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It's no secret that a warming cup of coffee perks most of us up when we're most in need. As well as tasting rich, indulgent and delicious, it can help put that much needed spring
in our step. For years I've been a major coffee fan and, during the morning, there can be nothing more comforting – but I started to realise it was causing havoc with my sleep. To cut a
long story short, I've rarely ever suffered with poor sleep. More often than not, I'm away in the land of nod by 10pm at the latest most nights. But, a few months back, I started
to notice one thing. On certain nights of the week, I just couldn't drift off. I'd be laying there for hours tossing and turning, often restless, for no apparent reason. I had
nothing major to stress over, things weren't playing on my mind, and yet I couldn't sleep. Thanks to the help of some health videos on TikTok (such as the one by yourpositivehealth
above), all of a sudden the answer hit me - it was only happening on days where I'd drink coffee in the afternoon. And, while this may seem like an easy thing to pick up on, I
didn't think it could cause that much of a problem to my health. This was mostly because I didn't drink it any time past 3pm, or 4pm at the very latest, and this isn't a time
I considered to be particularly late. But, according to science, it is when it comes to caffeine. When consumed too late in the day, studies have shown caffeine can have a major impact on
sleep. In fact, data from around 160,000 Sleep Foundation profiles shows roughly 88% of people who are used to consuming caffeine in the afternoon report at least one issue with sleep. As
well as causing you to fall asleep later, caffeine can result in you sleeping less overall, and can even make your snooze less satisfying. Generally, experts suggest to stop consuming
caffeine at least eight hours before bedtime. This means if you go to bed at 10pm then you need to cut off your intake at around 2pm. At least, if you want to try and have a good
night's sleep. While this may sound wild to some, I can vouch for the fact that it works. Since I gave up drinking coffee from midday, I've never slept better. Obviously, everyone
has the occasional night where they just can't drift off, but now they are very few and far between for me. I've noticed I'm a lot more relaxed in bed now, and can easily
drift off into the land of nod when I feel tired. All it took me to get there was ditching the coffee in the afternoon. It may sound super simple but, if you're looking to catch some
Zs, it's something that's definitely worth giving a go. My sleep hasn't been better since I put the rule in place and, to be honest, I don't even miss the coffee either.
HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS SAFE TO CONSUME? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it's usually considered safe for adults to consume up to 400 milligrams per day. This does vary though,
as some people can manage with a higher or lower amount than others. To find out what's good for you, the best thing to do is speak to your doctor about it to be given the correct
advice. If you think it could be impacting your sleep, you may experience symptoms like having trouble falling and staying asleep, nausea, headaches or even nervousness. If you find
you're becoming constantly tired during the day, and caffeine doesn't help, this may indicate some sort of sleep disorder or medical issue. You should always seek medical advice to
discuss any sleep concerns that may worry you.