Daylight savings time is a curse in my book, but it actually came in handy this year. After the change last Sunday, I was finally able to break my bad habit of sleeping in late. These last couple of days, I’ve been consistently waking at 7:15am.
As for sleeping at my usual 9:45pm, caffeine could help tide things over. On the days I take caffeine, I get a rush of energy right away. That energy makes it easier to do immediate tasks like running or programming, but it doesn’t stick for long. It’s not unheard of for me to nap even on the days I drink a 20oz bottle of Mountain Dew.
However, caffeine’s effect seems to return in the evening. This past week, I’ve had to sleep earlier on all the days I skipped my morning dose. It could very well be a pure coincidence, but I might as well keep drinking; at least, until my body becomes used to the new time zone. Besides, if I keep to certain rules (aka <120mg a day, cutoff time at 3pm), caffeine doesn’t seem to affect my sleep.
Speaking of which, the 48oz of cold brew coffee (“Califia Mocha Coffee with Almondmilk”) I bought from Safeway last Sunday was the wrong choice. It is way too sweet, way too thick (think kefir levels) and has <50mg of caffeine per serving. In hindsight, I should’ve gone with my usual Starbucks options.
