When to drink coffee so it does not ruin your sleep — the short version, when you want to be left alone

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None of this is glamorous. All of it is doable, which matters more.

Nothing here asks anything of you socially.

If you only do one thing from this page, do the first point below. It is first because it removes the most friction for the least effort.

If you are cutting down, do it gradually. Going from four cups to none produces a headache that people mistake for proof they need caffeine.

A reasonable cut-off for most people is early afternoon. If you are sensitive, make it noon.

Drink your last coffee before you feel tired. Using it as a rescue at 4pm is what pushes the problem into the night.

Watch for the sources that are easy to forget: tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate, some painkillers.

Do not judge by whether you feel wired. Habitual drinkers stop feeling the effect long before it stops affecting sleep.

Caffeine peaks in your blood about thirty to sixty minutes after drinking, and takes roughly five to six hours to halve.

A short nap straight after a coffee is a real technique, but it only works if the coffee is before 2pm.

Decaf still contains a small amount, but it is usually low enough not to matter. It also keeps the ritual, which is half of the habit.

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