Popular pre-workout supplements can ruin your sleep

“Caffeine typically blocks receptors for adenosine, a neurotransmitter that builds up during the day to increase sleep pressure by evening.” Aarti Grover, MDsays the medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Tufts Medical Center. “Caffeine can also delay the production of melatonin – which is normally produced three to four hours before normal bedtime – which can make it more difficult to fall asleep at the usual time.”

But 217 milligrams is middle The amount of caffeine before exercise. “The amount of caffeine in a pre-workout can vary greatly — 100 milligrams to 400 milligrams — so this amount is really important, especially if you are also consuming caffeine elsewhere.” W. Christopher Winter, MD, Charlottesville neurologist and sleep medicine physician and host Sleep is connected Podcast, says SELF.

“The half-life of caffeine is approximately five to seven hours in most adults, but there is wide variation based on genetics, habitual consumption, and liver metabolism,” says Scott Keatley, RD, co-founder of The Caffeine Company. Ketley Medical Nutrition Therapysays the self. So, if someone takes a typical pre-workout dose at 2 p.m., they may still have at least 75 milligrams of active caffeine in their system at 9 p.m., he notes. “This is enough to reduce sleep latency, interrupted sleep, or deep, non-acute sleep,” Keatley says.

Caitlin Mooney, MDAn assistant professor in the department of sports medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center agrees that caffeine is probably the big problem here. “Caffeine is known to block signals that affect sleep onset, alter our circadian rhythm, and increase our flight or fight response… This can make it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep, and our sleep will be less restorative,” she tells SELF. “Even if a person sleeps well, they may have poorer quality sleep, which may affect their performance in the long term.”