Why Your Afternoon Coffee Might Be Hurting Your Sleep More Than You Think

Introduction

When you're tired and need to get up early, it may seem like a good idea to drink coffee in the afternoon. I mean, after all, what could be better than waking up from a nice nap with a cup of hot java in hand? Well...it turns out there are some pretty significant drawbacks to having caffeine right before bedtime. In fact, there are actually more reasons why your afternoon coffee might be hurting your sleep (and your body) than helping it! Let's take a look at why drinking caffeine in the late afternoon might not be doing your body—or mind—any favors:

Melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, is released in a surge during the night.

• Melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy and helps regulate your circadian rhythm (your body's internal clock), is released in a surge during the night to help you fall asleep. It's also released by the pineal gland in response to darkness and melatonin.

• The more light exposure you have during the day--whether it's artificial or natural--the less melatonin is produced at night, which can make it harder for you to fall asleep quickly when bedtime rolls around.

When you drink coffee in the afternoon, your body may not be able to produce melatonin at all.

Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland in your brain, and it helps regulate your circadian rhythm. Your body makes more melatonin at night than during the day, which means that you get sleepy when it's dark and wake up when it's light.

That's why it can be so annoying to try to fall asleep when there are bright lights on or someone is watching TV right next to where you're trying to rest. Caffeine has been shown to interfere with this process: while caffeine itself isn't enough on its own (i.e., drinking coffee won't make you stay up), if you drink too much coffee late in the day or evening, then your body might not produce any melatonin at all!

Coffee can also cause stress to the body, which may interfere with sleep-inducing hormones.

You may not be aware of it, but caffeine can cause stress to the body. And when you're stressed out, it's harder to fall asleep.

Caffeine has been shown to increase levels of cortisol--a hormone that regulates blood pressure, metabolism and immune function--in both humans and animals. This can interfere with melatonin production (melatonin helps regulate our sleep cycle). In addition to affecting sleep quality by increasing cortisol levels at night, caffeine can also make us feel jittery during the day which can keep us from getting enough restful shut-eye at night.

If you have trouble sleeping and you're drinking coffee in the afternoon, try going without it for a few weeks and see if that improves your sleep.

If you have trouble sleeping and you're drinking coffee in the afternoon, try going without it for a few weeks and see if that improves your sleep. It can take time to notice the effects of caffeine withdrawal on your body.

It's important to be patient while you're transitioning away from being dependent on caffeine. While some people may experience negative effects right away, others might not feel any changes until several days have passed. It also takes time for our bodies to adjust after we've been consuming too much caffeine (or other stimulants).

If this isn't enough information for you and your doctor thinks there might be another reason behind why he or she recommended cutting back on caffeine consumption during the day, then consider looking into these other issues:

You may have more difficulty falling asleep after consuming caffeine late in the day.

• You may have more difficulty falling asleep after consuming caffeine late in the day.

• Coffee can make you jittery and unable to sleep, especially if you're sensitive to it.

• Caffeine can interfere with your body's production of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles. If you're drinking coffee at night, then it could be making it harder for you to fall asleep naturally--not just because of its stimulant effects but also because it slows down the production of melatonin in the brain.

• Caffeine consumption causes stress and anxiety by increasing adrenaline levels (the fight-or-flight hormone). This has been found especially true when consumed around bedtime or right before going to bed; so if this sounds like something that might happen regularly for you, consider cutting back on how much caffeine is in each drink during these times!

• Lack of sleep itself leads directly into increased risk factors such as obesity/diabetes/cardiovascular disease etcetera...and all because we choose not only stay up late but also drink coffee when trying do so

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you understand why your afternoon coffee might be hurting your sleep more than you think. If you have trouble falling asleep, try going without caffeine late in the day and see if it improves your sleep. You'll likely notice a difference in how rested and energized you feel when waking up in the morning!