Part 2: Caffeine and Sleep
This week, we’re getting jittery! In part 2 of my sleep series, I dive into the effects of caffeine on sleep and how to best use caffeine in an effort to maintain sleep quality and also get the energy benefits of caffeine- because it turns out you can have your cake and eat it, too!
Last week, we talked about our brilliant relationship with light and sleep. Let’s talk about the other lever we can pull to maximize our transition to sleep: caffeine. Caffeine is the most widely used drug in our society, and understandably so. A good cup of coffee or a nice cup of tea are such amazing and enjoyable experiences and are a beautiful part of cultures around the world. I am absolutely in love with a good cup of coffee, a sensual matcha, or a soothing cup of tea in the morning. Other forms of caffeine, such as energy drinks, caffeine pills, etc. are also an option if you aren’t a sucker for the experience like I am. Regardless of your preference for consumption, let’s talk about how caffeine works in your body and how you can use it to leverage the best of both worlds: increased focus and energy and a restful and peaceful nights’ sleep!
For starters, let’s talk about caffeine and how it works inside your body. Caffeine is an adenosine blocker, meaning it binds to adenosine receptors in your brain, blocking the release of adenosine into your system. This is actually quite useful, seeing as adenosine is a molecule that makes us feel sleepy. Technically, what happens is caffeine does not actually give us more energy, it simply blocks adenosine from releasing into our system for as long as it is bound to the receptors. Once it is unbound from these receptors the same amount of adenosine that would have been released gradually is released all at once, creating the classic “crash” we experience. Think of it this way: you can not create more energy by consuming caffeine. What you can do is essentially borrow feelings of increased energy and focus at the times you need them most and subsequently “change” the time at which you feel those sleepy responses.
Adenosine levels are at their absolute lowest in the morning, bottoming out somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes after you have awoken in the morning, provided you slept well and an adequate amount. This is the most optimal time physiologically to consume caffeine, especially if (you may remember from the light blog from last week!) you are receiving the initial wave of cortisol stimulated by viewing the blue light from morning sunlight.
So, with all this in mind, how long does caffeine stay in your system and how does that impact your sleep? Caffeine has a quarter life of 12 hours, meaning 25% of the caffeine in your morning coffee or cup of tea is present in your system 12 hours later. In the interest of managing your sleep hygiene and optimizing sleep cycles, I recommend considering this prior to a mid afternoon pick-me-up. My ultimate recommendation with caffeine is to try and avoid it at least 8 hours prior to sleep (although 10-12 hours is most optimal), however I do want to stress that I never want you to take recommendations as uncompromising and dogmatic. Knowledge is power and is merely a tool you can use to leverage better sleep.
Here are my tips for caffeine consumption:
Try and have your first caffeine of the day about 90-120 minutes after waking (in conjunction with some morning sunlight!)
Try and avoid caffeine 10-12 hours prior to bed time to optimize sleep
Quality sleep is the ultimate foundation of our wellness. It is more powerful than any drug or substance we can take in terms of health improvement, and it is a fundamental bedrock of what makes us human. We evolved diurnally with the sun, meaning we are active when it is out and resting when it is down. My hope is that through this series you obtained a greater understanding of sleep and that you took away some helpful tools to help you use the most powerful health and wellness lever you can pull!
With all my heart and my precious time,
Noah
