At Woollahra Dental Practice would like to share some interesting information from The Sleep Health Foundation about caffeine and sleep How can caffeine affect my sleep? Caffeine is a drug that acts as a stimulant, both mentally and physically. It is found in many drinks and foods that are common in our everyday life. These include tea, coffee, chocolate and cola drinks. Many people do not think of it as a drug. It can be bad for your sleep in three ways. Firstly it can make it harder to go to sleep. Secondly it can make you sleep more lightly and wake up more often during the night. Thirdly, it may make you have to get up to go to the toilet during the night. Some people need more caffeine than others to have the same effect. As a rule, caffeine takes about an hour to reach peak levels in your body. Its effects can last from four to six hours, but your body needs about 24 hours to completely eliminate it. Many people who consume a lot of caffeine think that it no longer stops