Coffee lovers, nobody panic. We’re not here to confiscate your morning flat white.
But if perimenopause or menopause has brought hot flushes, night sweats or sleep that has become more temperamental than a toddler who skipped their nap, you might have started wondering whether caffeine is helping matters.
The answer? It could be worth paying attention to.
Caffeine is a stimulant and can affect sleep, while menopause guidance also recommends considering caffeine as a potential trigger for hot flushes and night sweats. [1,2] That doesn't mean everyone going through menopause needs to ditch coffee, tea and chocolate and live exclusively on herbal infusions.
It does mean that understanding where caffeine is hiding, how much you're consuming and when you're consuming it can be useful.
So, kettle on. Here's what you need to know.
What exactly is caffeine?
Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in a number of plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa beans.
Most of us immediately think coffee, but caffeine can also turn up in:
- Black tea
- Green tea
- White tea
- Matcha
- Cola
- Energy drinks
- Chocolate
- Certain food supplements and medicines
And the amount can add up surprisingly quickly.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), a 200 ml cup of filter coffee contains approximately 90 mg of caffeine, while a 60 ml espresso contains around 80 mg. A 220 ml cup of black tea contains approximately 50 mg, while a standard 250 ml energy drink provides around 80 mg. [1]
The actual amount in your cup can vary depending on the product, portion size and how it has been prepared.
For healthy adults in the general population, EFSA concludes that caffeine intakes of up to 400 mg per day, consumed throughout the day, do not raise safety concerns. Single doses of up to 200 mg also generally do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults. Different guidance applies during pregnancy. [1]
But "considered safe" and "doesn't affect how I feel" are two very different things.
Can caffeine make menopause symptoms worse?
Possibly, particularly when it comes to hot flushes and night sweats, although the evidence isn't strong enough to say that caffeine will worsen these symptoms for everyone.
Menopause guidance from NHS sources recommends cutting down on caffeine if you're experiencing hot flushes and night sweats. [3] Cambridge University Hospitals, for example, states that caffeine can make hot flushes and night sweats worse and recommends trying decaffeinated drinks, particularly later in the day. [2]
There is also research examining an association between caffeine consumption and vasomotor symptoms, the scientific name for symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. [4]
The important word here is association.
Research showing that people who consume caffeine report more bothersome hot flushes doesn't necessarily prove that caffeine directly caused those symptoms. Menopause is complicated, bodies are complicated and caffeine is only one of many factors that may influence how you feel.
So no, your cappuccino hasn't necessarily betrayed you.
But if you're experiencing troublesome hot flushes or night sweats, reducing caffeine for a while and observing what happens is a perfectly reasonable experiment.
Caffeine and sleep: this relationship is much clearer
Sleep and caffeine have a considerably better-established relationship.
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system [1], which is precisely why many of us reach for it when we're tired. Very useful at 8am. Potentially less charming when your brain is still enthusiastically online at bedtime.
EFSA states that a single dose of 100 mg of caffeine may affect sleep duration and sleep patterns in some adults, particularly when consumed close to bedtime. [1]
And caffeine can hang around longer than you might expect.
In a controlled study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, researchers gave participants 400 mg of caffeine either at bedtime or three or six hours before bedtime. Caffeine significantly disrupted sleep at all three timings, including when it was consumed six hours before bed. [5]
That doesn't mean one cup of black tea six hours before bed will definitely keep you awake. The study used a substantial 400 mg dose, and individual sensitivity varies.
But it does demonstrate something important: the timing of caffeine matters, and its effects don't necessarily disappear just because you drank it several hours ago.
And menopause can already make sleep difficult
Which brings us to the slightly annoying bit.
Sleep problems are common during perimenopause and menopause. Hot flushes and night sweats can disturb sleep, while hormonal changes and other menopause symptoms can make getting a good night's rest more difficult.
Add late-day caffeine into the mix and, for some people, you're potentially giving an already complicated sleep situation another obstacle.
This is why cutting caffeine doesn't have to mean breaking up with coffee completely.
If you're struggling with sleep, you could start by changing when you have it.
Morning coffee? Carry on and see how you feel.
Coffee with lunch? Possibly fine for you.
Double espresso after dinner when you're already struggling to sleep?
Your pillow may wish to lodge a formal complaint.
Tea counts too. Sorry.
We know. Deeply inconvenient.
Traditional tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis, which naturally contains caffeine. That includes black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea. Matcha contains caffeine too.
So swapping coffee for green tea doesn't automatically mean you've gone caffeine-free.
This isn't a reason to avoid tea. It simply means it's worth knowing what you're drinking if you're consciously trying to reduce your caffeine intake.
What about decaf?
Decaf is an excellent option if you adore the taste and ritual of coffee or tea but want less caffeine.
However, decaffeinated doesn't necessarily mean completely caffeine-free. Decaffeination removes most of the caffeine, but small amounts may remain.
