# Stevia. Does it interfere with sleep?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 6, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981 "2014-03-06T02:13:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/1 "2014-03-06T02:13:57Z")
Just started drinking a soda with stevia rather than aspartame. 1 at about 5pm.
Have had trouble sleeping the last 2 nites. Anyone else notice this?
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/2 "2014-03-06T02:17:36Z")
That would be the ricin.
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### Author:  [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/3 "2014-03-06T02:26:39Z")
I beg your pardon? Please elaborate.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/4 "2014-03-06T02:35:44Z")
WebMD doesn’t mention insomnia as a side effect - [http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-682-stevia.aspx?activeIngredientId=682&activeIngredientName=stevia](http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-682-stevia.aspx?activeIngredientId=682&activeIngredientName=stevia)
There are many sites that list insomnia as a side effect, but some also say it causes brain tumors and bad hair, so that doesn’t prove much.
LiveStrong mentions anecdotal accounts of insomnia, but again, that’s not really data: [Drugs and Medications | livestrong](http://www.livestrong.com/article/477429-problems-with-truvia/)
> [@](#):
>
> Potential Side Effects
> The most common side effect of erythritol, one of the main components of Truvia, is digestive problems. In many individuals, consuming erythritol causes a laxative effect because the chemical compounds in the sweetener are not completely absorbed into the digestive system. In 2008, the Public Health and Medical Fraud Research Cooperative performed an extensive study that showed erythritol caused calcium and potassium loss through the urine that could damage kidney function over time. Nutritionist Sarah Vaughter, founder of Vaughter Wellness, compiled a database of personal accounts of Truvia reactions, which included bad breath, a metallic taste in the mouth, headaches, lethargy and even **insomnia**.
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### Author:  [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/5 "2014-03-06T03:12:46Z")
Any chance it’s a higher caffeine content than you’re used to, rather than the stevia?
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### Author:  [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/6 "2014-03-06T03:48:37Z")
Thinking perhaps, caffeine is listed as an ingredient, but not as a percentage, but hard to think it’s more than Diet Coke.
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### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/7 "2014-03-06T04:38:27Z")
What brand of stevia soda are you drinking?
I switches to Zevia, which uses stevia and erythritol, and I haven’t noticed a difference.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/8 "2014-03-06T05:08:11Z")
I use stevia and have never noticed this, whether it was commercially prepared or I grew it myself.
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/9 "2014-03-06T05:13:23Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#):
>
> I beg your pardon? Please elaborate.
Sorry, pop culture reference. Wasn’t serious.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/10 "2014-03-06T15:10:18Z")
Moved Cafe Society to IMHO.
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### Author:  [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/11 "2014-03-06T16:02:33Z")
Bad taste in your mouth might interfere.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stevia-does-it-interfere-with-sleep/682981/12 "2014-03-06T23:07:54Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#):
>
> Thinking perhaps, caffeine is listed as an ingredient, but not as a percentage, but hard to think it’s more than Diet Coke.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the formula were a bit different, though. Stevia does not taste the same as other sweeteners, not even remotely. It’s not just bitter, it has an actual taste to it.