Which Is Better for Energy, Heart Health, and Sleep?

Coffee can affect your health in many ways, including preventing you from getting enough sleep, making you jittery, and preventing excessive weight gain. Differences in how caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated coffee affect your health, and the benefits and drawbacks of each, depend on your own health.

1. Energy, Alertness, and Strength

Caffeine can increase alertness, energy, and physical abilities.

Common effects include:

• Feeling more awake
• Moving faster
• Improved athletic ability
• Stronger muscle strength

Caffeinated coffee has a more significant impact on these factors than decaffeinated coffee.  

2. Sleep

Caffeine can interfere with your sleep for hours after you consume it. In general, the effects last between four and 12 hours, but could wear off sooner or last longer for some people.

How coffee affects your sleep:

• Caffeinated or decaffeinated: You may need to get up to use the toilet.
• Caffeinated: More sleep disruption, can cause racing thoughts and tossing and turning in bed.

3. Heart Health, Blood Pressure, and Cholesterol

Coffee may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee both lower the risk, but there are a few differences in how each affects risk factors and outcomes:

• Decaffeinated coffee is more beneficial for lowering blood pressure.
• Decaffeinated coffee has more antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
• Caffeinated coffee is more beneficial for weight management.
• Caffeinated coffee is more beneficial for preventing arrhythmia (irregular heart rate).

4. Nervousness and Jitteriness 

Drinking caffeinated beverages can make you jittery, jumpy, restless, and nervous. These effects should wear off within a few hours and could last up to 24 hours for some people. The impact is more noticeable with caffeinated coffee than with decaffeinated coffee. 

5. Anxiety and Depression 

While the reasons are not known, moderate coffee consumption—specifically 2 to 3 cups per day—is associated with a lower rate of anxiety and depression. The results are the same for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that these effects are caused by components of coffee or by lifestyle factors associated with moderate coffee drinking.

6. Headaches 

Caffeine has an impact on headaches. If you don’t regularly consume caffeine, a cup of coffee might make your head pound. But if you skip it when you have gotten used to drinking coffee, the caffeine withdrawal can trigger a headache. 

Caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee can cause headaches or set you up for caffeine withdrawal, and the effects are more intense with caffeinated versions.

7. Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee can both cause stomach upset or diarrhea for some people. But if you’re not having any discomfort when you drink coffee, it’s considered safe for your digestive system.

In fact, moderate coffee consumption of 2 to 4 cups per day has been linked with a lower risk of gastrointestinal disease for people who don’t already have gastrointestinal problems.

8. Weight, Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes Type 2

Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee may help prevent weight gain, and that effect has been shown to help lower the risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes type 2. 

Coffee also counteracts the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, even beyond weight factor, and the effect is equal for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. 

9. Neurological Disorders 

Coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee contains many compounds that protect nerves. The neuroprotective effects could help explain how coffee might lower these risks.

10. Cancer 

Many studies have explored the effects of coffee on different types of cancer. So far, there is no clear answer about the impact. Overall, there’s no consistent evidence that coffee could help treat any specific type of cancer or that it causes any specific type of cancer.