We’ve all been there — when you’re lying in bed trying to sleep, but all you can do is stare at the ceiling with your eyes wide open because you’ve had too much coffee. Perhaps you’re in that situation now, scrolling endlessly, trying to find out how to sleep.
Unfortunately, no miracle cure will send you to sleep instantly after drinking too much coffee. However, there are some things you can do to help.
In this read, we’ll be looking at how coffee affects sleep and providing eight tips to improve your sleep after drinking coffee.
How Does Coffee Affect Sleep
Coffee contains caffeine — known for its stimulating effects. It’s used to provide a boost of energy and deter sleepiness throughout the day. Drinking too much coffee can impact your sleep cycle sleep negatively.
Here’s how coffee affects sleep:
1. How Caffeine Prevents Sleep
Caffeine blocks adenosine — a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep by making you feel drowsy. By blocking adenosine, caffeine prevents the onset of sleepiness, keeping you alert and awake.
While this action can be beneficial during the day when you need to stay awake and alert, consuming caffeine too close to bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep.
2. The Coffee Crash Phenomenon
Ever wondered why coffee might leave you feeling tired sometimes, instead of more alert and energized? Well, adenosine has something to do it.
Sleep is important for physical and mental well-being. During sleep, adenosine levels in the brain are reduced. While you’re awake, adenosine levels gradually increase naturally until they “tell” your body to rest.
Drinking coffee is a temporary way to prevent sleep. Your brain doesn’t stop producing adenosine when you drink coffee, so when the caffeine wears off, the extra adenosine overwhelms the brain, making you feel more tired than you were before.
This effect is known as “the coffee crash.”
3. Delayed Sleep Onset
Drinking too much coffee too close to bedtime can delay the time it takes to get to sleep.
Sleep latency from coffee can be problematic for a healthy sleep schedule. Although you may eventually sleep after drinking coffee, the initial difficulty falling asleep can reduce your total sleep time.
Not getting enough sleep doesn’t provide enough time for adenosine levels in the brain to reduce, meaning you’ll feel sleepy when you wake up. To combat the morning sleepiness you’ll probably drink more coffee — starting the detrimental cycle again.
4. Reduced Sleep Quality
Once you fall asleep after drinking coffee, your normal sleep cycle can be disrupted. Studies have discovered that caffeine increases light sleep phases by 1.7% and decreases deep sleep phases by 1.4% [1].
If you're wondering whether coffee's effect on your sleep might have larger implications for your health, it's worth exploring the potential risks and benefits of coffee consumption to make informed choices.
According to one study, drinking coffee six hours or less before bedtime could impact sleep quality and reduce the amount of time you spend in the deep sleep phases [2].
Not getting enough deep sleep can affect your health. A lack of deep sleep has been linked to weakened immune function and reduced metabolic health [3].
Tips To Improve Your Sleep After Drinking Coffee
If you want to improve your sleep after drinking coffee, read the tips below. We have one “quick fix” and seven ways to make sure you get a quality rest every night while enjoying coffee during the day.
1. Try Melatonin (Quick Fix)
If you’re laying in bed now trying to sleep after one too many cups of coffee the only quick answer is melatonin supplements or traditional sleeping pills.
Melatonin is a hormone that’s produced in the body. It helps regulate the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle by acting on receptors in the brain to encourage sleep. Taking melatonin supplements increases your body’s supply of melatonin, inducing faster sleep onset.
If you’ve consumed too much coffee and need to get to sleep as soon as possible, taking melatonin is the safest, most natural way to induce sleep.
You can also take over-the-counter or prescription sleeping pills that contain antihistamines or benzodiazepines. However, these drugs aren’t natural and may induce more negative side effects.
2. Set a Time to Stop Drinking Coffee
The effects of caffeine can last for up to eight hours, and the substance can take 10 or more hours to completely leave your system. Knowing when coffee starts to work can help you decide the best time to cut off consumption for better sleep. Setting a coffee cut-off time will ensure you’re not stimulated by caffeine by the time you get to bed.
