It’s Day 18 of the Mykidstime 21 Day Health & Fitness Challenge! If you missed yesterday’s video, catch up with Day 17 here.
Our health and wellbeing expert, Fiona O’Donnell, explains what’s involved for Day 18 in the video below. Let us know how you’re getting on during the Challenge by tagging us on social using #mkt21days — we’ll cheer you on!
📺 Watch Day 18 here: https://youtu.be/VSWj8M3JpXI
You may also enjoy: Quick and Easy Family Meal Ideas for Busy Parents
Day 18 – Caffeine
If you love a good cup of coffee, this one might be a hard one to hear! Fiona admits she once had a questionable caffeine habit herself — four or five cups a day — without realising how much it was affecting her sleep. Caffeine feels like it gives us energy, but the reality is a little different.
Without getting too deep into the science, our brains have receptors that soak up a chemical that makes us feel sleepy. Caffeine blocks those receptors, which is why we feel alert after our morning coffee. But once the caffeine wears off, that chemical builds back up all at once — and that’s the slump where we suddenly need more coffee, or a bar of chocolate, to get through the afternoon.
A simple change that helped
Fiona now gives herself an hour to an hour and a half each morning drinking herbal tea before having her one or two coffees of the day. If that sounds impossible right now, it’s worth looping back to the earlier sleep videos in this Challenge — how much sleep are you actually getting, and what’s getting in the way of it?
If your caffeine intake is quite high, it may be worth easing it back gradually. Fiona started by introducing some caffeine-free coffee, which helped the withdrawal headaches fade over time. She still enjoys the taste of coffee, but she used to drink it right up until 8pm — and that was quietly wrecking her sleep.
Why timing matters
These days, Fiona avoids coffee after 3pm. By the time she’s heading to bed around 10.30–10.45pm, the caffeine in her system has already dropped to about half its original strength.
That’s because caffeine has a half-life of roughly eight hours — meaning after about eight hours, its strength in your bloodstream has halved. So a coffee at 3pm is still only half cleared by 11pm.
Today’s task
Take a look back at your own caffeine consumption today — tea, coffee, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate, all of it — and note when you have your first dose of the day and your last.
Try to keep your last caffeine hit to at least eight hours before your planned bedtime, so it doesn’t creep into your sleep tonight.
If you have any questions as you go through the Challenge, [email Fiona](mailto:info@fionadonnell.ie?subject=MyKidsTime%2021%20Day%20Challenge) or send her a message on Instagram or Facebook, and use the hashtag #mkt21days to share how you’re getting on.
You may also enjoy: How to Hydrate: 7 Essential Tips for the Whole Family
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does caffeine affect sleep even hours after drinking it?
Caffeine has a half-life of around eight hours, meaning it takes that long for your body to clear half of it from your bloodstream. A coffee in the mid-afternoon can still be affecting you well into the evening.
What time should I stop drinking caffeine to protect my sleep?
As a general guide, try to have your last caffeine of the day at least eight hours before you plan to go to bed. If you’re going to sleep around 11pm, aim to finish caffeine by early-to-mid afternoon.
Do I need to cut out caffeine completely for this challenge?
No — today’s task is about awareness and timing, not elimination. Tracking when you have your first and last caffeine of the day is the starting point; reducing the overall amount is optional and gradual.
Catch Up on the Challenge
- Day 17 of the Mykidstime 21 Day Health & Fitness Challenge
- Quick and Easy Family Meal Ideas for Busy Parents
- How to Hydrate: 7 Essential Tips for the Whole Family
Keep Going
Browse the rest of the Mykidstime 21 Day Health & Fitness Challenge for more daily videos and simple, practical tasks you can fit around family life — and save this page so you can find today’s task again easily.
Don’t Miss a Day
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