If you want to sleep well, don’t drink coffee after 2 pm.
Researchers studying sleep disturbances at the Henry Ford Clinic in Michigan were curious about how caffeine affects sleep depending on the time interval between drinking coffee and going to bed. 12 healthy men and women participated in the research; all of them moderate coffee consumers.
During the research, the subjects kept their daily sleeping routine: they went to bed between 9 pm and 1 am, and got up between 6 and 9 am. They received either caffeine via tablets or placebo pills.
The researchers discovered that caffeine intake between 0.3-6 hours before bedtime reduced sleeping time considerably; even the 6 hour interval meant one hour less sleep. Consuming caffeine reduced the quality of sleep as well.
Based upon these findings, the experts’ advice is to restrict drinking coffee to the morning hours, and never drink coffee or any other drink that contains caffeine after 2 pm. Start the day with the drink that has the highest caffeine content, and switch to tea or caffeine free coffee afterwards. Refrain from consuming tall cup coffee drinks and energy drinks as well.