Caffeine And Sleep – The Negative Effects On Sleep Of Caffeine

By | May 11, 2010

Lots of people enjoy a cup of coffee, and there is nothing wrong with that. Drinking coffee not only tastes good, it stimulates the brain and makes us that bit sharper for the work we have to do. If you are only drinking one or two cups of coffee each day, and not too near to bedtime, you shouldn’t have sleeping problems due to caffeine consumption.

The problem with caffeine and sleep, is that caffeine is a drug. Like any other drug, the more you have of it the more you want, if you let it control you. And that is the crux of the issue.

Let me give you a few facts about caffeine and sleep. Caffeine has a direct affect on sleep. Caffeine affects us each in different ways. Generally the older you are, the more caffeine affects you. Almost all the caffeine contained in a drink of tea or coffee will enter the bloodstream, and it does so quite quickly, usually within five minutes. Its effects are felt for up to three quarters of an hour.

Once the caffeine is in your blood stream, it takes anywhere between three and seven hours for half of it to be filtered out of the blood stream. The rest of it is gone by the following morning, by which time those who want the caffeine rush will be reaching for the coffee pot again.

And if you suffer from headaches, depression, restlessness, tremors, heartburn and high blood pressure, caffeine can make these conditions worse.

What effect does caffeine have on sleep?

It stops you from going to sleep, because you don’t feel tired when you have just drunk a cup of coffee. Armed with these facts about caffeine and sleep, we can make some adjustments to our intake of caffeine based on this knowledge. If getting to sleep quickly is your priority when you go to bed, it is sensible to finish your last beverage containing caffeine several hours before going to bed to sleep.

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