September 01st, 2021

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know all about my morning routine: water first, light exposure and movement. But, what you may not know is how this MORNING routine actually benefits my SLEEP!

I also have a simple pre-bed routine to help me drift off quicker and have more replenishing sleep, but that's for another blog! I’m here to discuss a protocol I use with clients who consume a lot of caffeine, or who are reliant on it. 
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Here’s an overview:

1. Wake up and drink a glass of water 
2. Make your first tea/coffee a decaf
3. Have your first caffeinated drink around 90-120 minutes AFTER waking
4. Cut out caffeine at least 8-hours before bedtime
5. Get into bed 30-minute earlier than usual

We all dehydrate throughout the night, so it makes sense to rehydrate as soon as you wake. Plus, since most people mistake thirst for hunger, this is a great strategy for making sure that what your first meal is to satisfy genuine hunger, not thirst mistaken for hunger. 

In the morning, our cortisol (the 'stress hormone') levels increase naturally to help us wake, but caffeine also increases our cortisol levels. This means you are adding more stress into a system which is already optimised to help you wake. You're better off letting nature run its course and when our natural cortisol levels, THEN have your caffeinated tea or coffee. 

Now, if you’re sleeping enough, then your cortisol will naturally be improved, but let’s be honest, most who over-consume caffeine usually aren’t getting enough sleep - hence the caffeine. 

Adding some caffeine in a few hours after waking will help increase the benefits but help keep your overall cortisol levels down. 

Caffeine can have a half-life of up to 8-hours, which means half of what you consumed at 2 pm could still be in your system at 10 pm. This depends on individual caffeine metabolism rates, but its a great rule of thumb. 
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The simplest way to get more sleep is to spend more time in the place where you do it! So, get into bed earlier, turn off your screens, unwind, and see how much better you feel in the morning. 

Let me know what you think of this, and please send to a caffeine lover!