Love that afternoon cup of coffee, that can of coke?  You love it, it loves you (by giving you that great boost) and life is good.

Be careful though.

Caffeine could be keeping many of us awake at night because its effects are more long-lasting than we realize. Experts recommend cutting off the caffeine seven hours before bedtime.

Caffeine & You
It's 3:30 in the afternoon. You're feeling lethargic, and it's getting harder and harder to concentrate. If you're like a lot of people, you find yourself craving a jolt of caffeine in the form of coffee or soda. In fact, 58 percent of Americans say they consume caffeinated beverages when they feel sleepy during the day, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Caffeine works as a stimulant to help us stay awake and alert by blocking sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increasing adrenaline production.

If caffeine helps us get through the day with a temporary boost of energy, where's the problem?

Caffeine's effect on sleep lasts longer than many of us realize - anywhere from four to seven hours, warns Dr. Lawrence Epstein, M.D., author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep. So it's altogether possible that your afternoon cup of java may still be keeping you awake at bedtime.

Results from C Drake et al., The effects of caffeien given 0, 3, or 6 hours before bed on objective sleep parameters measured in the home, Sleep 2010; 33 (Suppl.):A107, Abstrack 0306

Even when you finally do fall asleep, caffeine can increase the number of times you wake up during the night and deprive you of deeper or more restorative sleep. When caffeine causes insomnia or fitful sleep, it often creates a cycle of caffeine dependence.

Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, Ph.D., explains: 

The need for caffeine is a Catch-22. If you don't sleep well at night, you're tired during the day.  If you're tired during the day, you drink caffeinated drinks to stay awake and alert.

The experts agree: caffeine is no substitute for a good night's rest. If you find that caffeine is inhibiting your sleep, it's possible to break the caffeine cycle, says Dr. Breus. He recommends a technique called caffeine fading as a good way to cut back without triggering serious withdrawal symptoms. Caffeine fading involves cutting down your consumption at the rate of one-half cup of coffee per day (or the equivalent of your preferred form of caffeine).

The result is a win-win. Less caffeine can lead to better sleep.

And better sleep means you'll need less caffeine.