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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Coffee before bed

79 replies

Incognitomum11 · 18/05/2022 22:26

Ok, lighthearted but I’m suddenly curious.

since my teens (50 now) I’ve had coffee all day up until bedtime, often just before sleep to chill…
recently I got to talking with friends and several wondered if I have ADHD because caffeine isn’t meant to relax you…

I always assumed the “I can’t drink coffee after such and such time or I can’t sleep” were hugely exaggerated and a bit silly but maybe I’m the weird one…?

I guess I’m wondering if this is your reality as well rather than wether I should or shouldn’t have coffee before bed. 😉

OP posts:
Justleaveitblankthen · 18/05/2022 23:27

Living in southern Europe, I used to be able to eat a meal at midnight, finish with double Espresso then sleep like a log 😴
Now it affects me after 5pm latest. I can fall asleep quickly, but I wake up after 4hrs- completely alert.

If I do an evening workout, I always drink a small Turkish coffee beforehand, which has less effect on my sleep than other coffees.

AllLopsided · 18/05/2022 23:42

I'm a tea drinker, but I don't have it in the evening because it has me running to the loo all night. I have a peppermint tea in bed now and it doesn't have the same effect, so it must be the caffeine!

FabulousKilljoys · 18/05/2022 23:50

I bring a tea or coffee to bed with me, and a bottle of lucozade for during the night. Doesn't affect me at all, but I do have adhd!

Original poster
Incognitomum11 · 18/05/2022 23:51

I’m so glad to hear so many like myself. No I get no buzz from a coffee and it doesn’t wake me up, it’s just an enjoyable drink through the day. Happy to have met likeminded people

OP posts:
SunshineThelma · 18/05/2022 23:54

No issues drinking coffee right up until bedtime here. I'd say it doesn't affect me, but if I don't have any during the day I get the worst headaches so it's clearly keeping me going somehow! Suspected ADHD, awaiting assessment. No idea if it's connected or not!

Original poster
Incognitomum11 · 18/05/2022 23:56

@stilldumdedumming apparently stimulants have the opposite effect to people with adhd.

OP posts:
Original poster
Incognitomum11 · 19/05/2022 00:04

@SunshineThelma interesting

OP posts:
FabulousKilljoys · 19/05/2022 00:08

apparently stimulants have the opposite effect to people with adhd.

This is certainly true for me!

TooManyPJs · 19/05/2022 00:13

stilldumdedumming · 18/05/2022 22:54

What's the ADJD link. I can have a coffee at bed time no problem- but it can make me a bit gurgly. Ds has a special 'sleepy' coffee - about 3 times stronger than normal . I am fairly certain he has adhd. Hence why I ask.

It's because it's a stimulant. Some people with ADHD therefore find it actually quite a their mind and helps them sleep. I have ADHD though and although caffeine helps me focus if I have it too late in the day it also stops me sleeping, so that doesn't apply to everyone. It's the same with stimulant medication. Some people with ADHD find it helps them sleep and they even take extra medication before bedtime; others find it causes insomnia.

QueenCamilla · 19/05/2022 00:20

I have adhd and I drink coffee before bed.
And two when I wake up. And two more in the day.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 19/05/2022 00:22

This is me too.. I even have one if I wake in the early hours. I find it soothing!
No ADHD that I know of but I do have a Neuro disability (CP) so who knows?!

SaveMePlease · 19/05/2022 00:26

I grew up drinking coffee before bed and actually I drink coffee for the flavour. If I need to pep up then I'd need something like Red Bull.

safclass · 19/05/2022 00:30

Having caffeine just before bed has no effect on me at all. I can go and be asleep within minutes. I don't need a coffee before bed it but I do enjoy one most nights and it doesn't affect me when I do.
My son (30s) is the complete opposite. If he has a coffee from 5ish he can't sleep at all, too hyped up.

Marvellousmadness · 19/05/2022 05:41

From someone with adhd;
The ability to drink a cup before going to bed does NOT mean you have adhd. Just means you can deal with caffeine better than others. My dh does it. He doesn't have adhd.

Chikapu · 19/05/2022 06:24

Caffeine has no effect on me either but I don't drink much coffee anymore. After my second dose of covid vaccine I couldn't stomach the taste any more 🤔It's only very recently that I've started to have the odd cup here and there again.

girlmom21 · 19/05/2022 06:28

If you've drank coffee a lot for 30+ years you've probably developed some kind of immunity to the effects

stilldumdedumming · 19/05/2022 06:28

Thank you for your explanations on the ADHD link. I have a lot to learn. Ds is an adult free lancer and uses it to his advantage in terms of hyper focus but there are cons too of course.

Also thank you for pointing out that it's not a diagnostic tool! I do understand and not really looking to amateur diagnose just to understand more so we can support really. But it's defo worth pointing out on these threads.

Neverendingdust · 19/05/2022 06:36

I just have one in the morning, any more and it really affects my sleep. I’m always shocked when people say they drink it in the evening and before bed, I’m guessing it’s our own body’s way of reacting differently to the stimulants?

Aprilx · 19/05/2022 06:49

Drinking coffee has never had any effect on me p, it doesn’t wake me up in the morning and it doesn’t keep me up if I drink during the day. I am very sure I do not have ADHD.

BitOutOfPractice · 19/05/2022 06:54

Caffeine has never had an effect on me either. I could drink coffee all day and still sleep. It doesn’t really perk me up in the mornings either. I’m well ‘ard me 😀

Fairislefandango · 19/05/2022 07:05

Caffeine affects different people very differently. I've always been strongly affected by it. One really strong coffee is enough to make me a bit shaky and jittery. I've never been able to drink it in the afternoon as it made me unable to go to sleep at bed time. It's got worse as I've got older, so now I only drink decaf. Even dark chocolate can have the same effect if I have a fair bit of it. I'm really not exaggerating!

FirewomanSam · 19/05/2022 07:07

I’m super caffeine sensitive and I never understood how people could do this! I had a flatmate who could drink Diet Coke all evening and then sleep like a baby. I genuinely would be up all night if I had a coffee or a coke after about 3pm.

FirewomanSam · 19/05/2022 07:08

Even dark chocolate can have the same effect if I have a fair bit of it. I'm really not exaggerating!

@Fairislefandango Same! That 70% Green and Blacks stuff has made me shivery and headachey before. No exaggeration here at all.

dudsville · 19/05/2022 07:10

My mum can drink coffee all day an sleep is no problem, she's a great sleeper. I'm v sensitive, but unpredictability so, so I tend to only have it mornings as a wake up, but occasionally I'll have it around noon and it knocks be out such that I actually have to nap.

CheapFoodShits · 19/05/2022 07:12

I always had coffee right up until bedtime too and I slept like a log. I stopped having it before bed because I didn't want to have to get up for an extra wee on cold nights . Now it takes me forever to get to sleep 🤔

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