2 sneaky 9-5 sleep disruptors and how I prevent them

Once my circadian clock is set with morning sunlight, my next job is not messing it up.

For me, the biggest daytime sleep disruptors are too much caffeine (especially too late in the day) and too little daylight exposure. Both of these are sneaky because they can easily happen without you noticing, especially during a normal 9-5 workday.

The average half-life of caffeine is often cited around 5 hours (varies widely by genetics, liver metabolism, medications, and pregnancy status). That means a 2 PM coffee can still leave a meaningful amount of caffeine in your system at 9–10 PM. And even if you fall asleep, caffeine can reduce sleep depth and increase micro-awakenings.

I'm honestly not militant about timing, but I am mindful of total caffeine load. It's not just coffee. It's coffee plus green tea plus diet soda. Those "little" amounts add up. So, if I have Diet Coke later in the day or at dinner, I'm mindful not to slam a bunch at 8 PM and pretend it won't matter.

One habit that's been surprisingly easy is switching to decaf coffee because I don't notice any difference in taste. When I used to drink regular coffee, I would feel dependent on it. My go-to is Four Sigmatic decaf mushroom coffee in the morning. I'll prepare this in my ceramic dripper and mix in collagen, creatine, and raw honey.

Next is midday outdoor light. I try to get outside as much as possible throughout the morning and early afternoon, especially around solar noon (often around 1 PM). This is when the sun is strongest and the body is able to synthesize the most Vitamin D. You don't want to burn so don't overdo it. Even 10–20 minutes goes a long way, depending on skin type and location.

Since I work from home, I can "micro-dose" outdoors even when I'm in meetings all day:

• Take calls while walking outside
• Do quick movement breaks between meetings
• Step outside for 2–5 minutes whenever possible

Your body is cataloging these inputs whether you are or not. When I avoid both of these daytime sleep disruptors, my evenings feel calmer, my body gets sleepy earlier, and I'm less likely to feel wired late into the night.