinal cord and brain suffer - they decrease in size and neurons die en masse. Returning water to cells is not so easy. To do this, it is necessary to create certain conditions, and to act slowly and carefully so as not to provoke cerebral edema.
Infectious diseases
Epstein-Barr virus is a dangerous infectious disease of a viral nature that is associated with many processes in the body that are difficult to treat. For example, malignant tumors, lymphogranulomatosis of the kidneys, multiple sclerosis and immunodeficiency conditions.
It all starts with chronic fatigue - this is the easiest symptom that can be easily detected after drinking a cup of coffee: a person becomes sleepy for no apparent reason. The virus affects more than 50% of the world's population, so in case of suspicious phenomena it is necessary to contact a specialized laboratory and conduct a blood test.
Caffeine overdose
Does coffee help you stay awake if you drink a lot of it in a short period of time? It doesn’t help, since an overdose of caffeine has symptoms similar to poisoning:
- nausea or vomiting;
- headache or dizziness with loss of consciousness;
- hand tremors;
- sleepy state.
To relieve symptoms, you need to drink water in small portions for an hour to reduce the concentration of the alkaloid and gradually remove it through the kidneys. Next, drink the sorbent. In case of severe poisoning, the person is taken to the hospital and placed on a glucose drip.
Liver failure
Coffee is considered a beneficial drink for the liver; as a result of regular consumption, you can avoid the consequences of viral hepatitis, improve the flow of bile and avoid the formation of gallstones. Caffeine from the beans is beneficial in small amounts for cirrhosis and liver cancer.
In case of diseases of the liver parenchyma, it is better to drink brewed green ground grains - they contain more vitamins and do not contain fried essential oils.
With liver failure, caffeine will circulate in the blood longer and be broken down more slowly in the liver, which will lead to exhaustion of the nervous system. The body will react with restless, heavy sleep. For liver diseases, you need to drink the drink in small dosages - no more than 1 - 2 cups per day.
Poor adrenal gland function
Adrenal fatigue syndrome affects 80% of the population. It has even been called the disease of the 21st century. The adrenal glands are a paired organ of the endocrine system that produce the stress hormone adrenaline. If they malfunction, the following symptoms appear:
- body aches as with a viral disease;
- the need to eat sweet and salty foods;
- constant feeling of fatigue, low energy level;
- weight gain.
The functions of the adrenal glands are closely related to the hypothalamic-pituitary system and are a single whole in the regulation of body functions.
By stimulating the central nervous system, caffeine affects the functioning of the adrenal glands, thereby depleting them.
