Did you know that what you drink before bed can interrupt your sleep schedule? It's true. Therefore, it's important to be aware of what these drinks are so you can avoid them. Below is a list of six drinks to avoid before going to bed so you can get a great night's sleep. 

1. Alcohol

Alcohol seems like it would be a wonderful sleep aid because of how deeply you think you sleep after a night of drinking. Even a glass of wine can make you feel sleepy, so it makes sense to think that alcohol could actually help you go to sleep. However, alcohol actually disrupts your sleeping cycle. Therefore, the quantity of sleep may be great, but the quality is so poor, that the quantity doesn't even matter. 

Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it may make you have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. In addition to that, alcohol also disrupts the fourth cycle of sleep - REM sleep. REM is important for feeling rested and rejuvenated, so without it, you may still feel sleepy. Heavy alcohol use can also increase insomnia and worsen sleep breathing problems such as sleep apnea and snoring.  

2. Coffee 

Coffee may sound like a nice nightcap after dinner, however, if you plan on going to bed in the near future, it may not be such a great idea. Coffee has caffeine in it which is designed to help keep you awake. Therefore, by putting caffeine in your system, you may be delaying sleep onset and disrupting the sleep-wake pattern of your brain.

One study found that consuming coffee six hours before bed caused participants to lose up to one hour of sleep. Specialty coffees have varying amounts of caffeine and even decaffeinated coffee has caffeine. Caffeine also has a diuretic effect which can cause middle-of-the-night urination. 

3. Soda or Pop 

Soda or pop is a drink choice that is often paired with dinner. However, the caffeine and sugar content in soda can also disrupt sleep efforts. Caffeine can make it hard to go to sleep because it promotes wakefulness in your brain. The amount of sugar in sodas is also problematic. High sugar content can make it difficult to stay asleep because of the spike and crash of your body's blood sugar. 

Also the carbonation from the sodas can cause stomach discomfort and a build up of gas that can also interrupt your ability to stay asleep. If you interrupt your ability to go to sleep AND stay asleep, that's like a double whammy on your sleep quality and quantity. Therefore low sugar and caffeine content beverages are your best before bed. 

4. Energy Drinks

Energy drinks seem like an obvious drink to avoid before bed because they provide you energy. This is the opposite of what you would want if trying to go to bed. Energy drinks have high caffeine and sugar content, meaning they can have the same effect as coffee on sleep quality. However, energy drinks have much higher caffeine content than coffee or sodas, so it's a good idea to skip them late in the afternoon so they don't affect your attempts to go to bed.  

5. Water

Believe it or not, water is actually not that great of a beverage to have right before bed. It doesn't have the hours long effect that caffeinated drinks, however, increasing your water in take right before bed can have a couple of impacts on your sleep quality. Urine output is reduced during the night so you don't have to wake up to use the bathroom. However, introducing a large amount of water to your body right before bed can disrupt that balance and lead to multiple trips to the bathroom during the night. These trips interrupt your sleep schedule and reduce your quality and quantity. 

The second effect that water can have on the body is discomfort and bloating that comes from chugging water, or drinking large amounts at a small time. Large amounts of water can fill up your stomach, leaving you feeling bloated and uncomfortable. If you have a glass at least an hour before bed, then that will give your body enough time to rid of it so you can have a good night's' sleep. 

6. Black or Green Tea

Both black and green tea have caffeine in them, so may not make the best tea choices before bed. Chamomile is a better choice because of the lack of caffeine. Because both black and green tea have caffeine in them, this makes them both stimulants and diuretics. Not only will they make it harder to go to sleep, but you may find yourself making extra bathroom trips when you're trying to go to sleep. 

If you are a normal consumer of these beverages before bed and find yourself having trouble going to sleep, consider switching them out for a less stimulating beverage like cherry juice. If you make the change and still continue to have problems, please click below to take a free online sleep test. 

[Sources]:

https://sleepeducation.org/five-drinks-avoid-before-going-bed/

https://www.everydayhealth.com/sleep/the-best-and-worst-beverages-to-drink-before-bedtime/