Drink your last cup of coffee six hours (or more) before your usual bedtime. This will make it easier to get to sleep when it's time for shut-eye. It will also ensure you get a quality night's rest.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated naturally improves energy levels. It can also improve your sleep quality. Coffee is a mild diuretic, meaning it can make you dehydrated.
Drinking plenty of water between cups of coffee ensures you stay hydrated throughout the day. Staying hydrated and drinking water before and after coffee may also help your body metabolize the caffeine faster, making it easier to get to sleep at bedtime.
4. Switch to Weaker Coffee After Lunch
You may enjoy strong coffee, especially in the morning when you need that caffeine hit the most. However, it’s unwise to drink strong, dark brews all day.
Drinking a strong coffee such as an espresso shot or moka pot coffee is okay in the morning, but try to switch to weaker brews throughout the day. Start with a strong coffee to “pick you up” in the morning, switch to weaker brews around lunchtime, and get onto decaf in the afternoon.
Doing this will gradually decrease your caffeine consumption throughout the day, making it easier to get to sleep at night.
5. Get Some Exercise
Exercise naturally boosts energy and may help promote a healthy sleep cycle. Studies have found that adults who exercise for 30 minutes per day get an average of 15 minutes more sleep per night [4]. Sleep quality is also improved.
If you find it difficult to sleep after drinking too much coffee, try to get out in the fresh air for a walk or jog. A small amount of exercise could be enough to encourage sleep and promote healthy rest.
6. Set a Sleep Schedule
Setting a sleep schedule alongside a “coffee cut-off time” does wonders for healthy sleep. Going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time can improve your sleeping pattern.
Your circadian rhythm — your body’s “clock” — can become unbalanced if you sleep at irregular times every day.
Setting a strict time to go to bed and wake up, as well as finishing your last cup of coffee in plenty of time for bed, will make sleep onset easier over time. You won’t notice results instantly, but you will see improvements in sleep onset, duration, and quality over a period of weeks.
7. Wait Before Drinking Your First Cup of Coffee
Waiting 90 minutes after you wake up to have your morning coffee can help prevent the mid-morning crash and provide prolonged energy without the need to drink multiple cups of coffee. The timing of your coffee intake plays a significant role in optimizing its benefits and avoiding disruptions to your sleep schedule. Learn more about the best time to drink coffee and how it can affect your overall energy levels.
The science behind this comes down to adenosine levels. Waiting for one or two hours before consuming caffeine allows any leftover adenosine to be "flushed out" of the brain.
The theory is that if you drink coffee straight after you wake, the adenosine in the brain that would naturally dissipate without caffeine gets blocked and is released later — causing a crash.
By postponing your first coffee, less adenosine is blocked, reducing the chance of a “coffee crash” as the caffeine wears off.
8. Improve Your Nutrition
Eating a balanced diet with plenty of healthy vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins helps regulate energy throughout the day. If your body is running on “the right fuel,” you’ll need less caffeine to stay awake.
Supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals such as magnesium can also improve energy levels and improve sleep without the need for caffeine. Magnesium has even shown promise in insomnia sufferers — helping speed up sleep onset, lengthen sleep duration, and improve sleep quality [5].
Improving your nutrition can lessen your dependency on coffee, reducing caffeine consumption — making it easier to get to sleep at night.
FAQs: Improving Sleep After Consuming Caffeine
Want to learn more about how the caffeine in coffee affects sleep?
Check out the FAQs below:
1. Can Drinking Water Help Me Sleep After Coffee?
Drinking water won't immediately reduce the effects of caffeine. However, coffee can cause dehydration, and drinking water for hydration can make you more comfortable when trying to sleep. Drinking water regularly throughout the day will also help your body metabolize the caffeine more efficiently.
