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If your mind spirals in a never-ending marathon at night, caffeine can contribute to this problem. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to our brains, since this is when metabolic debris and toxins are washed away and repaired into new brain cells.



If caffeine is consumed too close to your snooze time, it can disrupt the normal sleep cycle, making it harder for restorative sleep to happen.

Similar to stress, caffeine increases your heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone levels. If you drink coffee in excess, caffeine consumption can more than double your blood levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine.



The recommended cut-off time for caffeine use is a minimum of six hours before bedtime. For example, if you typically go to bed at 10pm, avoiding caffeine after 4pm can help minimize sleep problems.

You may find you sleep better with a longer period of caffeine abstinence before bed.

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