Sleeping pills and caffeine are some of the most popular supplements used today. Sleeping pills help people with difficulty sleeping to get sufficient sleep. On the other hand, caffeine in coffee helps people wake up in the morning. You may want to combine a sleeping pill with coffee such that the sleeping pills will help you sleep at night and coffee will help you wake up. But what happens if you drink coffee and take a sleeping pill?
Essentially, coffee and sleeping pills are helpful as short-term solutions. Unfortunately, combining them creates a cycle of stimulation and drowsiness. The cycle is never-ending and prevents you from getting sufficient sleep. The best way to enjoy quality sleep is by reducing caffeine dependence and taking sleeping pills only for short-term problems with falling asleep. Dependence on sleeping pills can worsen insomnia.
How Caffeine Affects Sleep
Caffeine is one of the most commonly used stimulants. It is naturally found in coffee in high amounts. It is also found in other drinks such as teas, colas, caffeine pills, and energy drinks. Most coffee enthusiasts love drinking coffee as a stimulant to increase alertness and wakefulness.
Unfortunately, drinking coffee in large amounts and late in the day or at night can interfere with sleep. Caffeine in coffee increases the time you take to sleep. Even if you fall asleep, any caffeine left in the body system may reduce the time you spend in deep sleep. Thus, it is recommended not to take coffee and other substances containing caffeine 6 hours before bed.
Eventually, regular coffee consumption can lead to caffeine dependence. You may not know you are getting addicted to caffeine until the day you fail to get your favorite morning cup of joe. Withdrawal symptoms of coffee include reduced attention, headache, and sleepiness. The awakening feeling that coffee addicts experience is a result of withdrawal from caffeine since they had their last cup.
Why Take Sleeping Pills?
Although some sleeping pills are available as over-the-counter drugs, others are prescription drugs. They all work as sedatives. They are meant to help people with sleeping problems to sleep deeply. However, sleeping pills are only recommended for short term. When consumed long-term, the body develops tolerance such that they start becoming ineffective in a few weeks.
Sleeping pills also cause dependence. If you use them as long-term medication, you will find it impossible to sleep without them. Also, quitting them can result in rebound insomnia. Rebound insomnia can be worse than the initial sleeping problem.
In rare cases, individuals taking sleeping medication report problems such as hallucinations, sleepwalking, odd behavior, and memory lapses. Thus, they may want to consume more coffee to help them stay alert, boost memory, and feel more energized.
What Happens if you Drink Coffee and Take a Sleeping Pill?
Sleeping pills are easily bought over the counter. Unfortunately, they cause more problems than they fix. Most sleeping pills contain antihistamines as their active ingredients. These are the same ingredients you find in the antihistamines used for allergies.
One of the problems of over-relying on sleeping pills containing antihistamines is that they cause grogginess. The grogginess can last way beyond the night, thereby making you unable to wake up. In that case, you will want to drink coffee to help you wake up. Consequently, you will develop a vicious cycle of taking sleeping pills at night and drinking coffee in the morning. Eventually, this vicious cycle will only worsen your sleeping problems.
Summary
So what happens if you drink coffee and take a sleeping pill? Drinking coffee and taking a sleeping pill do not go well together. Taking coffee, especially late in the day can make you lack sleep. You will want to take sleeping pills to help you sleep.
Eventually, you will want to rely on coffee to help you wake up and sleeping pills to help you sleep. Such a vicious cycle is not healthy. If you must drink coffee, do not drink it late in the afternoon or before sleeping. Also, manage the root causes of your sleeping problems to reduce your over-reliance on sleeping pills.
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