Getting a good night's sleep is essential to function properly throughout the day.

If you’re experiencing restless nights, these drinks could be the reason why. In order to get a good night’s sleep, you should avoid drinking these in the afternoon or before bed:

• Coffee
• Alcohol
• Soda
• Black Tea
• Green Tea

If you can get through the day without that last cup of joe, you will have an easier time falling and staying asleep. But why is that? Keep reading to find out how coffee, alcohol, soda, and black and green tea can negatively impact your quality of sleep.

Coffee

In a recent study by the Journal of Biological Rhythms, participants who drank coffee in the afternoon expressed a significant increase in difficulty when it came to falling asleep. In addition, participants woke up more frequently throughout the night and expressed not feeling well-rested the following morning.

Alcohol

Even though alcohol induces sleepiness, it is directly linked to poor sleep quality and decreased sleep duration. Studies show that alcoholism can lead to insomnia and worsen symptoms of sleep apnea. 

In other words, drinking alcohol before bed can significantly impact your sleep cycle, circadian rhythm, and mood.

Soda

Did you know that almost 50% of adults consume at least one carbonated beverage a day? If you want to get a good night’s sleep, you should avoid drinking soda before bed. 

Not only is soda concentrated with added sugar, but it is also a major source of caffeine. Consequently, like coffee, soda can keep you up at night, contribute to restless sleep, and affect your overall health and mood.

Black and Green Tea

Black and green teas are some of the most caffeinated teas on the market. If you drink black or green tea before bed, you will surely be up all night, making them some of the worst drinks you can drink before bed.

As you can see, drinking any of the above-mentioned drinks can drastically impact your sleep cycle. But why is getting a good night’s sleep so important? Keep reading to find out.

Sleep is a necessary function for your body to get the rest it needs. A good night’s sleep allows your brain to recharge, store memories, and process information.

Sleep also helps the body fight diseases, heal, and grow. Without enough sleep, your immune system won’t work as effectively as it should, making you vulnerable to getting sick. In addition, sleep greatly affects your brain’s learning and memory functioning.

One of the most important phases of your sleep cycle is known as REM sleep. REM sleep is the deep-sleep phase of your sleep cycle. But what is REM sleep?

The dreaming phase of your sleep cycle is known as the REM cycle. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement; this phase got its name thanks to the way our eyes move rapidly in a range of directions during this period of sleep.

Typically, REM sleep occurs ninety minutes after you fall asleep and can be experienced variably throughout the night. Because your brain is most active during REM sleep, you can have vivid dreams during this phase. REM sleep is important because it strengthens your brain’s learning muscles and supports your body’s production of proteins.

There are three phases of the sleep cycle. They are:

• Phase 1

Your eyes are closed but you are sleeping lightly and could wake easily (10 minutes)

• Phase 2

Your heart slows and body temperature drops as your body prepares for deep sleep (25 minutes)

• Phase 3

You are in deep sleep mode, experiencing phases of NREM and REM sleep

Now you know about the different phases of the sleep cycle and how important it is to get a quality night’s sleep. You also know why it’s essential to avoid the above-mentioned drinks before bed:

Drinking certain drinks before bed can greatly impact your sleep quality. So what can you do if you’re someone who enjoys a soothing beverage before bed?

Not to worry! There are plenty of delicious and calming beverages that you can drink before bed without negatively impacting your sleep cycle. Continue reading to learn more.

When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, nothing should ever stand in your way. If you really want to wake up feeling well-rested, check out this list of drinks designed to help you fall and stay asleep throughout the whole night:

• NightCap
• Chamomile Tea
• Cherry juice
• Warm Milk 
• Almond Milk
• Valerian Tea
• Coconut Water
• Herbal Tea with Lemon Balm
• Peppermint tea
• Ashwagandha tea

As you can see, there are plenty of calming drinks out there that can actually improve your quality of sleep instead of negatively impacting it. But what exactly are the benefits of these bedtime beverages? 

Let’s discuss their health benefits below.

The beverages listed above are all infused with a very special mineral known as Magnesium. Click here to learn more about Magnesium and its wide breadth of health benefits. 

In short, drinks or foods with Magnesium in them can significantly improve your ability to fall and stay asleep. This is because Magnesium helps regulate your Melatonin levels. Melatonin is also known as the sleep hormone.

Because Magnesium helps regulate your melatonin levels, the above-mentioned bedtime beverages can help you get a good night’s sleep, minus the midnight trips to the restroom.

Increasing your daily Magnesium intake is a great place to start if you want to get a deeper night’s sleep. Did you know you can increase your daily Magnesium intake with the foods you eat, too?

Generally, the best sources of Magnesium are nuts, seeds, beans, greens, grains, wheat, and oats. Here is a list of the many Magnesium-rich foods we can eat to maintain sufficient Magnesium levels:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Peanuts
• Black beans
• Edamame 
• Avocado
• Potato
• Whole wheat bread
• Bananas
• Oatmeal
• Cereal
• Dark chocolate
• Salmon
• Raisins
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Apples
• Brown rice
• Plain yogurt

Magnesium is everywhere! As you can see, there are plenty of foods rich in Magnesium, so even picky eaters can incorporate a healthy amount of Magnesium into their diets.

My personal favorite Magnesium supplement and bedtime beverage is NightCap. Keep reading to learn more about NightCap below.

NightCap is also a great source of Magnesium and one of the best drinks you can drink before bed. In addition, NightCap is a great source of Zinc, L-Glycine, Ashwagandha, PharmaGABA, and Rutaecarpine. 

Each of the above-listed ingredients is not only natural but beneficial to your health. Click on each link to find out more about the ingredients that make NightCap my personal favorite drink to drink before bed.

As you can see, NightCap is an evening cocktail chock-full of healthful, all-natural ingredients designed to help you achieve the best night’s sleep possible. Not only does NightCap reduce stress and anxiety, but it maximizes your REM sleep, the dream phase of your sleep cycle.

Not only can NightCap help your body achieve deeper REM sleep, but NightCap helps you sleep through the night without waking up. In addition, NightCap contains zero calories and zero grams of sugar. It almost sounds too good to be true! 

It’s safe to say that NightCap is a great way to end the day. You can even make it part of your bedtime routine; relax and wind down with NightCap to get the night’s sleep of your dreams.