If you're specifically looking for something naturally caffeine-free, that's where herbal and fruit infusions come in.
Herbal tea vs herbal infusion: what's the difference?
We often call almost anything involving a mug, hot water and some leaves "tea", but technically there's a difference.
True teas, including black, green, white and oolong tea, are made using leaves from Camellia sinensis.
Herbal infusions can instead be made from herbs, flowers, fruits, spices and other botanicals.
Many of these ingredients are naturally caffeine-free, making herbal infusions an easy option when you fancy something warm without adding more caffeine to your day.
Rooibos, peppermint, chamomile and many fruit infusions, for example, are naturally caffeine-free.
But don't assume that anything labelled "herbal" automatically contains no caffeine. Blends can contain tea leaves alongside herbs and botanicals.
Check the ingredients.
Your glasses may now be required for tea shopping. We don't make the rules.
Should you give up caffeine during menopause?
Not automatically.
If your morning coffee is one of life's little pleasures and you're sleeping beautifully with no obvious connection between caffeine and your symptoms, there isn't evidence to suggest that everyone going through menopause needs to give it up.
If you're dealing with hot flushes, night sweats or disrupted sleep, however, reducing your caffeine intake is one lifestyle change worth experimenting with. [1,2]
And experiment really is the useful word here.
You might try:
- Having caffeinated drinks earlier in the day
- Swapping your afternoon coffee for decaf
- Replacing an evening black tea with a naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion
- Checking caffeine from less obvious sources such as chocolate, cola and energy drinks
- Keeping a simple diary of caffeine intake, sleep, hot flushes and night sweats for a couple of weeks
Change one thing at a time where possible. Otherwise, if you suddenly give up coffee, alcohol, spicy food and your 10pm doom-scrolling habit all on Monday and sleep brilliantly by Friday, you'll have absolutely no idea which one deserves the medal.
Choosing a caffeine-free herbal infusion
If you want to reduce caffeine without losing the ritual of making a cuppa, a herbal infusion is an easy swap.
Start with the ingredients.
If the blend contains black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong or matcha, it isn't naturally caffeine-free. If you're specifically avoiding caffeine, look for a product clearly labelled caffeine-free and check the ingredient list.
Then comes the much more enjoyable question: what do you actually fancy drinking?
Something fresh and minty? Something fruity? Something floral? Something warming and spicy?
Reducing caffeine doesn't have to mean replacing something delicious with a mug of vaguely flavoured sadness.
Your evening cuppa should still feel like a treat.
The bottom line
Caffeine and menopause don't require an all-or-nothing relationship.
There is good evidence that caffeine can interfere with sleep, particularly at higher doses and when consumed later in the day. Menopause guidance also recommends reducing caffeine as one measure that may help people experiencing hot flushes and night sweats.
But everyone's response is different.
Rather than automatically banishing your beloved morning coffee, pay attention to your own body. Look at how much caffeine you're consuming, where it's coming from and what time you're having it.
Perhaps coffee stays.
Perhaps the afternoon one becomes decaf.
Perhaps your evening brew becomes a caffeine-free herbal infusion.
Your body, your cuppa, your rules.
References
1. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Caffeine.
European Food Safety Authority.
EFSA provides information on caffeine's effects on the central nervous system, typical caffeine content of common foods and drinks, safe intake levels and effects on sleep. EFSA states that single doses of 100 mg may affect sleep duration and sleep patterns in some adults, particularly when consumed close to bedtime, while intakes of up to 400 mg per day generally do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults in the general population, excluding pregnant women.
Source: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Caffeine.
https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/caffeine
2. NHS. Things you can do to help menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
National Health Service (NHS).
NHS guidance lists caffeine among the potential triggers that people experiencing hot flushes and night sweats can try avoiding or reducing, alongside spicy food, hot drinks, smoking and alcohol.
Source: NHS, Things you can do to help menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/
3. Faubion SS, Sood R, Thielen JM, Shuster LT. Caffeine and menopausal symptoms: what is the association? Menopause. 2015;22(2):155–158.
This cross-sectional study analysed data from 1,806 women attending the Mayo Clinic Women's Health Clinic. Caffeine use was associated with greater vasomotor symptom bother in postmenopausal women. As an observational study, however, it demonstrates an association rather than establishing that caffeine causes or worsens vasomotor symptoms.
DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000301
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25051286/
4. Drake C, Roehrs T, Shambroom J, Roth T. Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2013;9(11):1195–1200.
This controlled study investigated the effects of a 400 mg dose of caffeine taken at bedtime, three hours before bedtime and six hours before bedtime. Caffeine significantly affected sleep disturbance compared with placebo at all three timings, supporting the conclusion that substantial caffeine consumption even several hours before bedtime can interfere with sleep.
DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.3170
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24235903/
This article is intended for general educational purposes and does not replace personalised medical advice. If menopause symptoms are affecting your everyday life or you're concerned about your symptoms, speak to a qualified healthcare professional.
