According to CNBC, it’s best to avoid drinking coffee after 3 pm. Of course, this will all depend on your daily schedule. Coffee too late in the afternoon or evening could disrupt your sleep schedule, so it shouldn’t be consumed within 6 hours of your bedtime.
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. However, it contains a significant source of caffeine, so it can disrupt your sleep if you drink it too late at night. If you’re wondering when the cut-off time for coffee should be, you’ve come to the right page. Today, we’re going to talk about how late in the day you can drink coffee.
How Late in the Day Can You Have Coffee?
To ensure you don’t lose any sleep at night, you should not consume coffee any more than 6 hours before you go to bed. If you typically head to bed between 10 and 11 pm at night, ideally your last coffee break should be around 3 pm.
This is because studies have shown that if you were to consume a cup of coffee within 6 hours of sleeping, it can disrupt your sleeping pattern. The caffeine could cause you to lose an hour or more of sleep.
Should You Drink a Cup of Coffee After Dinner?
A cup of coffee can be tempting to give yourself a boost of energy after dinner, but it is not recommended. This is because your body will only be able to metabolize half of the caffeine consumption.
By the time you go to bed, there still may be caffeine in your system. This is why it can have a negative effect on your sleeping patterns.
Can You Drink Decaffeinated Coffee in the Evening?
According to Fresh Coffe House, you should be able to consume a cup of decaffeinated coffee in the evening without having to worry about losing sleep. This is because the decaffeinating process is able to remove 97 to 99 percent of the caffeine.
That being said, it’s important to thoroughly read the ingredients before consuming because every type of decaf coffee is created differently. There could be a chance that there is a higher count of caffeine in some types of decaf coffee, which could disrupt your sleep if you’re sensitive to caffeine.
How Much Caffeine Can Disrupt Your Sleep?
Determining the exact amount of caffeine that will disrupt your sleep will highly depend on how sensitive you are to caffeine. The average coffee drinker will stay awake with 100 to 200 mg of caffeine, while someone who is more sensitive may stay awake when consuming 40 mg of caffeine.
For every mg of caffeine you consume, your body will keep half of it in your system. If you were to consume 100 mg, your body will retain 50 mg of caffeine.
How Long Does Caffeine Stay in Your Body?
After drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee, the caffeine will stay in your system for 4 to 6 hours. It doesn’t matter if you consume a lot of caffeine of a very small amount, it will still remain in your system the same amount of time.
This is why one small cup of coffee can keep you awake just as long as drinking a large cup would. It’s not how much coffee you consume that keeps you awake, it’s how long the caffeine lasts in your system.
Can You Flush Caffeine Out of Your Body?
It’s not possible to flush caffeine out of your body after you have consumed it. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything you can do to speed up the process.
The caffeine will leave your body, but you’ll have to wait for it to happen naturally. This is why you should limit your afternoon coffee consumption when you need a good night’s rest.
What Should You Do if You Drink Too Much Caffeine?
Since caffeinated beverages taste so good, it’s easy to consume too much caffeine. While you won’t be able to flush it out of your system sooner, you will be able to reduce some of the effects quicker if you keep yourself hydrated.
Make sure you drink plenty of water to counter the dehydrating effects of caffeine. This will also help you keep the jitters under control so you don’t have caffeine shakes.
What Foods are Good to Eat if You’ve Consumed Too Much Caffeine?
If you’ve drunk too many caffeinated beverages, you can counteract it by eating foods that are rich in fiber. According to Healthline, eating foods that are rich in fiber could slow down the effects of caffeine in your bloodstream.
This is why you should fill up on foods with whole grains, beans, and lentils. It’s also important to include plenty of starchy vegetables on your plate as well.
Will Vitamins C Help Me Sleep After Drinking Coffee?
While some people believe taking vitamin C will counteract too much caffeine, there is no scientific evidence to support this. Vitamin C will not neutralize the caffeine in your bloodstream.
If anything, vitamin C could keep you up because this vitamin is known for giving the body extra energy. This may be a combination that will keep you up throughout the night.
Can You Take a Sleeping Pill After Drinking Coffee at Night?
Taking a sleeping pill to sleep after drinking coffee at night could be dangerous because of the combined effects of the sedatives. According to India Today, this could be a toxic mix that does more harm than good.
There is a higher risk of an overdose when you take certain pills with high traces of caffeine in your system. It can also depress your central nervous system.
Can You Drink a Latte at Night?
Replacing a cup of coffee with a latte because it’s mostly milk will not make a difference in helping you sleep at night. Unless the latte is made with decaffeinated coffee, there will still be too much caffeine in your system for a good night’s sleep.
For this reason, avoid all styles of coffee beverages at night.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.