This is part three of a three-part piece on caffeine, in which I discuss how caffeine affects our sleep and performance. I believe I’ve benefitted from researching and making changes after leaning more about caffeine and how it works in our bodies, and I hope you have, too.
To review, or if you’re just joining us, here are some things we’ve learned so far about caffeine:
-Caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors, which means that it prevents cortisol from completely clearing it out. You’re simply masking your tiredness, which you’ll eventually feel later in the day, which then often leads to another cup of coffee or energy drink.
-Delaying your morning cup of coffee by 90-120 minutes allows your cortisol to clear out the remaining adenosine, which is what makes you feel sleepy, after waking.
-Caffeine has a quarter-life of 12 hours, which means that 25% of the caffeine you consume is still present 12 hours later. So, 25% of your 9am coffee is still around and available to affect your sleep.
-A dose of caffeine is 1-3 mg per kg of body weight per occasion. Be sure to take into account additional coffee, sodas, teas and energy drinks. If you’re feeling jittery, consider decreasing your caffeine intake.
So far much of what I’ve discussed about caffeine has come in the form of a warning (25% might still be circulating at bedtime!) or a mandate (Delay your morning coffee!), but caffeine is a good thing and can be used as an effective tool.
Again, I recommend anyone who’d like more information to listen to the entirety of Andrew Huberman’s podcast entitled “Using Caffeine to Optimize Mental and Physical Performance,” from which much of my information was taken.
According to Huberman, caffeine can improve memory and reaction time (i.e. it reduces your reaction time) when used properly.
For athletes, drinking some coffee before a sporting event or workout can see benefits in terms of energy levels and sustained endurance. Some studies have even shown that caffeine can increase our muscles’ force, and help break down stored fat to use as fuel.
However, because caffeine is a diuretic, Huberman recommends athletes consume an equal volume of an energy drink, or water with added electrolytes when drinking coffee. Excreting too much sodium can lead to jittery feelings, and in extreme cases, can be life-threatening.
If you really want to get a boost from caffeine, perhaps for a sporting event or big presentation at the office, abstain from caffeine for a day or two prior to your event. Then, drink coffee (or another source of caffeine) as you normally would before the event; your level of alertness will increase and give you an extra boost.
I’ve already said it’s hard to discuss caffeine without also talking about sleep. While caffeine can be a powerful tool to increase our alertness and feelings of wakefulness when used properly, we should not let it interfere with getting good quality sleep.
Huberman says that sleep is the foundation of mental health, wellness and physical performance, and I don’t disagree. (Did I mention I’ve also been trying to improve my sleep? Hence the half-caff cup in the morning for me.)
Caffeine can disrupt our rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the deep sleep during which our bodies repair and rebuild themselves. Just one night of missed sleep can have detrimental effects on our metabolism, stress hormones and even our ability to function the following day.
Bottom line: use caffeine to your advantage! Don’t over-caffeinate and risk losing sleep; instead, I encourage everyone to find the amount of caffeine that works for them. It should make you feel alert and awake without the jitters, and be avoided 12 hours before bedtime.
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