Koffein kann zu „flachem“ Schlaf führen, der Körper kann acht Stunden im Bett verbringen, aber das Gehirn kann sich möglicherweise nicht vollständig regenerieren. Koffein verbessert die Aufmerksamkeit und reduziert das Müdigkeitsgefühl, seine Wirkung ähnelt jedoch manchmal dem „Ausleihen von Energie“ auf Kosten der nächtlichen Regeneration.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1129571
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As an ageing man I can attest that anything more than a couple of teas in the morning will keep me up long into the small hours. And reliance on caffeine to offset bad sleep just leads to more bad sleep
Evening coffee has sparked controversy for years. Some people fall asleep without difficulty, while others toss and turn for half the night. However, a growing body of research suggests that the question of whether “coffee makes it harder to fall asleep” may be too simplistic. What appears to matter far more is what happens in the brain during sleep.
Scientists studying the effects of caffeine on sleep are increasingly turning to EEG, or electroencephalography — a method used to record the brain’s electrical activity. Thanks to EEG, it is possible to observe not only sleep duration or moments of awakening, but also the biological quality of sleep itself.
– EEG allows us to see not only whether a person is sleeping, but also how the brain is sleeping. Classical sleep assessment assesses sleep duration and its stages, whereas quantitative EEG analysis reveals more subtle changes, such as reduced slow-wave activity, which is an important marker of sleep depth and its restorative character, explains Prof. Donata Kurpas from the Department of Nursing, Wroclaw Medical University.
Slow waves are one of the key components of deep sleep — the phase responsible for bodily regeneration, restoration of energy resources, and proper brain function.
Caffeine may cause “shallow” sleep
Research shows that the effects of caffeine do not always manifest as shorter sleep or difficulty falling asleep. Much more often, the changes concern the quality of nighttime rest.
– Caffeine may shorten sleep or make it more difficult to fall asleep; however, even when sleep duration appears normal, it may reduce slow-wave activity and shift the EEG pattern toward a more ‘wakeful’ brain, says Prof. Kurpas.
This means the body may spend eight hours in bed, but the brain may fail to fully regenerate. People are often unaware of this.
– The subjective feeling of having slept well does not always correspond to what we observe in neurophysiological recordings. A person may fall asleep without major difficulty and not remember awakenings, while the brain may display fewer features of deep sleep, the expert adds.
Why does coffee affect everyone differently?
One of the most interesting conclusions emerging from research is the enormous individual variability in response to caffeine. Genetics, metabolic rate, age, stress levels, and chronic fatigue all play a role.
For some individuals, even coffee consumed in the morning may be problematic.
– It is not only about coffee consumed just before bedtime. For some people, the total amount of caffeine consumed during the day and whether the body has enough time to metabolize it before nightfall may also be important, Prof. Kurpas emphasizes.
This is particularly important information for people engaged in intellectual work, athletes, and anyone who regularly uses caffeine to improve performance and concentration.
Energy is borrowed from the body
Caffeine improves alertness and reduces the sensation of fatigue, but experts point out that its effects may sometimes resemble “borrowing energy” at the expense of nighttime regeneration.
– If caffeine helps a person function during the day while simultaneously worsening the quality of nighttime recovery, a vicious circle may develop: greater fatigue, greater need for stimulation, and poorer sleep, says Prof. Kurpas.
For this reason, modern sleep research is increasingly moving away from simple questions about sleep duration and focusing instead on how the brain functions during nighttime rest.
– Caffeine is neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’. It is a biologically active substance whose effects depend on dose, time of day, age, lifestyle, sleep quality, stress burden, and individual sensitivity, the expert concludes.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/8/1220
It is known that people react very differently to caffeine. Any kind of general advice regarding caffeine without some kind of differentiation of groups of people is pretty useless.
If caffine is stealing energy from later. Alcohol is stealing happiness.
I skimmed it but was there a good cutoff time?
I guess my question is:
Is there a tipping point? I suppose I largely exist on caffeine and I only sleep about 6 hours a night but I mostly feel fine. Im 40 now so I dont feel as good as I used to, and im very aware I dont rest as much as I should, but I work a lot of hours and walk a lot of steps everyday and have the energy to stay in good shape. I wonder how much I am being propped up by caffeine and if/when its going to catch up to me.
what’s the practical takeaway? gradually cut caffeine and keep a sleep log to look for improvement?
