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How To Sleep After Drinking Soda

Soda: Sleep tight, don't fizz!
How To Sleep After Drinking Soda
Tom Greenspan
Updated 
December 21, 2022

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Soda is one of the most common drinks on the planet, with a whopping 63% of young people drinking at least one can of soda every day and 49 % of adults drinking a can of soda every day.

Avoid soda drinks after midday because they contain sugar that makes it hard to sleep. Exercise in the evening to burn some calories from soda and make your body tired, to reduce your excess energy.

Why Can’t I Sleep After Drinking Soda?

Pop or soda is loaded with sugar, including major brands like Coke and Pepsi, but most people do not realize soda also contains caffeine.

Caffeine and sugar are the perfect storm of substances to prevent you from sleeping. 

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain that prevent other hormones from acting on the brain, like melatonin, the chemical in our brain that makes us feel sleepy.

Caffeine facts

You’ll find many facts about caffeine. Here are some standout ones:

  • Drinking caffeinated drinks elevates our mood due to the adenosine receptors being blocked.
  • Caffeine increases alertness, so if consumed at night, it can prevent sleep or prolonged sleep.
  • Caffeine’s potency is measured in half-lives and which is 6 hours. So, if you drink a can of soda at 6 pm, only half the caffeine will be gone from your body.

What Can I do To Sleep After Drinking Soda

Plan your sleeping time and the amount of soda you consume, don’t consume soda after midday. This will be detrimental to your sleep pattern.

Exercise

Gentle exercise early in the evening after eating will help your body in many ways, but it will start to tire your body.

Most people can get by walking. A rigid exercise routine has the opposite effect and prevents sleep, so it is important to gently exercise after drinking soda to make our body feel tired.

Create An Environment Conducive To Sleep

Warm Bath

Before bed, have a warm bath. This is something most of us enjoy and find relaxing. A warm bath will help us wind down after a long day and set us in the right direction for sleep.

Reduce Electronics

Remove distractions from the bedroom and anything that could startle you, such as a phone call or text message. This will only heighten your senses again and prevent you from sleeping.

The blue light from laptop and tablet screens is similar to sunlight regarding the light wavelengths being emitted.

This light will fool your circadian rhythm into thinking it’s time for bed and releasing melatonin, the essential hormone for sleep.

Get Comfortable

Make sure your bed is comfortable, and you have supportive pillows that provide adequate support for your head and neck muscles.

If you sleep on your side, try sleeping with a pillow between your legs, this is an excellent way to take the stress of the hip flexors and not put pressure on your inner knees.

Essential Oils

The use of essential oils is common practice for relaxation and inducing sleep. Most of you know that using lavender oil in the bedroom has some therapeutic benefits and is renowned for inducing sleep.

Use essential oil on cotton balls and place it around the room for maximum effect.

Don’t use an essential oil evaporator with a candle. This is a recipe for disaster and a fire hazard in the bedroom.

Play Calming Music

The term calming is subjective, meaning something different to all of us. However, generally, calming music is associated with relaxation and sleep.

There are some great soundtracks online or gently lapping waves along the seashore or the pattering of rain against a window. This rhythmic petition will help clear your mind of thoughts and allow you to sleep faster.

Room Temperature

It is easier to sleep in a cool room. Set the temperature to approximately 18 to 20 Celcius if you become chilly covered with a duvet.

Quiet Room 

Sleeping in a quiet room will allow you to drift off to sleep gently, don’t have any distractions that could make you alert and need you to start the relaxation process again.

What’s The Best Time Of Day To Drink Soda?

The truth is there is never a good time of day to drink soda. Try to replace drinking soda with water.  You may miss the taste at first, but the benefits will become apparent after a short time.

Do you know drinking soda daily is associated with decreased kidney function? By stopping drinking soda, you will lose those extra pounds and inches from your waistline.

You will decrease the effects of obesity, prevent tooth cavities and a whole host of other ailments that come along with drinking high sugar and caffeine carbonated drinks.

If you must drink soda, drink it first thing in the morning and leave the rest of the day burning the additional calories you have ingested.

What Can I Drink To Replace Soda At Night?

If you are preparing for bed and winding down, you could try chamomile tea. It’s refreshing and soothing. It is known for its sleep-induced qualities.

Milk is a good alternative. Many folks recommend a warm glass of milk or milk mixed with their favorite bedtime drink.

Conlusion

So many of you love soda, and it’s understandable. It has become part of our diet.

To sleep better, cut down on soda and better still, try to eliminate soda from your diet. You will notice within a week or two how easy it is to fall asleep at night.

Follow the advice above for sleeping, and you will manage to sleep after drinking sodas during the day.

The combination of soda and caffeine is detrimental to our sleep patterns and our general health. Even in moderation, soda is terrible for our bodies.