What Does Andrew Huberman Say About Caffeine? Optimizing Intake for Focus and Performance

October 1, 2025 •

2 min read

Over 90% of adults worldwide consume caffeine daily, making it the most popular psychoactive drug. Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman explains that while caffeine can be a powerful tool for boosting mental and physical performance, strategic timing and dosing are crucial to maximize its benefits and avoid negative side effects like the dreaded afternoon crash.

Quick Summary

Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman advises delaying morning caffeine for 90-120 minutes to prevent energy crashes by aligning with natural cortisol cycles. He details optimal dosages, minimizing tolerance, and how caffeine impacts focus, motivation, and sleep architecture through its effects on adenosine and dopamine.

Key Points

Delay Morning Caffeine: Wait 90-120 minutes after waking to allow your body's natural cortisol levels to peak, which helps prevent an afternoon energy crash.
Understand the Mechanism: Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, masking sleepiness, and increases dopamine, which enhances motivation and focus.
Protect Your Sleep: Cease caffeine intake 8-12 hours before bedtime, as its long half-life can disrupt deep sleep and REM sleep, even if you can fall asleep.
Regulate Dosage: Aim for 1-3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight per sitting, and start low if you have a high sensitivity to avoid anxiety and jitters.
Prevent Tolerance: Take periodic breaks from caffeine, such as for 2-5 days, to reset your sensitivity and make its effects more potent when you resume.
Hydrate to Reduce Jitters: Consume an equal volume of water with your caffeine, potentially with a pinch of salt, as caffeine is a diuretic that can cause electrolyte depletion.

The Neurochemistry of Caffeine: Adenosine, Dopamine, and Cortisol

Caffeine primarily works by blocking adenosine, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleepiness. Adenosine builds up throughout the day, increasing the urge to sleep. Caffeine binding to these receptors masks fatigue, but when it wears off, the accumulated adenosine can cause a crash.

Caffeine also boosts neurochemicals like dopamine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine, which improve motivation, alertness, and cognitive function. Dr. Huberman highlights the importance of timing caffeine intake with the body's natural cortisol rhythms, which are essential for waking up.

The "Wait to Caffeinate" Protocol

Dr. Huberman recommends waiting 90 to 120 minutes after waking before consuming caffeine. This allows your body's natural cortisol peak, the Cortisol Awakening Response, to occur and helps clear remaining adenosine, reducing dependence and preventing a later crash. An exception is for intense early morning workouts, where caffeine can enhance performance but may still lead to an afternoon dip.

Optimizing Dosage and Preventing Tolerance

Caffeine's effects vary based on dose, sensitivity, and tolerance. A standard dose for focus is 100-200 mg, taken about 30 minutes before focused work. A general guideline is 1-3 mg per kg of body weight. To maintain effectiveness, periodic breaks of 2-5 days can reset tolerance. Strategic use, only when needed, can also help.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Caffeine

Strategically used, caffeine enhances focus, concentration, reaction time, coordination, endurance, and mood. It may also offer neuroprotection against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. However, drawbacks include sleep disruption, anxiety, and dependency. Caffeine's half-life of 5-6 hours means late intake can impair deep and REM sleep. Avoiding caffeine 8-12 hours before bed is recommended.

Strategic Caffeine Use: Timing for Different Goals


Goal	Recommended Timing	Huberman Rationale
General Daily Energy	90-120 minutes after waking.	Allows natural cortisol to peak, preventing afternoon crashes.
Focused Work	30 minutes before starting.	Optimizes neurochemical boost for peak alertness and cognitive function.
Endurance Exercise	30 minutes before the activity.	Boosts physical performance and power output.
Avoiding Sleep Disruption	8-12 hours before bedtime.	Accounts for caffeine's long half-life to protect sleep architecture.

Conclusion: Making Caffeine a Tool, Not a Crutch

Dr. Andrew Huberman views caffeine as a tool to be used deliberately. By understanding its effects on adenosine, dopamine, and cortisol, individuals can time intake to maximize focus and performance while protecting sleep. Key strategies include delaying morning intake, using moderate doses, taking tolerance breaks, and avoiding caffeine close to bedtime. This approach helps leverage caffeine effectively for cognitive and physical enhancement. More information can be found on the Huberman Lab's Caffeine Science page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Huberman advises this delay because your body naturally experiences a peak in cortisol, a hormone that promotes wakefulness, shortly after waking. By waiting, you allow this natural process to energize you first. Introducing caffeine during this peak can blunt its effects and lead to a more pronounced crash later when your cortisol levels drop.

Caffeine significantly affects sleep quality, not just the ability to fall asleep. Due to its half-life of 5-6 hours, late-day consumption can disrupt the architecture of your sleep, particularly deep sleep and REM sleep. He suggests avoiding caffeine for 8-12 hours before bed to minimize this impact.

The crash is a result of caffeine masking the sleep-promoting effects of adenosine. As you stay awake, adenosine builds up in the brain. Caffeine blocks the receptors for adenosine, but once the caffeine is metabolized and clears out, all the built-up adenosine binds to those receptors, causing a sudden and strong wave of sleepiness.

Yes, to prevent developing a tolerance, Huberman suggests using caffeine every other day or taking periodic breaks of 2-5 days. This allows you to maintain sensitivity to caffeine and feel its performance-enhancing effects more potently when you do consume it.

The recommended dosage is 1-3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, per sitting. However, this is dependent on individual tolerance and sensitivity. For non-regular users, a lower dose is recommended.

Yes, Huberman notes that if you exercise intensely within the first 90 minutes of waking, you can have caffeine before the workout. However, he cautions that this combination can sometimes lead to increased fatigue later in the day.

If you experience anxiety or jitters, Huberman suggests drinking an equal volume of water with your caffeine, as it is a diuretic and can cause electrolyte loss. Some people also find that supplementing with L-theanine can reduce the negative side effects.