Reasons to Skip Evening Coffee: People often feel tired in the evening and feel like sleeping. In such a situation, many people like to drink hot coffee. The caffeine present in coffee works to provide instant energy and alert the brain. Often people keep drinking coffee from morning till evening. Have you ever thought how badly that one cup of coffee you drink in the evening can affect your night’s sleep and work the next day? Yes, health experts often recommend that coffee consumption should be limited after noon. Let us know from the doctor why drinking coffee in the evening is harmful for health and what is the real scientific reason behind it.

Dr. Sonia Rawat, Director of Preventive Health and Wellness Department, Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi told News18. Caffeine, the main element of coffee, is a stimulant, which stimulates our central nervous system. A chemical called adenosine is produced in our body, which makes us feel tired and induces sleep. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, which prevents us from sleeping. Drinking coffee in the evening disturbs the circadian rhythm of the body, due to which insomnia may occur.

Experts said that the half-life of caffeine is about 5 to 6 hours. This means that if you drink coffee at 6 pm, half the amount of caffeine will remain active in your blood by 12 midnight. In such a situation, even if you fall asleep, your brain does not get the deep and restful sleep that the body needs for repair. When you wake up in the morning, you find yourself tired instead of feeling refreshed. In the evening, our body starts the natural relaxation process and the level of stress hormone cortisol starts falling. However, drinking coffee in the evening increases cortisol levels suddenly. This puts the body in fight or flight mode, which can lead to unnecessary restlessness, nervousness and irritability. Doing this for a long time can also cause anxiety problems.

According to doctors, drinking coffee on an empty stomach or in the evening is also harmful for your stomach health. Coffee is acidic in nature and it stimulates the secretion of gastrin hormone in the stomach. Drinking coffee in the evening increases the chances of acid reflux or heartburn at night. Metabolism slows down at night, so the caffeine and acid present in coffee hinder digestion, which can lead to flatulence and indigestion. Apart from this, immediately after drinking coffee, our heart beat and BP increase temporarily. The body tolerates it during the day, but in the evening when the body needs rest, the increase in heart rate puts additional pressure on the heart.