I really love coffee, but I try not to drink it after 2 PM. The math is simple: caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours. In human terms, any cup of coffee consumed after noon will almost certainly affect melatonin production in the evening, leading to poorer sleep.

But sometimes you walk into the kitchen after lunch and look at the coffee machine with such longing...

Anyway, I only recently learned about decaf. If you're as clueless as I was, it's coffee from which all caffeine has been removed. Well, almost all — usually they claim 97-99%. And here I am thinking: is decaf coffee like non-alcoholic beer, or is it legit?

Share your experience if you drink decaf. Beans or drip bags? Which brand is best? On Ozon there's so much that my eyes glaze over.

Meanwhile, let me tell you about a study I recently came across.

Basically, they took coffee lovers and asked them not to drink it for two weeks. Then they allowed it again, but one half drank regular coffee, the other drank decaf.

It turned out that stress, impulsivity, and depressive symptoms decreased in all participants. However, memory and learning ability noticeably improved only in those who drank decaf coffee.

So, another reason to give it a try.