How much coffee to consume for peak alertness revealed in new algorithm

Optimise your productivity by drinking the right amount of coffee at the right times

Researchers working for the US army have figured out how much coffee to consume - and when - for peak alertness.

Coffee is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world and much like the rest of us, the army use it to ensure they’re alert and working at their most efficient.

But timing your coffee consumption is essential for peak performance - drink it too early and the effects will wear off, too late and you’ll be up all night.

Now, however, the US army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command’s Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute (BHSAI) has developed an algorithm that could provide the solution.

In a soon-to-be released app called 2B-Alert, members of the public will be able to take tests and input sleep and caffeine intake data, and they will then receive “sleep and caffeine schedules” to help them “optimise performance” in future.

The researchers hope the app will be useful to students preparing for exams, pilots, truckers and anyone planning to undertake an activity where they will need to perform at peak cognitive levels during a particular time period.

“We found that by using our algorithm, which determines when and how much caffeine a subject should consume, we can improve alertness by up to 64 per cent, while consuming the same total amount of caffeine,” principal investigator and senior author Jaques Reifman, PhD explained.

“Alternatively, a subject can reduce caffeine consumption by up to 65 per cent and still achieve equivalent improvements in alertness.”

The algorithm was created by assessing dosing strategies in four previously published studies on sleep loss. By doing this, the researchers were able to identify the strategies which would enhance neurobehavioural performance or reduce caffeine consumption.

“Our algorithm is the first quantitative tool that provides automated, customised guidance for safe and effective caffeine dosing to maximise alertness at the most needed times during any sleep-loss condition,” said Reifman.

However the app won’t take into consideration the quality of the coffee you’re consuming, with contaminated or polluted (cheaper) coffee beans generally providing a quicker crash than higher quality beans.