Coffee and Sleep
Keep your morning coffee, swap the afternoon one for water. A caffeine cutoff at 14:00.
For coffee drinkers who have trouble falling asleep at night. Coffee stays; it just moves to the first half of the day, and in the afternoon a glass of water takes its place, which takes a minute a day.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Morning
- 7:30Have your first coffeeFood · Every day
When you finish breakfast, have your first coffee of the day. Keep a single serving under 200 mg of caffeine; a cup of filter coffee has about 90, an espresso about 80.
How much caffeine. EFSA considers up to 400 mg of caffeine a day and up to 200 mg at once safe, and up to 200 mg a day during pregnancy and breastfeeding (EFSA 2015).
Afternoon
- 14:00Have your last caffeineFood · Every day
When you finish your after-lunch coffee, skip any more caffeine, including cola, energy drinks and strong tea. If you go to bed at a time other than 23:00, count back about 9 hours.
Myth: coffee after lunch doesn't matter. 400 mg of caffeine six hours before bed shortened measured sleep by more than an hour, and people often did not notice (Drake et al. 2013).
- 15:00Drink a glass of water300 ml · Water · Every day
When you feel like an afternoon coffee, drink a glass of water first. Opening a window for a moment or a few steps down the hall can help too.
Water instead of habit. Tea and coffee count toward your fluid intake too; here the glass replaces a habit, not a required amount (NHS).
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
The program keeps daily caffeine under 400 mg and a single dose under 200 mg, the levels EFSA considers safe.
A glass of water alongside coffee is a habit, not a required amount, because tea and coffee count toward your fluid intake.
Your last caffeine is moved well before bedtime, because caffeine six hours before bed shortened sleep by more than an hour.
The program only changes your coffee times in small steps, and a missed day is fine: you continue the next day.