{"id":191804,"date":"2025-10-11T01:53:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T01:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/191804\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T01:53:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T01:53:17","slug":"how-late-is-too-late-to-drink-coffee-experts-weigh-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/191804\/","title":{"rendered":"How late is too late to drink coffee? Experts weigh in"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting through the day without coffee<\/a> can feel like a challenge \u2014 but how late is too late for that final cup?<\/p>\n

Billions of people drink coffee worldwide, with 98 million cups of coffee drunk in the UK alone, according to the British Coffee Association\u2019s estimations.<\/p>\n

So what time should you have your last cup?<\/p>\n

According to experts, it\u2019s complicated, because caffeine<\/a> affects people differently.<\/p>\n

What exactly does coffee do to the body \u2014 and if you want to get a good night sleep, is it okay to drink coffee at night?<\/p>\n

How does coffee affect the body?<\/p>\n

Coffee contains caffeine, which is absorbed through the gastrointestinal system. <\/p>\n

The natural stimulant has a number of effects on the body, including stimulating your nervous system, increasing your blood pressure, and accelerating digestion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How does caffeine affect the body?<\/p>\n

Stimulating the central nervous system, making blood flow and breathing fasterIncreasing blood pressureTriggering the release of hormones and neurotransmittersRaising blood sugarElevating production of urine and stomach acidAccelerating digestion<\/p>\n

These effects, which occur within 15 to 60 minutes of consuming caffeine, make you feel more awake, alert and energised. <\/p>\n

Caffeine can also help you feel more social and improve your memory and attention if you\u2019re jet lagged.<\/p>\n

However, the effects can make you feel jittery, irritable and anxious, as well as affecting your sleep.<\/p>\n

What time should you stop drinking coffee?<\/p>\n

There is differing advice about the exact best time to stop drinking coffee, but most experts says that early to mid-afternoon is sensible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is generally advised to avoid caffeine after 2-3pm in the afternoon, but some people may require even earlier,\u201d Francesca Bagshaw, Physiologist at Manchester Institute of Health and Performance, told The Standard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really depends on the person and their sensitivity to it,\u201d Bagshaw added. \u201cConsuming caffeine even 12 hours before bedtime can disrupt sleep, particularly affecting deep, restorative sleep stages.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

What factors impact how quickly caffeine is absorbed and processed?<\/p>\n

GeneticsSexAgeBody weightPregnancyCertain medical conditionsTaking oral contraceptivesDrinking alcoholSmoking cigarettesHigh altitude Eating before caffeine consumption<\/p>\n

Is it okay to drink coffee at night?<\/p>\n

If you want to maximise the chance of a good night sleep, it\u2019s best to avoid coffee at night. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe closer to bedtime caffeine is consumed, the greater the impact,\u201d Dr Neil Clarke, Associate Professor at Birmingham City University and expert at the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), told the Standard.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there are a number of caffeine-free alternatives that coffee lovers can try instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor something warm and ritualistic without disrupting sleep, I recommend herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, rooibos), golden milk<\/a> with turmeric<\/a>, or a caffeine-free chai blend,\u201d Alex Manos Functional Medicine expert at wellness and longevity centre, The HVN, told The Standard.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cFor those wanting focus but no jitters, decaf coffee<\/a> or chicory<\/a> root lattes can work well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decaf coffee has a variety of health benefits. \u201cIt still provides beneficial polyphenols and antioxidants with potential anti-inflammatory properties,\u201d Dr Clarke adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome non-caffeine minor components, such as protocatechuic acid, have anti-bacterial and antifungal activities and possibly a role in glucose metabolism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getting through the day without coffee can feel like a challenge \u2014 but how late is too late…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":191805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[37240,6948,59,102,370,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-191804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-caffeine","tag-coffee","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-sleep","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}