There are millions of coffee lovers in the world, but how many actually love to drink it after dinner? Among the lovers of this drink there are two very distinct types: those who like to drink it at any time of the day and those who prefer to avoid it after a certain time (usually as early as 6 in the afternoon).
But why do those who belong to the second type decide to avoid coffee in the evening?
According to the common ideology, coffee taken a few hours before going to sleep would have important negative repercussions on the quality of sleep. But is it really so? According to some recent scientific studies, the answer is no. It seems, in fact, that caffeine is not responsible for any sleep disturbances; it follows that drinking coffee before going to bed is not actually a taboo.
What really hurts sleep is something else
Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant among the best known in the world and one of the most used. In fact, coffee is one of the most consumed and loved drinks all over the globe, especially here in Italy where it is practically considered a national drink.
As it is rich in this stimulating substance, coffee is taken at various times of the day, especially in the morning to give yourself a boost before starting the day. The correlation between the caffeine present in coffee and the nervous stimulation it causes has helped create the idea that it basically worsens the quality of sleep if taken before bed.
Recent studies, carried out by some researchers at Harvard Medical School and Florida Atlantic University, have made it possible to draw up a list of substances which, if taken before going to sleep, could have negative consequences on the quality of sleep.
Among the main suspects we find alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol, above all, if consumed up to 4 hours before sleep, would have the effect of increasing the possibility of sleep interruption during the night. The same cannot be said of caffeine, which indeed is not even among the offending substances.