A night of good sleep is a must for a healthy and productive body. There are no exceptions to this fact. We need good sleep — that is, both good in duration and depth. Yes, both quality and quantity matter.

However, when we want to increase productivity, our first instinct is to sleep less. We sabotage our sleep so that we can have more time to work.

We use certain substances to increase our alertness and energy levels. But we never ask the question: to what extent do these substances affect our health by affecting our sleep?

So, let’s see what drinks to avoid before bedtime, how they disrupt sleep, and what the alternatives are. before bedtime, how they disrupt sleep, and what are the alternatives.

Table of contents

What Are These Mysterious Substances That Should Be Avoided Before Sleep?

Well, it is no mystery. The three ingredients that you should avoid before sleeping hours are:

1. Caffeine: It prevents sleep by blocking the mechanism that induces sleep.
2. Sugar: This makes you fall asleep quickly, but avoid it before bedtime (you’ll see why).
3. Alcohol: A CNS depressant, which initially may help you fall asleep, but results in poor quality sleep.

So, the drinks to avoid before bedtime are the drinks that are rich in these two ingredients. Some of these drinks that are commonly used are:

1. Tea: Contains caffeine
2. Coffee: Contains caffeine
3. Chocolate and related drinks and desserts (Cakes, hot chocolate, chocolate bar, etc): Contains caffeine (+/- sugar)
4. Sodas/Soft drinks: Extremely high in sugar and may contain caffeine.
5. Energy drinks: Extremely high in sugar and caffeine.
6. Sports drinks: Quite often contain a lot of caffeine and sometimes even sugar, depending on the brand. (These are intended to enhance workout performance, and not for casual drinking. But people do drink them casually.
7. Commercially produced sweet fruit juices contain more sugar than fruit. Unsweetened concentrates may be okay if there is no sugar.

This is a brief list of drinks that can impact your sleep, but anything with sugar and caffeine content will disturb your sleep. So, as a general rule, make a habit of checking the labels of any commercially produced drinks to check whether or not they contain caffeine and sugar, especially if you struggle with sleep issues.

So, you are aware that drinks rich in these ingredients affect our sleep. But how? When should be your last cup of coffee in the day? Are there any better alternatives for energy sources?

Let’s go a step beyond and explore the answers to these questions in this article.

How Does Caffeine Prevent Sleep?

Two things trigger sleep:

1. The circadian rhythm
2. A buildup of a compound called adenosine in the brain.

The circadian rhythm is our biological clock, and telling us when to sleep is its responsibility.

Adenosine is a compound produced in the brain as a result of metabolism. With more activity during the day, more energy is used by the brain, and more adenosine is produced.

Throughout the day, adenosine levels keep increasing in the brain, and this build-up of adenosine is the other important trigger for our brain to induce sleep. Adenosine binds to its receptor in the brain and lets our brain know it’s time to sleep.

Various studies suggest that caffeine acts by interfering with both of these processes.

Now, structurally, caffeine is similar to adenosine. So, once it reaches our brain, it binds with the adenosine receptor and prevents the binding of adenosine with its receptors. No adenosine-receptor binding equals no sleep, as the trigger for sleep (adenosine) cannot act on the brain.

Caffeine also pushes our circadian rhythm back by 40 minutes. This also translates to delayed sleep time.

So, When Should be Your Last Caffeinated Drink of the Day?

It is essential to keep an eye on your caffeine intake to ensure you’re getting a good quality sleep.

As per studies, the half-life of caffeine is 5 hours. About 5 hours after consumption, the effect of caffeine will start wearing off, but it is still present in the body at this point and can still disturb sleep.

Caffeine is eliminated from the system in 1.5 to 9.5 hours after ingestion. It’s a wide range as it depends on our innate ability to metabolize caffeine. Some people may have a rapid metabolism, while others may have a slower metabolism for caffeine. If you are sensitive to caffeine, stop caffeine intake 10 hours before bedtime.

Why Should You Avoid Sugary Drinks Before Bedtime?

We have plenty of studies that suggest that sugar makes you fall asleep quickly, but you should still avoid sugar before bedtime.

Sugar helps you fall asleep rather swiftly because it inhibits a substance called Orexin, which is the chemical that keeps us alert.

However, the quality of sleep you get after drinking sugary drinks is poor.

Studies have shown that refined sugar disturbs sleep quality and reduces the number of hours you sleep well at night.

So, if you consume a lot of sugary drinks before bedtime and have sleep difficulties, it is likely due to the high sugar intake from sodas and energy drinks. Limiting these drinks should be the first step to improving your sleep quality.

When Should be Your Last Sugar-Rich Soda of the Day?

Your last no-caffeine, sugar-rich drink should be at least 2 hours before sleeping. It takes about 1–2 hours for the insulin to bring the blood sugar levels back to normal. Again, this is for a non-caffeinated drink.

If your drink is caffeinated, then your last can of drink should follow the half-life of caffeine, which is as mentioned above.

How Does Alcohol Affect Sleep?

Many people rely on alcohol to take the edge off and to help get better sleep. However, alcohol helping you get good sleep is far from the truth.

It’s true that alcohol initially causes you to fall asleep, as it is a CNS depressant. But the issue happens in the latter half of the sleep cycle, which is disrupted by alcohol. As a result, you get less restful sleep.

In addition to this, alcohol also increases the risk of sleep apnoea, which translates to disrupted, poor sleep.

