More energy was the biggest change I noticed once I cut out the diet soda. And that's how you can end up drinking soda after soda just to maintain a baseline. Under normal circumstances, our bodies are well-oiled machines. Or good old-fashioned water. Black please! But soda inhibits one of those important reminders — the one we need to sleep. However, it's not just sugary beverages putting you at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes. Alcohol is related to 7 different cancer types. Soda is certainly far from the optimal health drink. You can opt for classic colas, add some spice by getting a root or birch beer, or go all out with fruity flavors like orange and grape sodas. Believe it or not, you might want to cut soda out of your diet if that's the case. When you drink, you typically fall straight into a deep sleep, missing the important rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The artificial ingredients in diet soda make anyone who drinks it crave more sugar. The rate of telomere shortening can be either increased or decreased by specific lifestyle factors. The more soda you drink, the greater your risk of having a heart attack — at least that's what researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say. Did you know your diet soda can actually affect the way all other foods taste? You might not be able to achieve the luscious hair seen in hair commercials without the help of professional hairstylists, but, if you stop drinking soda, you could boost your hair health. Have you ever heard that you need to drink eight glasses of water every day in order to stay properly hydrated? She revealed to The List, "The reason behind that frequent feeling of wanting to urinate is caffeine, which is in soda and other beverages like coffee and tea. The National Sleep Foundation noted that it takes several hours for caffeine to work its way out of your system, stating, "It takes about 6 hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated." If it's one soda a day, you may lose 15 pounds in a year. Don't be surprised if you seem drunker than your friend drinking a beer. Once this initial hungover feeling passes, you should start feeling better. Once your body prepares for all the sugar it thinks it's going to get from diet soda, it needs to get it from somewhere. PARTNER & LICENSEE OF THE LIVESTRONG FOUNDATION. Do you have dreams of one day retiring with your spouse and finally taking that trip around the world? "Quitting soda, including diet soda, also reduces your risk for bladder cancer," she continued. That year, more than 4,300 people pledged not to drink any alcohol for the month. Mmm, soda. Here are just a few of the changes you could experience when you put the diet soda down. any of the products or services that are advertised on the web site. Researchers found that study participants who drank Sprite Zero daily were almost three times more likely to choose candy over gum or water than those who didn't drink a diet beverage. There are some topics that don't exactly make for good dinner table conversation, and your restroom habits are one of them. Once you give up your diet soda habit, you will most likely feel less hungry during the day. "Although diet sodas are aimed at those looking to manage their weight and achieve weight loss, they are often the number one culprit sabotaging your diet," health, fitness, and nutrition expert Jenny Abouobaia told me.