Carbonated soft drinks, whether you call them sodas, pop, coke, or something else, are very popular in the United States. Recent statistics show that 63% of teenagers and 49% of adults regularly consume one of these drinks. Additionally, soft drinks are a major contributor to the typical American diet’s high intake of sugar. Soft drinks have been linked to a wide range of health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and disorders of the heart, kidneys, and liver. Despite their popularity.
Soft drinks have also been shown to have a negative impact on both adults’ and children’s ability to fall asleep. Caffeinated drinkers should be very cautious about this. It is also possible that a lack of activity during the day and greater screen time at night can affect sleep quality indirectly because soft drinks have been connected to both patterns.
You are reading: How Does Soda Affect Sleep? How Can Soda Drinkers Improve Their Sleep?
How Does Soda Affect Sleep?
Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, are classified as such (SSBs). Brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, and glucose are examples of sweeteners. Certain juices and fruit drinks, sports and energy drinks, and coffees and teas with added sugar are all SSBs.
Soft-drink consumption has been linked to a number of sleep disorders, according to scientists. Among them:
Caffeine: 96% of the country’s beverage caffeine intake comes from caffeinated soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while 85% of Americans drink at least one caffeinated beverage daily.
Drinking caffeinated beverages close to bedtime can make it more difficult to drift off to sleep and stay asleep. Adults who sleep five or fewer hours a night are more likely to consume caffeinated SSBs than those who get seven to eight hours of sleep each night, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
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Caffeine consumption at moderate levels during the day is not always harmful.
Caffeinated beverages can also help keep night shift workers awake and aware. In order to prevent the lingering effects of caffeine before night, it’s best to avoid these beverages in the hours preceding up to your normal bedtime.
Weight Gain: The link between SSB consumption and obesity is well-known. Because of their high sugar content, these drinks may contribute to weight gain, according to research. If you drink a 12-ounce amount of a sugary beverage, you could be consuming anywhere from 10 to 13.5 teaspoons of sugar.
Low-calorie counts may potentially be a factor in the obesity epidemic. Even though they contain a lot of sugar, most 12-ounce soft drinks only have 150-170 calories, so they don’t fill you up. As a result, it’s possible that people will have to consume more to make up for the loss.
Certain types of sleep disturbances are made more likely by obesity. Obesity is a key risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder that leads sufferers to experience nighttime awakenings due to choking or gasping for air.
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) also causes shallow breathing while sleeping, which can contribute to excessive daytime drowsiness and fatigue throughout the working day. Those who have OHS have a BMI more than or equal to 30 kg/m2, which places them in the 95th percentile for the adult population.
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You may also be more likely to snore as a result of weight increase, which can disrupt sleep for both you and your partner. People who snore frequently are generally recommended to lose weight as a possible treatment option.
Heartburn: GERD is caused by an under-constriction of a band of muscle in the lower esophagus, which results in heartburn when you eat or drink something that causes the sphincter to relax too much. In some cases, this might lead to reflux, which is when stomach acid is re-introduced into the esophagus. GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a more serious ailment that can cause heartburn on a regular basis (GERD).
Foods and beverages that cause heartburn can disrupt sleep, so persons who frequently experience this discomfort should avoid them. According to one study, drinking SSBs and other carbonated beverages raises your risk of experiencing heartburn, which can lead to sleep disturbances, by 24%.
Nocturia: Having to get up in the middle of the night to pee is known as nocturia, and it can cause sleep disturbances. Nocturia affects around one-third of all individuals. If you have a medical condition or medicine that causes nocturia, drinking caffeinated SSBs before going to sleep may also trigger midnight bathroom breaks.
There may be a bidirectional association between sleep and SSBs, as well. A lack of sleep has been linked to a variety of health issues, including an increased risk of obesity. Ghrelin and leptin are two appetite-regulating hormones that can be affected by sleep deprivation, making you more likely to overeat during the day.
How Can Soda Drinkers Improve Their Sleep?
Studies have shown that cutting back on SSB use can have health benefits, as they contain little nutritional value and can interrupt sleep and cause other health issues. Many others, on the other hand, are unable or unwilling to reduce their sugar intake because of their strong cravings for sweets.
There are a few things you can take to cut back on soda and improve your sleep:
- Coldwater can be used as a substitute for soft drinks. This has the dual benefit of lowering your sugar intake while also increasing your hydration levels.
- Choose a healthy option like milk or 100% fruit juice if you want something tastier than water. If you don’t want to use sugar to sweeten your water, you can use natural components like fruit or cucumbers.
- If you’re in the need of a caffeine kick in the morning, opt for unsweetened coffee or tea instead of soda. All caffeinated beverages should be avoided in the afternoon and at night, respectively. You’ll be able to get to sleep on time if you do this.
- Check the nutritional labels on all beverages you consume to be sure they don’t have a lot of sugar or caffeine in them.
Source: https://bestpillowsleepers.com
Category: Sleep Advisors
