Getting through the day without coffee can feel like a challenge — but how late is too late for that final cup?
Billions of people drink coffee worldwide, with 98 million cups of coffee drunk in the UK alone, according to the British Coffee Association’s estimations.
A cup of joe can feel like the perfect way to start a day, but come evening, coffee drinkers may feel too wired to sleep.
So what time should you have your last cup?
According to experts, it’s complicated, because caffeine affects people differently.
What exactly does coffee do to the body — and if you want to get a good night sleep, is it okay to drink coffee at night?
How does coffee affect the body?
Coffee contains caffeine, which is absorbed through the gastrointestinal system.
The natural stimulant has a number of effects on the body, including stimulating your nervous system, increasing your blood pressure, and accelerating digestion.
How does caffeine affect the body?
- Stimulating the central nervous system, making blood flow and breathing faster
- Increasing blood pressure
- Triggering the release of hormones and neurotransmitters
- Raising blood sugar
- Elevating production of urine and stomach acid
- Accelerating digestion
These effects, which occur within 15 to 60 minutes of consuming caffeine, make you feel more awake, alert and energised.
Caffeine can also help you feel more social and improve your memory and attention if you’re jet lagged.
However, the effects can make you feel jittery, irritable and anxious, as well as affecting your sleep.
What time should you stop drinking coffee?
There is differing advice about the exact best time to stop drinking coffee, but most experts says that early to mid-afternoon is sensible.
“It is generally advised to avoid caffeine after 2-3pm in the afternoon, but some people may require even earlier,” Francesca Bagshaw, Physiologist at Manchester Institute of Health and Performance, told The Standard.
“It really depends on the person and their sensitivity to it,” Bagshaw added. “Consuming caffeine even 12 hours before bedtime can disrupt sleep, particularly affecting deep, restorative sleep stages.”
According to Sleep Foundation, the time it takes for just half of the total caffeine to be eliminated from the body ranges from 2 to 12 hours.
But the amount of time it takes for caffeine to wear off differs from person to person, with factors such as genetics and metabolism at play.
What factors impact how quickly caffeine is absorbed and processed?
- Genetics
- Sex
- Age
- Body weight
- Pregnancy
- Certain medical conditions
- Taking oral contraceptives
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking cigarettes
- High altitude
- Eating before caffeine consumption
Is it okay to drink coffee at night?
If you want to maximise the chance of a good night sleep, it’s best to avoid coffee at night.
“The closer to bedtime caffeine is consumed, the greater the impact,” Dr Neil Clarke, Associate Professor at Birmingham City University and expert at the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), told the Standard.
Thankfully, there are a number of caffeine-free alternatives that coffee lovers can try instead.
“For something warm and ritualistic without disrupting sleep, I recommend herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, rooibos), golden milk with turmeric, or a caffeine-free chai blend,” Alex Manos Functional Medicine expert at wellness and longevity centre, The HVN, told The Standard.
He added: “For those wanting focus but no jitters, decaf coffee or chicory root lattes can work well.”
Decaf coffee has a variety of health benefits. “It still provides beneficial polyphenols and antioxidants with potential anti-inflammatory properties,” Dr Clarke adds.
“Some non-caffeine minor components, such as protocatechuic acid, have anti-bacterial and antifungal activities and possibly a role in glucose metabolism.”
