Cowboys drinking coffee before going to bed?

[His lordship.]

For years I have watched cowboy movies where they drink coffee before going to sleep.  Coffee is a caffeinated beverage, a stimulant.  Why would anyone drink something like that if they wanted to get a good night's sleep?

The only thing I can think of is that they were so tired, that they needed a few extra minutes of consciousness for harmonica music.  Did they really drink coffee before sleeping, or is that a myth?

Thanks. 

[tunnug]

I worked with someone that would drink coffee at all times of day/night and still get a good nights sleep, I actually witness it one night at a party, he'd been drinking coffee and next thing you know he's asleep on the couch, and I know it wasn't from drinking alcohol, he wasn't much of a drinker.

[BUGEYE]

years ago I saw an old black woman interviewed on her 100th b-day. she said her secret was a strong sweet cup of coffee at bedtime.

[Ranch13]

It's not a myth.

[Duke0313]

Most folks like to have a little drink of water before beddin' down for the night, but keep in mind their water sources...rivers, creeks, mudholes, etc. Coffee wasn't just used as a stimulant, they had to flavor up that muddy-tastin' crick water with something!

[jlwilliams]

Most folks like to have a little drink of water before beddin' down for the night, but keep in mind their water sources...rivers, creeks, mudholes, etc. Coffee wasn't just used as a stimulant, they had to flavor up that muddy-tastin' crick water with something!

  Not just flavor it, but kill the bacteria.  I don't think they knew about microbes at that time, but they would have known that straight stream water could make you sick but coffee wouldn't.  That would be an observation you don't need a microscope to make .
 
  I used to drink so much coffee that I could sleep as soon as I drank it.  It got to the point where I swear the coffee would make me drowsy.  I cut back to one in the AM and sometimes one for the afternoon drive and I feel much better all around.

[briarpatch]

Never could see how anyone could drink the stuff. I would prefer the muddy creek water.

[.22-5-40]

Hello, everyone.  My wife's grandfather used to make a big pot of black coffee & drink the whole thing before going to bed!  Always mixed three or four differen't kinds of cerals for breakfast, right to the end complained how GM forced him out at 65...he collected his pension for another 30 years!  That man died at 100!

[mcwoodduck]

I would guess they drank Coffee all the time.  Not so much for the caffine but for the health reasons.  Out and about on the range who knows what the quality of the water was and boiling it killed any micro critters.  The water they picked up along the way was surface water and not well water.  Even if the caffine effected them badly at night it was better than having the leaping screaming red butt.

[jlwilliams]

"Leaping, screaming red butt"   Avoid it at any cost .

[Buckskin]

I know plenty of people who drink coffee at night. If your body is used to it, no big thing.
 
Also you realize that these cowboys likely got up at the crack of dawn, riding the range all day working their butts off 7 days a week and using a saddle for a pillow.  I don't think a little caffine would do much to keep them awake...

[garbhead]

Perhaps they drank it to keep them from sleeping TOO soundly, else they might wake up in the mornin dead w/slit throat....

[cowboy66]

I knew an old cowboy in Montana that drank coffee all the time, it never seemed to affect him. When you went over to visit you drank coffee and you cup never got cold or empty for that matter, talk about a hang over. I guess he was used to it.

[Dixiejack]

Well see, the movie cowboys never got up in the middle of the night to pee, so they drank coffee and got up to check on the horses.   

[BUGEYE]

"Leaping, screaming red butt"   Avoid it at any cost .

that would be rough on someone who sat a hard-seat saddle all day.