The question often arises…

Can drinking yerba mate before bed help you sleep, or will it keep you up?

This post will be from my personal experience.

I’ve sipped yerba mate before bed many times. Not because I wanted to see if it would help cure my insomnia, but because I needed the slight caffeine kick to get work done.

And in a second, you’ll learn how it affected (or didn’t affect) my sleep.

Before I show you though, you need to know this…

It’s Not Proven

At the time of writing this, there are no scientific studies — that I was able to find at least — that proved yerba mate helps cure insomnia, induce REM sleep, or anything of the like.

Everything you’ve heard about yerba mate in relation to sleep is nearly all speculation.

This post is the same.

I’ll only be sharing what I’ve noticed. As well as what others have shared on the web.

But again, none of this is definitive. Everyone’s experience seems to be different (mine included).

If you really want to know if drinking yerba mate before bed is a good idea, you’re going to have to try it out yourself.

Now that that’s out of the way, what did I notice about drinking yerba in the evening?

Yerba Mate Before Bed

[Picture source]

My experience is what’s expected.

Every time I drank yerba mate before bed (3 hours before at most), I couldn’t sleep. This is obviously because of the caffeine. But by not being able to sleep, I really mean I could NOT sleep.

My mind would race non-stop. Every time I closed my eyes, I’d just get restless and open them again. And after about 30 minutes of trying to forcefully put myself to sleep, I’d eventually doze off. But then wake up after about another 30-60 minutes.

Through the night, this cycle would continue until it’s finally morning.

Now, of course there may be other factors that might be causing this instead of yerba mate. But of all the times drinking it at night, the above always happened.

Is this the case for everyone though?

Of course not.

Here’s what others have said about drinking yerba mate at night…

Mixed Results

Unlike me, some have reported that drinking yerba mate before bed actually helped them fall asleep. And it also improved the quality of it.

Although I’ve never experienced this, I can see how others might.

Yerba mate contains compounds that help with relaxation. This is noticeable immediately, at least for me. It’s almost like a soothing wave takes over your body. And this might help some fall asleep.

Another reason you might experience better sleep with yerba mate is because it contains magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, and other nutrients which help aid sleep. But I wouldn’t say this has as much of an effect as its calming and relaxing effects do.

Above all though, the most plausible reason why some people can/cannot sleep after drinking mate is tolerance.

If you drink liter by liter of mate everyday, the chances of its caffeine affecting your sleep is likely very low, as opposed to someone who only drinks it every now and then.

Remember, this only pertains to drinking mate before bed. Drinking mate in the morning is a completely different story. It barely affects my sleep.

Final Words On Yerba Mate And Sleep

Drinking yerba mate before bed may or may not help with sleep.

In the morning, it might help. But at night, everyone’s experience has been different. For myself, it worsens my insomnia and sleeplessness. While for some, it doesn’t do anything. And for others, it actually helps.

Again, there’s no definite answer.

You’ll have to try it out. I encourage you to too because it just might help.

Now, let’s address the second topic of this post…

Yerba Mate And Lucid Dreaming

Does yerba mate help you lucid dream?

First, here’s how Wikipedia defines a lucid dream: a lucid dream is a dream during which the dreamer is aware of dreaming.

Although I’ve never lucid dreamed after drinking mate, I did experience more frequent vivid dreams. This is in spite of the time of day I consumed it too. I only drink mate in the morning anyways, yet by the time I go to sleep, my dreams are as real as can be.

Now it’s worth mentioning that I’ve never lucid dreamed before. If you can already lucid dream however, maybe yerba mate can help you with it in some way. Many people have claimed guayusa to be incredible when it comes to lucid dreaming too.

How?

I have no idea. Neither does anyone else. Like with yerba mate helping with sleep, there are no definitive studies to back this either.

What I assume though is the effects of yerba mate in waking life (concentration, relaxation, focus, clarity) carrying over into your dream-life.

Summary

We know yerba mate is a powerful herb.

But to say drinking it before bed is great for sleep and lucid dreaming is wishful thinking (in the morning, this might be the case though). Remember, there are no studies to back this. Only personal anecdotes. And of those accounts, the results are still mixed.

The most you can assume from all this is for some, yerba mate can affect sleep and dreaming.

Again, you’ll have to try and find out yourself.

Have you drank yerba mate before bed? Leave a comment and share your experience!

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, you might want to check out our store offering yerba mate, mate gourds, and bombillas because you might like something.