Effects of Caffeine on Sleep

I'm not really a coffee drinker.  Generally I try to stay away from substances that have an impact on your body.  I like the taste of coffee ok especially when you add all the good stuff like cream and flavors to it, but in general I stay away from it and opt for something like water or juice.  I know caffeine has a tendnecy to make you more alert and make it harder to fall asleep.  A recent trip to Starbucks reminded me of this.

I had a $5 gift card that I had been holding on to for a long time.  I never go to Starbucks but I had the card so I decided I better use it.  So I went to the local establishment and got a 12 oz mocha beverage.  Overall it was pretty good but not something I would get on a regular basis, especially considering it costs about $4, and that is the small size.

This was about 1 or 2 in the afternoon when I drank it.  I figured it should not have too much effect on my sleep since it was a small, it was a mixed drink, and it was early in the afternoon.  I was wrong.  So I go to sleep at my usual time around 9:30pm or 10pm.  My mind was racing with thoughts about everything.  It was actually not bad and I had a lot of good thoughts and even came up with ideas for 3 new blog posts including this one.  Before I knew it, it was about 12am and I was still wide awake.

Eventually I got to sleep, but I was more tired in the morning.  It reminded me that I should stick with my ways of avoiding coffee and caffeine do to it's effects on keeping you up at night.  I still have about a $1 on the Starbucks card.  Maybe I will get a treat or a snack with it next time I am in the area.