Caffeine in real life
Pregnancy, exercise, night shifts, jet lag, fasting: caffeine in the moments when the usual reference points change.
Pregnancy, exercise, night shifts, jet lag, fasting: the usual reference points stop applying the moment the situation changes, and the advice circulating about these cases is unusually contradictory.
The articles gathered here stay with what has been measured and say plainly where the evidence runs out. Anything touching health is a conversation for a professional, not for a website.
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Caffeine and breastfeeding: what the guidelines say
Only a small amount of caffeine passes into breast milk. Many authorities cite moderate intake as generally fine — with newborns the sensitive case.
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Caffeine and pregnancy: what the 200 mg limit means
Authorities commonly cite ~200 mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy. What the reference means, why clearance slows, and why your doctor guides your number.
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Caffeine and teens: what parents should know
No official safe caffeine level is set for teens. EFSA references ~3 mg/kg a day, energy drinks are the main concern, and teen sleep makes timing matter.
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The pill and caffeine: why your coffee lasts longer
Estrogen in the combined pill slows caffeine's clearance, so its half-life roughly doubles — your coffee lingers longer and reaches into your night.
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Caffeine before a workout: how much and when?
Caffeine is a proven performance aid at ~3–6 mg/kg taken 45–60 min before. The catch: an evening pre-workout has a long tail that can cost your sleep.
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Does coffee break a fast?
For most fasting goals, black coffee doesn't break a fast — it's near-zero calories. What does: milk, sugar, cream, syrups and butter.
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Coffee and migraines: help or trigger?
Caffeine can both help headaches (it's in many painkillers) and trigger migraines (too much, or missing your usual dose). Why moderation and consistency matter.
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Broken sleep in perimenopause?
You used to sleep straight through, and now your nights come in pieces? Why sleep changes in perimenopause, what's behind it, and what helps.
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Is coffee bad for your heart?
For most healthy people, moderate coffee isn't bad for the heart — studies don't link it to heart disease. The real effects, and who should be careful.
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Still jet-lagged days after your trip?
Up at 3 a.m. and fading by mid-afternoon, days after you got home? Why jet lag hangs on, what slows recovery, and how to get back on local time faster.
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Can you drink coffee before a blood test?
Labs define fasting as nothing but water — coffee is outside it, even black. What they ask for, and why the answer changes with the test.
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Trouble sleeping during Ramadan?
Short nights split in two, long days, and a tiredness that won't lift? Why sleep takes a hit during Ramadan, the usual causes, and what helps you recover.
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Coffee on long drives: what actually works
Caffeine masks fatigue, it doesn't remove it. Why a coffee taken too late arrives after the fact, and why the coffee nap is the one combination that works.
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Is caffeine a banned substance in sport?
No: WADA removed it from the Prohibited List on 1 January 2004. It stays on the Monitoring Program, which is not remotely the same thing.
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Energy drinks and minors: what French law says
Contrary to widespread belief, no French law bans selling them to minors. What does exist: a mandatory label and a ban inside schools.
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Can't sleep before a big exam?
Wide awake the night before a test, flashcards still running through your head? Why sleep won't come, what helps, and the cause nobody suspects.
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Split shifts: where to put your coffees
Two services, two peaks of alertness, and a 1 a.m. bedtime. 'Nothing after 2 p.m.' stops meaning anything — here's what to anchor the last coffee to.
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The 3 p.m. slump: where it comes from
Heavy eyelids and a foggy brain around 3 p.m.? Where the afternoon slump comes from, what makes it worse, and how to get past it without losing sleep.
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Is your teen still up at 1 a.m.?
Your teen can't fall asleep at night, then can't get up for school? Why the teenage body clock runs late, what makes it worse, and how to help.
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Hitting a wall at 11 a.m.? The mid-morning slump
Already fading and it isn't even lunchtime? Why the mid-morning slump hits, what's usually behind it, and how to make it through the late morning.
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Can't nap, even when you're exhausted?
Wiped out after lunch, yet wide awake the second you lie down? Why naps won't come, the usual reasons, and the one almost nobody thinks of.
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New parent and running on empty?
Nights in pieces, days on autopilot? What makes the exhaustion of the first months with a baby heavier than it has to be, and what helps, guilt-free.
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Sleeping worse since starting the pill?
Your nights changed after you started or switched birth control pills? What's actually known about the link, the other likely causes, and a simple test.
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Can't sleep the night before a race?
Race, game or tournament tomorrow, and you're lying there wide awake? What one short night really costs, the usual causes, and the one nobody counts.