Sleep Forum

[Emilie]

Congratulations - you're past the halfway mark in the 6 Week Sleep Challenge!

This week we are turning it up a notch and asking you to give up caffeinated drinks before bed! Share your tips and struggles with your fellow challengers below.

What tips and tricks have you found useful in avoiding caffeine? What’s your favourite alternative to caffeine?

Don’t forget to share your experiences below for your chance to win one of 5 x A.H. Beard Sleep Dot, Mini Sleep Trackers.

[sleepylouise]

Try a wide range of caffeine free teas to use as substitute, it took me ages to fine one I liked!

[dvgiles@adam.com.au]

I really enjoy sipping on my green tea and water throughout the day.
Also I'm loving my new adjustable massage bed, it is the best bed purchase I have ever made. Thank you AH BEARD.. cheers Val

[lynette.rowbotham]

I don't drink coffee or tea after lunch. I already live everything you have suggested but have very broken sleep and am usually awake and stay awake from 4am. If we have cuddles and sex when we go to bed I don't go to sleep at all. Is there any help for me?

[Tardis]

Bought myself some T2 Nighty Night tea. Going to try that this week. Cutting back on my coffee - that's a huge step!. See how that goes. Good luck everybody

[Kerryanne]

[quote] I don't tend to coffee at all in the afternoon, instead have a nice herbal tea and have just started having apple cider vinegar and honey just before bed which is really helping me sleep

[DrCarmel]

I really enjoy sipping on my green tea and water throughout the day.
Also I'm loving my new adjustable massage bed, it is the best bed purchase I have ever made. Thank you AH BEARD.. cheers Val

That's great news - cutting out tea and coffee late in the day can make a huge difference to our ability to sleep. Just be aware though that green tea is also a stimulant so be careful not to drink that in the late afternoon/early evening as it too could affect your sleep. Keep up the good work, Dr Carmel

[DrCarmel]

I don't drink coffee or tea after lunch. I already live everything you have suggested but have very broken sleep and am usually awake and stay awake from 4am. If we have cuddles and sex when we go to bed I don't go to sleep at all. Is there any help for me?

It's good news that you do all the things suggested to improve your sleep, but bad news that your good behaviours around sleep are not being rewarded by good sleep. It may be that you need to keep track of when you get up every morning as our getting-up time determines our ability to sleep that night. If your wake up times vary by more than 1 hour, your body will find it difficult to get into a routine and may make going to sleep problematic. Keep in mind that as a rule of thumb, our body is ready to go back to sleep 16 hours after wake up. So if you wake up at 7am, you will be ready to go to sleep at 11pm. If we try to sleep much earlier than that we may end up just tossing and turning making sleep ever more elusive.
As to the difficulty of sleeping after sex, for many of us sex may induce sleep but for others it can make them hyper-alert. So next time, instead of trying to go to sleep straightaway get up and move to another room, light some candles and do a relaxation or mindfulness exercise . By doing this you reduce the activity of your awake pathways in your brain and instead stimulate your sleep pathways which hopefully will help you get to sleep. Good luck! Dr Carmel

[DrCarmel]

I don't tend to coffee at all in the afternoon, instead have a nice herbal tea and have just started having apple cider vinegar and honey just before bed which is really helping me sleep

Always good to hear new ideas of a good nightcap. Apple cider vinegar also has some great gut health effects but for anyone who wishes to try it just make sure that you don't drink it straight . Just a couple of tablespoons in a cup of water will work a treat. Sweet dreams! Dr Carmel

[Allyoop]

Never actually been a coffee drinker but I did drink tea. Changed to herbal or decaf green tea and love them. There's even chocolate tea for those times you want a sweet kick