Coffee is great, but so is sleep.So how can you best enjoy one without completely missing out on the other?That’s what we’re going to talk about in this week’s article.Do you drink too much coffee?The first question to ask when thinking about coffee is whether you’re drinking a healthy amount.While coffee is not an essential part of the human diet, moderate intake is not associated with any health risks. “Moderate” here being defined as three standard cups in a day.Any more than this and your coffee consumption is beginning to pose a risk to your health and longevity.Does drinking coffee affect you negatively?We’re very used to the idea of coffee blocking sleep-inducing chemicals and increasing your alertness, but that’s not the only effect it can have.Aside from helping you feel awake, coffee can also cause
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Increased heart rate
- Reduced fine motor coordination
- Insomnia
If consuming coffee causes any of these additional symptoms for you, then you should stop.A beverage, even one as enjoyable as coffee, is not worth lowering your quality of life over.How can you balance coffee and sleep?If you’re consuming no more than a moderate amount of coffee and don’t experience any of the negative side effects, then getting a good night’s sleep is easily manageable.As long as you stop drinking by early afternoon, sleep becomes about building good habits, rather than just avoiding caffeine.Some of the things you can be doing to make sure you get the best sleep possible are:
- Go to bed and wake up at a set time every day
- Make sure your sleeping environment is dark, cool and quiet
- Only use the bedroom for sleep and sex
- Don’t eat or exercise in the few hours before bed
- Avoid alcohol close to bed time
If you make sure that both your drinking and sleeping habits are healthy, then having the best of both worlds should be no problem.But even with these tips, if you keep struggling to get a good night’s sleep, then you should talk to a medical professional; book an appointment with your GP, and get in touch with us.We’re here to make sure you get the best sleep possible.