Water may also help with a caffeine crash. Caffeine blocks adenosine, and when it starts wearing off, your adenosine level goes up and you suddenly feel drowsy and sluggish. This is actually one of the reasons why coffee can make you feel tired. Now, water keeps you hydrated and eases some of the symptoms like headache and fatigue.
2. What Foods Can Help Counteract the Effects of Coffee?
Eating may slow down the rate at which caffeine is released into the bloodstream. Although eating won't stop the energizing effects of caffeine completely, consuming fiber-rich foods may ease them enough to get some sleep.
3. Should I Avoid Napping After Drinking Coffee?
Surprisingly, taking a power nap just after you drink a cup of coffee may leave you feeling well-rested. Caffeine works by blocking adenosine — a chemical responsible for making us feel sleepy.
By drinking coffee and immediately taking a nap, the body naturally recycles adenosine during sleep, and the coffee blocks the remaining adenosine when you wake up.
4. Can Deep Breathing Techniques Help Me Sleep After Coffee?
Yes. Breathing techniques may help you sleep after consuming coffee. Deep breathing and meditation can calm the body and mind, making it easier to rest, even with caffeine in your system.
5. How Much Coffee Is Too Much for Good Sleep?
Studies suggest that consuming 400 mg of caffeine up to six hours before bedtime can significantly affect sleep [2]. With this in mind, just two cups of strong black coffee could disrupt sleep.
If you're struggling to sleep because of caffeine intake, drastically cut down the amount of coffee you drink and have your last cup well before bedtime.
6. How Long Does Caffeine Stay in My System?
You'll notice the effects of caffeine almost immediately after drinking a cup of coffee — often less than 10 minutes. The noticeable effects wear off after five or six hours, but the caffeine remains in your system for up to 10 hours [6].
Do note that several factors affect how long coffee takes to kick in, including but not limited to metabolism, age, and caffeine tolerance. However, you’ll notice the effects of caffeine almost immediately after drinking a cup of coffee — often less than 10 minutes.
7. Does Drinking Decaf Affect Sleep the Same Way as Regular Coffee?
Decaf coffee contains much less caffeine than regular coffee. However, most decaffeinated brews still contain low concentrations of the energizing substance. Most people will sleep fine after drinking decaf coffee, but those who are overly sensitive to caffeine may still struggle to sleep.
8. Can Taking a Warm Bath Help Me Sleep After Coffee?
Taking a warm bath or shower won't reduce the caffeine in your system from drinking coffee. However, it can help your body get more comfortable, inducing relaxation and drowsiness.
9. How Can I Prevent Coffee from Disrupting My Sleep in the Future?
To prevent coffee from disrupting sleep in the future, cut down on your consumption. Limit yourself to two cups per day, and drink your last cup at least six hours before you go to bed.
10. Does Drinking Milk Help Neutralize the Effects of Caffeine?
No. Drinking milk doesn't neutralize the effects of coffee. This is “an old wives tale.” Feeling less energized after drinking milk is likely a placebo effect.
References:
- Gardiner, C., Weakley, J., Burke, L. M., Roach, G. D., Sargent, C., Maniar, N., ... & Halson, S. L. (2023). The effect of caffeine on subsequent sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine reviews, 69, 101764.
- Drake, C., Roehrs, T., Shambroom, J., & Roth, T. (2013). Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(11), 1195-1200.
- Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Haack, M. (2019). The sleep-immune crosstalk in health and disease. Physiological reviews.
- Alnawwar, M. A., Alraddadi, M. I., Algethmi, R. A., Salem, G. A., Salem, M. A., & Alharbi, A. A. (2023). The effect of physical activity on sleep quality and sleep disorder: a systematic review. Cureus, 15(8).
- Abbasi, B., Kimiagar, M., Sadeghniiat, K., Shirazi, M. M., Hedayati, M., & Rashidkhani, B. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 17(12), 1161.
- Benowitz, N. L. (1990). Clinical pharmacology of caffeine. Annual review of medicine, 41, 277-288.
