After three long years without coffee, I’m back to enjoying this wonderful drink. It feels almost like reuniting with an old friend. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the pure taste of coffee—no sugar, no cream, just the rich, unadulterated flavor of a well-brewed cup. The ritual of making coffee, the aroma filling the air, and the simple joy of sipping it has always been a cherished part of my day. It was never about the caffeine rush for me; coffee in the morning never really “woke me up” or gave me that burst of energy people often talk about. It was always about the experience.

I’ve always been particular about my coffee, choosing premium beans that ensure the flavor and experience are just right. However, about three years ago, I was tipped into believing that my beloved coffee could be the reason for my poor sleep. I wasn’t getting restful nights, and as I searched for answers, I stumbled upon countless “gurus” warning that coffee, even in the morning, could disrupt your sleep cycles. They claimed that caffeine was the culprit behind sleepless nights, and like many others, I bought into the theory.

So, despite my love for coffee, I decided to quit. As someone who’s pretty disciplined, I managed to stay away from coffee all this time, even though I often thought about it and missed it deeply. For three years, I convinced myself that this sacrifice was necessary to improve my sleep. But in the back of my mind, I always wondered—was this really the answer?

Recently, after following Dr. Layne Norton, who has a knack for cutting through wellness myths, I started to question whether my coffee break was really necessary. One of his key messages has always resonated with me:

“Single mechanism ‘biohacks’ are BULLSH*T! Stop chasing silver bullets!”

This is a trap many of us fall into when trying to optimize our lives. We’re complex biological systems, and no single tweak will magically solve all our problems. The wellness space is full of oversimplified solutions that promise quick fixes, but rarely deliver.

As James Hoffmann pointed out in one of his recent experiments, “Be wary anytime anyone, especially on the internet, gives you a nice simple mechanism as a thing to use and abuse to improve your outcomes.” He’s absolutely right. Whether it’s a magic supplement, a delayed caffeine routine, or a perfectly engineered morning ritual, the truth is: it’s never that simple.

Your body is a complex web of mechanisms, all interacting in ways that we still don’t fully understand. So why did I fall into the trap of thinking one single thing—coffee—was the cause of all my sleep issues?

Reflecting on the past three years, I realized I was chasing a simplistic answer to a complex problem. As a fan of evidence-based approaches, I should have known better than to take such a black-and-white stance. After all, sustainable habits are built on understanding your unique physiology, not on adopting one-size-fits-all “hacks.”

So, I’ve started drinking coffee again, and I couldn’t be happier. My sleep? Surprisingly, it hasn’t been affected as I once feared. I’ve learned that it’s not about eliminating one thing; it’s about paying attention to the whole picture—sleep quality, nutrition, exercise, and stress management. In fact, I feel more balanced now, embracing the ritual that I love without the unnecessary guilt.

What I’ve learned from this journey is:

  1. Be skeptical of single-mechanism explanations.

  2. Look for evidence from well-designed studies.

  3. Test things for yourself and track the results.

  4. Focus on the fundamentals: sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress management.

Don’t waste time chasing the latest biohack or silver bullet. Life is too complex for that. Enjoy what you love and build habits that work for you, not against you. For me, that means I’ll be savoring my morning coffee again—and I couldn’t be more at peace with it.