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Ignoring coffee’s 6-hour half-life can lead to morning anxiety, experts say
Have you ever heard of the term sleep hygiene ? What about the ripple effect of caffeine withdrawal?
Behind water, coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the US. One in five drink it in the afternoon. But drinking it too late can lead to morning anxiety, especially if you try experimenting with strange additional flavors… There isnt an absolute cut-off time, CBD experts suggest. Instead, aim to leave enough time for the caffeines half-life to die down so that you can still get a good nights rest.
Work with caffeines half-life to avoid morning anxiety
Depending on what your body is used to, late-day caffeine consumption will likely fly in the face of any efforts to ensure a good nights sleep, even if youre doing everything else right.
That could include eliminating blue light in your bedroom, resisting the temptation to bring your cell phone to bed with you, or not eating within 3-4 hours of bedtime.
Caffeine has a half-life of about 5 to 6 hours, according to CBD.co, an online marketplace for CBD products.�
That means, 5 or 6 hours after you drink coffee, half of its caffeine contents will still be floating around in your body. This is despite the peak effects of caffeine typically being felt less than an hour after consuming it.
The stimulating effects can linger quietly on, making it harder to get your head down and sleep. One of the likely consequences of this is that your sleep pattern or the quality of your sleep is disrupted.
Caffeine withdrawal combined with feeling unrested leads to morning jitters
If you have caffeine too late in the day, it will likely negatively impact your sleep. As a result, youll wake up feeling unrested, says CBD.
To compound the issue, the caffeine withdrawal will soon kick in, leaving you jittery, irritable, and unable to focus.
You feel the withdrawal because the caffeine has only recently left your system. Your body wants to replace it.
This cycle of fatigue and anxiety can make the morning feel like a steep uphill climb.
CBD calls this the ripple effect, because one thing leads to another, and each consequence spreads further into your subconscious, and the morning, building on top of the anxieties caused by the last one.
Figure out your personal cut-off time and find an alternative to your afternoon coffee
To eliminate the knock-on effects of consuming too much caffeine too late in the day, you could avoid caffeine completely. But most people dont want to do this.�
Instead, figure out your personal cut-off time. People metabolize caffeine at different rates. Nor does everyone go to sleep at the same time every night.
Work backward from your typical bedtime. Avoid caffeinated drinks within 6 hours of it. If that doesnt help, extend your caffeine-free evenings into caffeine-free afternoons, and even caffeine-free late mornings.
You could also consider herbal teas, decaffeinated options, and the effects of other stimulants like sugar and medications.�Combining these considerations, along with things like creating a calm environment, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise during the day, and managing your responses to the stressors in your life, is how you ensure good “sleep hygiene.”
Every little bit adds up, CBD says, and reducing your overall intake will improve your sleep quality.
