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Caffeine intake & timing calculator
Explore how the amount and timing of caffeine can change an illustrative bedtime estimate.
No account or email required. Your entries stay in this browser tab.
Quick Summary
- Add the caffeine amount and time for each drink or product.
- Compare a bedtime estimate across a range of elimination speeds.
- The result illustrates a model. It is not a blood measurement or a prediction of your sleep.
THE BALANCE · Caffeine intake & timing calculator
Your calculator
Map caffeine across your day
Use the product label or manufacturer information for the amount in each dose. Enter the full date and time for every dose and for your target, so a calculation can cross midnight. The target must be on or after every recorded dose.
Prepare your result without an email address. Download a copy before leaving the page.
The range is illustrative, not a confidence interval. Actual caffeine content, absorption and elimination vary; pregnancy, medicines and health conditions can affect the pattern. The tool does not recommend a safe dose or a personalised cut-off time.
Method & interpretation
Understand
your result.
The model assumes each dose is immediately available, then halves the remaining amount over the selected half-life. It adds the entered doses, all of which must be on or before the target date and time. EFSA describes an approximate average half-life of four hours in healthy adults, with a range of two to eight hours.
Amount remaining = dose (mg) × 0.5 ^ (hours elapsed ÷ half-life).
A worked example
A 100 mg dose taken eight hours before bedtime leaves an illustrative 25 mg with a four-hour half-life. A different elimination speed changes that estimate.
A useful next step
Use the result to organise a question or observation you want to discuss. You can explore sleep resources, visit the related self-assessment or read about individual care and support at THE BALANCE.
Questions & answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this tell me when I will fall asleep?
No. Sleep depends on many factors. The estimate only illustrates one way caffeine can decline over time.
Where do I find the caffeine amount?
Use the product label or manufacturer information when available. The example drink values are editable because serving sizes and preparation vary.
Why show a range?
People process caffeine at different speeds. The displayed two-to-eight-hour examples show how much this assumption can change the result.
Are my entries saved or shared?
Your entries stay in memory in this browser tab. They are not sent to THE BALANCE, saved in the URL or included in marketing analytics. Download or print a copy if you want to keep it. Resetting, reloading or leaving the page clears the tool entries. Files you download remain under your control.
Sources & review
Transparent
methods.
Sources checked 8 September 2026. Clinical review pending for this draft.
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