Actually don't drink coffee at night

Coffee that is drunk at night will reset the body's internal clock which is in charge of regulating various biological functions and genes according to the daily cycle at night or during the day.

Research evidence shows that caffeine's effects go beyond just making it difficult for a person to sleep. Reporting from the Independent page, scientists report, drinking coffee with the equivalent of a double espresso, three hours before bed, can change the body clock back to an hour earlier.

Caffeine resets the body clock by delaying the rise in levels of melatonin, the body's main sleep hormone. Fluctuating levels of melatonin help determine the body's natural time to go to sleep and wake up from sleep.

Two teams from England and the United States conducted a study on a number of volunteers, and observed what happened to the cells of individuals exposed to caffeine.

Lead researcher John O'Neill of the Medical Research Laboratory of Molecular Biology in London said the effects of caffeine on sleep making a person awake had long been known, but the underlying impact on the body clock was unknown.

"These findings have important implications for people with circadian sleep disorders, where their normal 24-hour body clock doesn't work properly, or even help people with jet lag."

"Our findings also provide a complete explanation for why some people find it difficult to sleep if they drink coffee at night, namely because their internal clock thinks they are an hour ahead."

Body clock patterns, also known as circadian rhythms, are regulated by a master clock in the brain that regulates the release of melatonin. The mechanism that synchronizes the clocks that exist throughout the body down to the individual cellular level is itself regulated by exposure to light entering the eye.

Disruption of the body's internal clock, for example, in shift shift workers as well as those who experience jet lag, can increase the risk of various types of cancer, heart disease, type two diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's.