You don't need to give up coffee for better sleep

For all coffee lovers, you read it right. You don't need to give up coffee for better sleep. Read on to know why! 

Have you tried quitting your morning coffee or switching off all electronics before bed and yet still finding yourself struggling with sleep? 

One of the most common tips to fix sleep is to give up caffeine, as it is a stimulant and could be the reason that's keeping you awake. Although this isn't entirely wrong, I would only tell you to stop if you were drinking it a lot of it or if you were drinking right before bed. 

In order to explain why giving up caffeine isn't going to cure your sleep problem, you will first need to understand how poor sleep develops. An episode of insomnia is often triggered by something that disrupts your sleep pattern and this could be anything from emotional stress to a cold. 

As a result of poor sleep, we tend to make changes that help combat the effects of sleep loss but this actually ends up making the problem worse. Some of us (myself included!) will even start to spend more time in bed in hope to get more sleep yet end up lying awake just staring at the ceiling. The more awake you are in bed, the more you will associate your bed to being awake, leading to poorer sleep quality. That's why I often encourage those I work with that it's perfectly fine to have a cup of coffee in the morning, especially when you have slept badly the night before. It can be useful in keeping you awake during the day, making you feel more energized, concentrated, and productive. 

In summary, caffeine can keep you awake if you drink too much or if you drink it too close to bedtime. Therefore, drink in moderation and consider limiting any caffeine intake six hours before bed. Given caffeine has a diuretic effect on the body, make sure you stay hydrated by drinking enough water. 

How else can I improve sleep? Here are some of my top tips for getting regular, restorative sleep:

• Keep the same routine - Set a wake time and stick to it, regardless of how badly you have slept. By getting up early, you are training your body clock to associate mornings with being awake. Staying in bed often results in grogginess and low mood so instead of doing that, get out of bed and get some fresh air rather than trying to catch up on lost sleep. 

• Don't spend too long in bed - One of the first things we do when we can't sleep is to start going to bed earlier to try and increase our chance of falling asleep. Instead, try to reduce the amount of time you spend in bed, go to bed later and get up earlier. This will encourage your body's natural sleep drive to kick in, making you crave for more sleep, fall asleep faster as well as improving the quality of your overall sleep. 

• Don't lie in bed awake - If you can't fall asleep after waking up in the middle of the night or you simply just can't fall asleep, get out of bed. The longer you lie in bed trying to fall back to sleep, the more frustrated you'll get and it's likely that this pattern will continue. Leave the bedroom and do something relaxing like reading a book and once you're feeling tired, go back to bed. I've personally tried this many many times and I promise you that it works!  

• Stop looking at the clock - When you wake up in the middle of the night, it's often very tempting to look at the clock to monitor the time and realizing how little sleep you are getting. This often causes more frustration and increases the pressure to fall back to sleep and hence making it less likely. 

• Don't overthink it - the last thing you want to do is worry because worrying about sleep makes you stressed, anxious and frustrated. Try to leave a bad night behind you and focus on the day ahead. Follow the above tips to give yourself the best possible chance of sleeping well otherwise accept that we all have our days of bad sleep and that there are other things you can do to feel better. You can also check out my other blog post on ways to managing the stressors in life. 

The cure to poor sleep doesn't' mean giving up everything you enjoy so go drink the coffee and eat those chocolates! I hope you have found this post useful, I'm interested to know if you are a coffee/chocolate lover so let me know in the comments! 

Stay happy and healthy, sleep well! 

With love,

*Medical Disclaimer: The following content should not be used as medical advice or as a recommendation for any specific supplement or medication. It is important to consult your health care provider prior to starting a new medication or altering your current dosage.