Therefore, limiting alcohol intake near bedtime is recommended for good sleep.

So, the next question is, when should be your last drink of alcohol? Well, it may vary depending on how much alcohol you consume. But in general, your last drink should be around 4 hours before bedtime. This allows your body to eliminate alcohol from your system before you go to bed.

How Does Sleeping Less Affect You?

Every organ system is affected by a lack of sleep. But some of the common issues it may result in are (apart from feeling tired and being a sourpuss) :

• disturbed focus, attention, judgment, and cognition,
• difficulty handling stress,
• anxiousness,
• mood swings, and
• excess release of cortisol– which results in hyperglycaemia, increased sweet cravings, and therefore weight gain.

What You Should Avoid and What are the Alternatives for Energy

What Should You Avoid?

• All brands of energy drinks contain both sugar and caffeine. They are energy drinks, so it makes sense that they contain sugar and caffeine. But that also makes them a potent sleep disruptor. So, these are the first things that should go out of your window.
• Tea and coffee are the two popular drinks, both of which indeed have numerous health benefits when consumed in moderation. But they are also a common source of caffeine and should be limited for better sleep.
• Decaf of anything is also not a good option. It is a common belief that decaf does not contain caffeine. But this is not true. Decaf contains 2–20% of the caffeine content that regular coffee has. It is less, but it is there.
• Sodas and fizzy drinks — extremely rich in sugar, if not caffeine.
• Avoid anything that contains chocolate. It is a delight, but unfortunately, a source of caffeine. So, you can enjoy your favorite chocolate during the evening, but not close to bedtime.
• Avoid commercially bought, sweetened fruit juices. They are also usually processed with sugars.
• Avoid other forms of junk food or food rich in simple carbohydrates (white bread, pasta). They also cause a sudden spike in blood sugar levels.

What are the Alternatives?

First and most important thing is you have to sleep well if you want to feel energetic throughout the day. So, good quality sleep is the first step. Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Sleeping well at night will cut down the need for additional substances to keep you awake.

The second important factor is that you must provide a constant supply of glucose to your brain. When the brain has sufficient energy, it will help maintain alertness, focus, and overall function well. You will not need energy drinks and caffeine if you eat well. Healthy food will provide you with the same energy surge that energy drinks will, but in a healthier fashion.

Milk, fruits, high-protein foods, unsweetened fruit juices, or fruit concentrates are some of the great options for a constant energy supply to the brain without hampering sleep.

Apart from this, drink a lot of water. While water is not a source of energy, even mild dehydration can make you feel tired and out of focus. There are cognitive consequences when you are not well hydrated. So, grab a glass of water if you want to feel refreshed and focused.

What Drinks To Avoid Before Bedtime: The Bottom Line

An average human needs 6–8 hours of sleep each night to function effectively.

When we do things that hamper our sleep, we may be increasing our working hours for the day, but we are also unknowingly decreasing our lifespan.

Instead of training or forcing ourselves to stay up late and work more, we must learn ways to upgrade our time management skills to perform better during working hours. Sleeping less is not the answer to being more productive.

Staying up late sometimes is okay, but it is a problem when it becomes a routine.

For this reason, we should:

• optimize our schedules in such a way that we do not have to compromise our sleep to get more hours to work, and
• optimize our eating habits so that our brain is not disturbed when it is supposed to rest.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.

-Unknown

References

• Frances O’Callaghan, Olav Muurlink, and Natasha Reid (2018).Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 11:263-271. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6292246/

• Tina M. Burke, Rachel R. Markwald, and Kenneth P. Wright, Jr (2015). Effects of caffeine on the human circadian clock in vivo and in vitro. Sci Transi Med, 7(305):305ra146. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657156/

• Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Military Nutrition Research. Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance: Formulations for Military Operations. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2001. 2, Pharmacology of Caffeine. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223808/#_NBK223808_pubdet_

• Ibrar Anjum, Syeda S Jaffery, and Armghan H Ans (2018). Sugar Beverages and Dietary Sodas Impact on Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review. Cureus 10(6):e2756. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080735/

• Aric A.Prather, Cindy W.Leung, Nancy E.Adler, Lorrene Ritchie,Barbara Laraia, Elissa S.Epel (2016). Short and sweet: Associations between self-reported sleep duration and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among adults in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352721816300870

• Tanja C. Adam, Rebecca E. Hasson, and Michael I. Goran (2010). Cortisol Is Negatively Associated with Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight Latino Youth. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3050109/

• Yoko Komada, Isa Okajima, and Tamotsu Kuwata (2020). The Effects of Milk and Dairy Products on Sleep: A Systematic Review. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7766425/

• School of Public Health, University of Michigan (2021). Study Finds Consuming More Fruits and Vegetables Can Improve Sleep. Retrieved from https://sph.umich.edu/news/2021posts/consuming-more-fruits-vegetables-can-improve-sleep.html

• Justyna Godosa, Giuseppe Grossob, Sabrina Castellano, Fabio Galvano, Filippo Caracia, Raffaele Ferria (2021). Association between diet and sleep quality: A systematic review. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079221000150

• Barry M. Popkin, Kristen E. D’Anci, and Irwin H. Rosenberg (2010). Water, Hydration and Health. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908954/

– Featured image by Kate Stone Matheson via Unsplash.com

© 2021 Sneha S | Project: Living Better (Previously published on another site)

Updated: December 2025