How Long Before Bed Should You Stop Drinking Coffee?

Most people tend to seek help from drinking a cup of coffee to stay up late. While drinking coffee at night gives a shot of energy to be more alert and awake, it also comes with side effects.

A study on sleep and caffeine shows that “a moderate dose of caffeine at bedtime, 3 hours prior to bedtime, or 6 hours prior to bedtime each have significant effects on sleep disturbance relative to placebo (p < .05 for all).”  So, it is suggest to drink coffee 6 or more hours  before bedtime. 

Why is it bad to drink coffee at night? 

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it gets you stimulated and activated. Caffeine during the day can give a quick boost and alertness. But, caffeine is a slow metabolizing element, which takes your body on average about 3-7 hours to metabolize half of a serving of caffeine. So, if you drink coffee at night, it will certainly affect your sleep.  

What are the side effects of drinking coffee at night?

1. Causes Poor Sleep Quality, Even Insomnia

Insomnia is the most notable side effects of drinking coffee at night.  A study reported in the “British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology” in 1974 explored sleep disturbance in middle-aged adults after consuming 300 mg of caffeine at night. Study participants took longer time to fall asleep than they normally would. Meanwhile, subjects were unable to reach adequate deep sleep stages.

2. Affects Body’s Internal Clock

According to a research published in Science Translational Medicine, drinking coffee before bedtime may delay human circadian rhythm by up to 40 minutes. Circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle of biological process that sends cues to your body telling when to be awake and when to be asleep.

The research shows that coffee not only keep you alert at night, but put your entire rhythm out of sync. In other words, drinking coffee one night might affect your sleep cycle for many nights to come.

As stated above, drinking coffee at night is bad for your sleep and internal clock. Thus, drinking coffee at the right time is a priority for coffee drinkers.

Related: Drinking Coffee in the Morning is A Bad Idea