Stimulants and Sleep Problems

Using stimulating substances can keep you awake at night

There is a clear relationship between stimulants and sleep problems. Everyone knows that if we are not sleepy when it's time to go to bed, we will not fall asleep. Stimulating substances that we have consumed earlier in the day or during the evening may keep us from feeling tired.

One problem with stimulants is that it's not always that easy to know which they are or how they affect our bodies.

Stimulants to avoid for better sleep

If you are experiencing insomnia or sleep problems you should consider limiting or avoiding completely:


Coffee:
We all know how coffee can affect us. Some people seem to be able to handle quite a bit of coffee even late at night, while others can't sleep even hours after the last cup of coffee. If you are experiencing sleep problems it is best to completely avoid coffee during the later part of the day.

Tea:
The stimulants in tea are caffeine and theanine. Dry tea contains more caffeine by weight than coffe. Less dry tea is used to make a cup of tea than the amount of dry coffee that is used for a cup of coffe. For this reason a cup of tea has less caffeine in it than a cup of coffee. For a sensitive person tea can be enough of a stimulant however. If you are experiencing sleeping problems tea should be avoided later in the day like coffee.

Chocolate:
What many people may not know is that chocolate contains caffeine, although you may have to eat quite a bit, about 200 grams, to ingest the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. The main stimulant in chocolate however is theobromine, which is a close relative to caffeine, though not as powerful. Chocolate can be very stimulating, especially to kids. Stay away from it later in the day/evening.

Alcohol:
Alcohol can be stimulating to some individuals and should be avoided if one is experiencing sleeping problems. Check out our in-depth article on alcohol and sleep for more on this.

Nicotine:
Nicotine is a stimulant and should be avoided before bed time, if one is experiencing sleeping problems. Smokers often sleep less restfully since the body will crave nicotine even at night time. New studies show that smokers are up to four times as likely to suffer from sleep problems than non-smokers. They also get less of the relaxing and rejuvenating deep sleep we all need to stay healthy.

Softdrinks:
Some soft drinks contain equivalent amounts of caffeine to brewed coffee. Some sports drinks also contain caffeine and should be avoided. Read lables to see what they contain.

Food additives, colorings, pesticides and heavy metals:
Many of the substances that are present in our food chain today have never been tested for human consumption. Researchers do not know in what way many of the chemicals that have been released into nature affect humans when ingested. For this reason it is best to eat as natural food as possible, avoiding foods that have been sprayed with pesticides, or produced in areas where contamination levels are high.
Try to eat healthy organic produce as much as possible. It is more expensive but you invest in your long term health and well-being.