#1 Sleep Expert: 'Even A Little Caffeine Does This To Your Brain & Body!' | Matthew Walker

Today’s guest is world-leading sleep researcher, author of the international best-selling book ‘Why We Sleep’ and Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Matthew Walker.

Matthew shares research on the effects of caffeine on our sleep.

Caffeine is a sleep disruptor, and just one dose of caffeine in the evening can decrease the amount of deep sleep by 20%

Caffeine has a half-life of around 6-7 hours, but a quarter-life of around 12 hours. If you have a cup of coffee at noon, a quarter of that caffeine can still be circulating around your brain at midnight.

We often don’t think about the implications of our caffeine consumption - but consuming our caffeine before noon, or switching to decaffeinated drinks, could have benefits for the quality of our sleep.

Watch the full Feel Better Live More podcast episode:
EP 70 Why Sleep is the Most Important Pillar of Health with Professor Matthew Walker

#sleepbetter #sleep #feelbetterlivemorepodcast

podcast platforms by searching for 'Feel Better, Live More'.

Find out more about Matthew Walker:
Twitter @sleepdiplomat

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to
constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of
something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

[ultrakwon]

I get terrible sleep, so I tried quitting coffee for 3 weeks. I still got the same terrible sleep. The only difference was, now my day was also ruined 😔

[mrgibb]

Coffee was ruining my life. I lost my wife, kids, and parents from my addiction. Started off drinking a coffee 2 creams and 2 sugars. Had my first black coffee a couple months after and it was downhill from there. Once you go black you never go black as they say. I hit rock bottom when I got caught eating pure dunkins coffee powder from the back of my local dunkins and I got arrested and made channel 10 news that evening. I’m not 2 weeks sober and feeling better everyday. I hope you guys learn from my story

[AndyGinny]

I’ve not drank coffee for 3 days now. I was drinking one large Starbucks per day in the morning. Bro, last night I had a full, deep, blackout sleep that I’ve not had since I was like 15. It was incredible.

[CoopDogg]

I took about 5 months off of caffeine after drinking about 500mg a day and after about a week of withdrawals I started to feel incredible. Less anxiety, less jittery, more peaceful... the sleep is so much better. Consistent energy throughout the day. Digestion is consistent. Don't wake up feeling like absolute $#@!&#. I highly recommend!

[richardmiddleton]

I wear an Oura ring to track my sleep and have stopped my daily morning espresso. I've seen no noticable difference in my deep or REM sleep. So for me it would seem one cup a day in the morning, but not immediately after waking does not affect my sleep. What DOES affect my sleep in a big way is sharing a bed! Even our super king bed with expensive mattress, I still feel my wife moving around, I'm also woken by her snoring, talking even singing in her sleep!!! Plus her getting up to use the bathroom! Here's my tip, get rid of your wife or convince her to sleep in another room and enjoy your coffee and indeed life again!!

[monilaistorz]

So after listening to this, I gave up my coffee at 4 pm. The result was immediate. I no longer woke up in the middle of the night or early morning!!! I started to sleep through till morning getting my 7 hours sleep. That dramatically changed my productivity. I am nearly 80 years old. Thank you Dr Walker

[hi]

I've cut out caffeine in the last few weeks. Caffeine withdrawal is awful, but once passed I noticed my sleep improved markedly and I started dreaming again. I'm starting to look forward to sleeping because I know I will dream.

[cybronichuman]

Sleep quality aside, I noticed that drinking coffee most of the times triggers a feeling of anxiety within me. Especially if I have to deal with multiple tasks which require planning and concentration, my brain starts jumping all over the place. I'd rather feel calm and even somewhat tired, but at least I can still do stuff futher without this anxiety.

[smallbluemachine]

I've never been addicted to caffeine, but I just miss the ritual of chopping it up with a razor blade and snorting it off the coffee table.

[seanwoodhouse]

This is totally true. I usually drink 3-6 coffees a day in work and it totally messed with my concentration. I've been cutting back to one in the morning, I'm sleeping better, not using sleep aids and my focus is much better

[Fishplants]

Has been 11 months since my last cop of coffee and i can say this, Sleep hasn't improved much just by quitting caffeine. But anxiety is no way near as high as before. The thing that's really messes up the sleep in my opinion is the phone and tv, When i started to turn off everything 1 hour before sleep, i sleep a whole lot better! But quitting caffeine has been really good for me too. By brain felt like it was covered in cotton for the first couple of weeks. Felt really good. Won't go back to it again. It's not worth it 😉

[thepenultimateninja]

I quit caffeine a couple of years ago. Had a headache for about a week, but it was definitely worth it. I always believed that I had insomnia, because I always had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. I thought I couldn't function without caffeine, but I was wrong. My sleep is great now, and I feel ten years younger.
Drinking coffee to wake up after a poor night's sleep caused by coffee is like drinking alcohol to get rid of a hangover. It might be a temporary fix, but you'll end up paying dearly for it
Another benefit is that if I ever genuinely need caffeine, such as if I feel drowsy on a long drive or something, it has a really strong effect on me because I have no tolerance to it. A can of Coke is like an energy drink to me.

[VictrixFx]

I quit coffee and the only thing I miss is the ritual of making a cup of coffee in the morning

[funkmastanicky]

Caffeine was opening the door to intense panic attacks for me...because of this im now 17 days free of it..and honestly I feel great...I'm no longer groggy in the morning and I sleep much better.

[joegaragozzo]

I drink it in the morning and sleep well at night. I think it makes a huge difference if you drink 1 cup a day or 3-5 like a lot of people do. Everything in moderation my friends.

[williamserulla]

I've been away from caffeine for 13 months now. My sleep hasn't improved much, however my daily energy is greater than when I was consuming caffeine. I'm also alot more positive feeling during the day. I honestly cannot imagine going back at this point.

[ron]

I like coffee. I've temporarily quit a few times. The best part about quitting coffee is that first cup when you decide to drink it again, whoa buddy now that's good shit! I may just quit for a month just so I can chase that dragon.

[RagnarHoff]

I've been on and off caffeine for 20 years and based on my exerience, it comes down to why and when you drink it. People associate it with waking up in the morning, so when 1 cup doesn't have an effect, you take another cup.
That's the issue i had so i quit drinking coffee in the morning before work. It only stressed me out because coffee didn't help my lack of sleep. You all know that feeling with caffeine that it wakes up your mind, but your body feels heavy from the lack of sleep the night before and coffee doesn't have effect on your body, only mind. So everything is out of balance and just get irritable.

[ilyabykov]

Can't believe how much better I look, feel and sleep without coffee! I now notice how even tiny amounts of caffeine affect me negatively, so I gave up even chocolate and tea.

[unemployedgringo]

Forget sleep, a while ago I realized coffee can give some users a sense of impending doom on the caffeine come down, and it all clicked. I quit and I've been feeling much better. If you already suffer from anxiety, at least give it a try. It had a huge effect on me personally.