Optimizing Your Caffeine Intake With an App

MrSeb writes "Two doctors at Penn State University have developed Caffeine Zone, a free iOS app that tells you the perfect time to take a coffee break to maintain an optimal amount of caffeine in your blood — and, perhaps more importantly, it also tells you when to stop drinking tea and coffee, so that caffeine doesn't interrupt your sleep. By reading through lots of peer-reviewed studies, doctors Frank E. Ritter and Kuo-Chuan Yeh found that a caffeine level of between 200 and 400mg in your bloodstream provides optimal mental alertness, and that you should be below 100mg when you try to sleep. Caffeine Zone plots your caffeination level after you consume caffeine, and warns you if that big afternoon coffee will keep you up at night. It also lets you change the 'optimal' and 'sleep' values if you're particularly resistant or weak to caffeine."

Re:Caffeine

[rubycodez]

that's why the heavy caffeine drinkers make sweden and switzerland near the bottom of the list of all country's life expectancies.......oh wait.

better take up the hobby, and *LIVE* boy.....

Simpler method

[ackthpt]

Realize I'm getting edgy and having trouble concentrating --- Stop drinking coffee.

I've had caffeine problems in the past and am now rolling back to Green Tea. Just enough of a prod. The problem with Coffee is it's a big hit and the subsequent sips provide a declining return on alertness, but an increase in fidgeting, anxiety, etc. A more modest dose from tea and I'm less likely to become accustomed to high levels of caffeine which only serve to keep me at a body-acclimated "normal".

I appreciate what they're trying to do, but really, each person has their own caffeine profile and has to find where it works and where it doesn't.

Re:Too many missing pieces

[Sheek88]

I agree that there are way too many variables to make a 'one size fits all' app. However, the issue of different tolerance levels was addressed in the last line of the post: "It also lets you change the 'optimal' and 'sleep' values if you're particularly resistant or weak to caffeine."

I don't need software to tell me how much caffeine

[epp_b]

I've already optimized my intake: it's 0.

Honestly, why do people addict themselves to this crap? Stop eating McCrappers all the time, get some exercise and you might be surprised how much energy you have without caffeine. You'll feel a lot better, too, not being buzzed and strung out all the time.

coloful phrasing

[KingAlanI]

making-love-in-a-canoe coffee.

Hey, I thought that comment ("fucking close to water") applied to our beer, not our coffee. :P

Re:Caffeine

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, Koenigsegg Automotive AB makes really boring cars.

And for everyones information coffee contains a lot of antioxidats and other good stuff.