Are you having restless nights? There’s a chance your late-night beverage choice is having a negative effect on your sleep patterns. The wrong drink choice can affect your sleep quality, delay your body clock, fragment your sleep, and more. Here are several drinks that can affect how you sleep.
1. Alcohol
It’s no secret that alcohol makes you feel drowsy after a few drinks. While you might think alcohol helps you sleep, there are negative effects after having a drink at night. The most obvious effect is that alcohol increases the need to urinate in the night, easily disrupting your sleep pattern. Alcohol use also can fragment your sleep and decrease your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Heavy drinking can cause symptoms of insomnia. It can also worsen the severity of breathing problems during sleep. These problems include snoring and sleep apnea.
2. Coffee
The caffeine in coffee can help wake you up in the morning. However, drinking coffee later in the day can have a negative effect on your sleep. It can even delay your body clock. One study found that consuming caffeine six hours before bedtime reduced total sleep time by one hour. Another study found that there is a wide range of caffeine content in specialty coffees. Even decaf coffee contains caffeine!
3. Energy Drinks
For obvious reasons, there is no use in having an energy drink before bed. The amount of caffeine in these drinks can make it hard for you to fall asleep, reducing your total sleep time. Energy drinks can contain two to three times more caffeine than soda or coffee.
4. Soda
Drinking soda (or “pop,” as our friends in the Midwest like to call it) before bed is like a double whammy for your sleep. Sodas are loaded with caffeine and lots of sugar. The caffeine can make it hard to fall asleep, and the sugar may affect your ability to stay asleep. One study found that people who have a high daily intake of sugar have more arousals from sleep during the night.
5. Water
Most surprisingly, you should not drink water close to your bedtime. In healthy young adults, your urine output is lower at night than during the day. This helps prevent you from waking up during the night to use the bathroom. Drinking too much water in the evening may disrupt this balance. You should drink plenty of water during the day to prevent dehydration. Then drink less water in the evening to avoid trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Reviewed by Dr. Lawrence Epstein
FAQs
According to University of Michigan behavioral sleep expert Deirdre Conroy, alcohol, caffeine and even water can all impact sleep quality.
What drinks should you not drink before bed? ›
According to University of Michigan behavioral sleep expert Deirdre Conroy, alcohol, caffeine and even water can all impact sleep quality.
What is the best bedtime drink? ›
Here, we explore the best bedtime drinks and dig into the science behind why they're an ideal beverage for our sleep routines.
- Sleepy girl mocktail. ...
- Hot cocoa. ...
- Warm milk. ...
- Chamomile tea. ...
- Lavender tea. ...
- Decaffeinated green tea. ...
- Valerian root tea.
Alcohol, coffee, tea, energy drinks, and soda can affect sleep and should be either avoided or used cautiously when traveling. If you decide to drink any of these beverages, consider both the quantity and timing of their consumption.
What drink can keep you up all night? ›
Caffeine is a natural stimulant. Foods and drinks like coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and chocolate have various amounts of caffeine in them. The reason caffeine can help you stay alert is that it blocks adenosine receptors in your brain. This, in turn, reduces the signal that makes you feel sleepy.
What is the best thing to eat before going to bed? ›
Other foods and drinks that may promote sleep
Dairy products: Dairy products, such as a glass of milk, cottage cheese, and plain yogurt, are known sources of tryptophan. Milk has been shown to improve sleep in older adults, especially when paired with light exercise. Bananas: Banana are a modest source of magnesium.
What to drink at night to lose belly fat? ›
Drinking water before bed like lemonade contains polyphenols that help to get rid of accumulated fat. Grape juice contains resveratrol, which converts white fat to brown, which is easier to burn. Apple juice, ginger tea or strawberry juice are also effective choices.
What is the healthiest thing to drink at night? ›
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), plain water is the healthiest, best beverage you can drink any time of day, including before bedtime.
What drink makes you sleep faster? ›
Milk contains tryptophan, which helps increase melatonin levels and induce sleep. Drinking warm milk before bed is also a soothing nighttime ritual.
What can I drink before bed to reduce inflammation? ›
Fruit juice.
- Beetroot juice. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have traditionally been used to treat inflammatory conditions. ...
- Turmeric latte. ...
- Ginger tea. ...
- Water. ...
- Fruit smoothie. ...
- Green smoothie. ...
- Lemon Matcha Iced Tea. ...
- Fruit juice.
Certain nutrients and hormones help promote sleep. Tryptophan, found in turkey and fish, promotes serotonin production. Melatonin (found in dairy and cherries) makes you sleepy, potassium (found in bananas) and magnesium (also found in bananas and almonds) help promote muscle relaxation.
What time should you stop drinking water? ›
Ideally, aim to reduce or stop your fluid intake one to two hours before bedtime. This can help minimize nighttime bathroom visits and sleep disturbances. However, if you find yourself waking up at night due to thirst or dehydration, a small sip of water closer to bedtime might be necessary.
What food makes you sleepy? ›
Here are some foods that may help increase melatonin levels:
- Tart cherries and tart cherry juice.
- Whole grains such as rice, barley, and oats.
- Goji berries.
- Turkey and lean white meats.
- Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna.
- Nuts, especially walnuts, pistachios, and almonds.
- Eggs.
How to fall asleep fast (in 5 minutes or less)?
- Practice breathing to fall asleep quickly. ...
- Lying on a mattress with suitable firmness. ...
- Rearrange the bedroom. ...
- Relax. ...
- Sleep faster thanks to technology devices. ...
- Trick the brain. ...
- Imagine positive things. ...
- Eat carbs at night.
Drinks that help strengthen the brain
- Coffee. Are you the type of person who needs to drink coffee to stay awake all morning? ...
- Green tea. ...
- Berries juice. ...
- Kombucha tea. ...
- Green vegetable smoothie. ...
- Turmeric tea. ...
- Beetroot juice. ...
- Ginseng Tea.
The warm water can also help to flush out toxins from your body, promoting overall health.
- Green Tea. Green tea holds numerous health benefits and the common of all is weight loss. ...
- Ajwain Water. Ajwain seeds, also called carom seeds, help in boosting metabolism. ...
- Cucumber Juice. ...
- Cinnamon Water. ...
- Aloe Vera Juice.
Don't forget to pin it for later!
- Salty Snacks. One of the worst things alcohol does to your body is dehydrate you. ...
- Salad. While leafy greens are good for your body in a lot of ways, we all know that eating a simple salad before going out is like going out on an empty stomach. ...
- Sushi. ...
- French Fries. ...
- Super-Spicy Apps.
Whether you have had one or multiple drinks, it's best to wait for your body to fully process the alcohol before heading to bed. In general, try to avoid drinking alcohol four hours before you plan on going to sleep. Even though alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it may impact your overall quality of sleep.
