Studies show that festive drinks from popular coffee shops contain the equivalent of six cups of instant coffee in just one drink – and this can affect your sleep rhythm.
Research conducted by sleep experts at MattressNextDay revealed the caffeine content in each Christmas-themed coffee currently sold by foreign coffee cafes Pret, Costa, McDonald's and Starbucks.
Studies from the BBC show that 400 mg of caffeine is the maximum that should be consumed daily - and that more than this can affect your ability to fall asleep, reduce your sleep time, or even diminish the quality of your sleep.
The experts concluded: "If you drank a coffee from Pret and then ate an average-sized dark chocolate (70 mg), this would exceed the daily maximum and thus affect your sleep that night."
Other drinks on the "list of culprits" include Costa's Sticky Toffee Latte, Roasted Hazelnut Latte, and Gingerbread Latte, all equivalent to three and a half cups of instant coffee (200 mg).
In third place were McDonald's Caramel Waffle and Toffee Nut Latte, each equivalent to two and a half cups of instant coffee (153 mg).
Greggs Orange Mocha, Mint Mocha, Vanilla Latte, and Salted Caramel Latte were all found to be the same as two and a half cups of instant coffee (150 mg).
The experts stated: "It takes at least eight hours to break down just half of what you consume, so if you buy a festive coffee from Pret, Costa, McDonald's, or Greggs, make sure it's not within this timeframe. For example, if you usually go to bed at 10 PM, make sure to drink your last (or first) coffee no later than 2 PM."
However, it's not all bad, and there is also a "fine list" of coffees with less caffeine.
Starbucks had the lowest amount of caffeine with their Toffee Nut, Gingerbread, Caramel Waffle, Chocolatey Gingerbread, and Eggnog Latte, all equivalent to just one cup of coffee (66.2 mg), and their Frappuccino versions were even lower with only half a cup of coffee (32.7 mg).
