How Caffeine Affects Your Sleep

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Whether you’re a fan of coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks, they all have one thing in common, caffeine. While that’s not necessarily a problem, “I am a coffee drinker myself and black coffee in modern amounts is associated with some health benefits,” said Dr. Wagner.

Lee Health Resident Physician Dr. Audrey Anne Wagner said caffeine can cause issues when it’s time for you to go to sleep. Your brain releases a chemical called adenosine to trigger sleepiness. “Caffeine the part of the reason it helps keep you awake, is the spot in the brain where that chemical adenosine builds up actually caffeine blocks that, and so your brain continues to feel fatigued and continues to generate this chemical that’s associated with sleep and wanting you to feel sleepy so you can go to bed at the same time every night,” said Dr Wagner. The chemical blockage is temporary, so that’s why you crash after that cup of coffee.

Caffeine can affect everyone differently; it all depends on your metabolism. “Some people they’ll have a glass of coffee at 10 AM and be wired for six hours. There are other people who can have that three or 4 PM coffee and go to bed on schedule with no issues… Even if they feel like they’re able to fall asleep all right it’s still disruptive to their overall sleep cycle.” said Dr. Wagner.

If you drink it often enough, your body starts to depend on it. “Caffeine is not necessarily addictive, but it is habit forming in the sense that you need a little bit more of it every time to achieve the same effect,” said Dr. Wagner.

When is it too late in the day for you to drink caffeine? “Truly right after the noon hour is when we would recommend the patient discontinue caffeine,” said Dr. Wagner. Because living a healthier life starts with better sleep.

Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.