Ah, this is why I get so fatigued and tired after drinking matcha
I’ve been saying this for years and have always felt like I’m completely outside everyone else’s existence. I’ve been caffeine free other than a chocolate microdose every couple months for about twenty years now. It’s like being in a different reality. I hear people all the time complain about sleeping while chugging energy drinks.
Caffeine knocks me out.
*laughs in neurodivergency*
Funny enough without coffee I feel like I have been hit by a truck and wake up feeling like I was boosted out of Mar’s asshole.
I notice if I drink coffee late in the day that my sleep tracking shows I get less ‚deep‘ sleep so I guess that makes sense. I love coffee but try not to drink any past like 5pm.
Sometimes a big hit of caffeine makes me comatose
I have sometimes drank coffee in an effort to keep myself awake only to fail and just fall asleep
These days I notice I can’t take coffee too late otherwise I have a hard time falling asleep
At the moment I have two ground coffee products. One very obviously has more caffeine content and the other one doesn’t. I am just waiting to run out of the higher caffeine one (which was more expensive) and only use the other one. The higher caffeinated one also sets off my anxiety which isn’t good.
Usually I drink coffee one time in the morning (right now drinking the higher caffeinated one at this time) and one time in the afternoon (lower caffeinated) sometimes around 2-3pm on days where I have to wake up early this doesn’t seem to be a problem, but on days where I can sleep in doing this sets me back on my body getting rid of all that caffeine and I have bad asleep as a result
when i was regularly wearing a heart rate tracking device, i would find that routinely drinking caffeine too close to my bed time would cause my heart rate to not fall properly while i was asleep. tracker graph looked like i was having a mild anxiety attack all night the way it would spike from 70 to 90 while i was in REM.
Semi related, possibly related…? I’ve had the same experience when I attempted using some of those low dose THC gummies that are meant to aid sleep. I got noticeably drowsy and fell asleep pretty reliably, but it never felt like a particularly restful, let alone regenerative sleep
“Nighttime regeneration” sounds like something the Borg would say.
Isn’t this pretty standard for drugs? Weed and alcohol both cause worse sleep quality so it’s not that surprising caffeine has a similar effect, not sure about other drugs but I find it hard to believe it’s just these 3
I haven’t noticed poor sleep quality, but then again I try very hard to get 7hrs or more per night, climate control room, only use caffeine to severly taper at 1700 and sleep at 21:30.
What REALLY fucked my sleep schedule was basic training for some reason. It took me like a year after that to actually feel right again sleeping.
I have had to give up my morning coffee after some medical issues recently and I can honestly say I can wake up without it now and feel energized even on some days of low hours of sleep.
I drink coffee throughout the day, including late at night before bed, and sleep brilliantly. I believe there is one theory that mild stimulants can increase cortical arousal to a more “optimal” level, which may feel calming, mentally organised, or emotionally steady rather than energising (commonly reported by people with ADHD or related neurodivergent traits).
It has never stimulated me. It relaxes me. Energy drinks, on the other hand? I tried them once or twice, and they gave me severe anxiety. I’ll stick to coffee.
As a heavy coffee drinker (8 cups a day), I just don’t believe this. I know I’m only a single data point, but I get 85% of my sleep hours and my efficiency and consistency are over 95% every night according to Whoop.
Then you have my ADHD friend, he drinks coffee to go to sleep and calm down.
I drink my tumbler full of coffee every morning, no more after that. I also avoid caffeinated teas or sodas after 4pm. I can see the difference it makes with my sleep monitoring from my smart watch.
Yeah that’s explains it.
I have two redbulls a day: one when I wake up, and one before I go to work the night shift at work. I actively avoid sleeping, because sleeping is time where my engine isn’t constantly going at 100%. That combined with my stubbornness to lose free time to something a redbull will band-aid when I wake up.
Stopped using 5 weeks ago because of a surgery. Tried when it was OK to have some again, but my body didn’t like it and I’m sleeping better.
Not going back.
Unless you have ADHD, then it’s basically a sleeping pill.
I would utilize this for weekend naps for fun. When in that shallow sleep, its the perfect place for lucid dreaming.
To me the key issue is the caffeine half life which can be up to 7 hours: hit hard (4-6 shots) hit early and stop at 10 am – almost all cleared by 10 pm
my nephew drinks 3 baja blasts a day he’s 15 it’s crazy
Humans all over the world in different countries and cultures have been consuming and enjoying caffeine, thriving for centuries. Sometimes I think we overthink things a little too much. Just get the best sleep you can, try to exercise, cut back on processed food, drink water. Have fun and enjoy your caffeine.
Well I have adhd so… it’s calms me down