Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee BITESIZE | The Truth About Caffeine with Neuroscientist Dr Tommy Wood #651
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Apr 23, 2026 
Dr Tommy Wood, a neuroscientist and physician-scientist at the University of Washington, explores the truth about caffeine. He gets into why timing and dose can change energy, focus, sleep and stress. There’s also a look at why genes do not tell the full story, why more caffeine can backfire on complex thinking, and how athletes may need a very specific sweet spot.
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Why Coffee May Help Beyond Its Caffeine
- Coffee seems broadly safe and possibly beneficial at moderate intake, but the likely upside may come from more than caffeine alone.
- Tommy Wood says observational data links up to three or four small cups with better liver and Alzheimer's outcomes, and highlights polyphenols in coffee and tea that may support blood vessels, cognition, and the gut microbiome.
Time Your Caffeine To Protect Sleep
- Time caffeine around sleep rather than assuming it affects everyone the same way.
- Tommy Wood notes genetics and sensitivity differ widely, and says his own sleep improved once he stopped drinking coffee after midday.
Why Caffeine Can Hurt Complex Thinking
- Caffeine can make people feel sharper while actually worsening performance on demanding mental work.
- Tommy Wood says it may help reaction time or sleep-deprived simple tasks, yet impair complex executive tasks even when people believe they're doing better.