How long does 200 mg of caffeine last?
About 13 and a half hours. 200 mg of caffeine peaks near 183 mg 45 minutes after you take it, halves every 5.7 hours, and falls below the 40 mg sleep threshold about 13 and a half hours later.
| Peak level, 45 minutes in | 183 mg |
| Time to fall below 40 mg | 13 and a half hours |
| Left after 6 hours | 99 mg |
| Left after 12 hours | 48 mg |
| Latest hour for an 11 pm bedtime | 9:34 am |
| Share of the 400 mg daily limit | 50% |
Hour by hour
| Time after the dose | If taken at 8 am | Still active | For sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 9 am | 180 mg | still working |
| 2 hours | 10 am | 161 mg | still working |
| 4 hours | 12 pm | 126 mg | still working |
| 6 hours | 2 pm | 99 mg | still working |
| 8 hours | 4 pm | 77 mg | still working |
| 10 hours | 6 pm | 61 mg | still working |
| 12 hours | 8 pm | 48 mg | still working |
| 16 hours | 12 am | 29 mg | clear |
| 24 hours | 8 am | 11 mg | clear |
What 200 mg looks like
200 mg is a can of Celsius or Alani Nu, a caffeine tablet, a scoop of pre-workout, or two mugs of filter coffee. It is also the largest single dose the European Food Safety Authority considers free of safety concern for a healthy adult, and the daily ceiling it sets during pregnancy.
For sleep, 200 mg is a morning dose. It peaks near 183 mg and needs about 13 and a half hours to fall under 40 mg, so anything after mid-morning is still working at 11 pm. This is one of the most common ways to lose sleep to caffeine without suspecting it: a single strong can at lunch.
One serving of these holds about 200 mg: cold brew (180 mg), Celsius (199 mg), Alani Nu (199 mg), caffeine pill (200 mg), pre-workout (201 mg).
| Drink | One serving | To reach 200 mg |
|---|---|---|
| Filter coffee | 96 mg per 8 oz cup | 2.1 |
| Espresso | 64 mg per 1 oz shot | 3.1 |
| Black tea | 48 mg per 8 oz cup | 4.2 |
| Red Bull | 80 mg per 8.4 oz can | 2.5 |
| Coca-Cola | 32 mg per 11.2 oz can | 6.2 |
How late can you take it?
Count back 13 and a half hours from the time you go to bed. Each bedtime below has its own page with the cutoff for every drink.
| Bedtime | Latest hour for 200 mg |
|---|---|
| 9 pm | 7:34 am |
| 9:30 pm | 8:04 am |
| 10 pm | 8:34 am |
| 10:30 pm | 9:04 am |
| 11 pm | 9:34 am |
| 11:30 pm | 10:04 am |
| midnight | 10:34 am |
| 1 am | 11:34 am |
If you clear caffeine faster or slower
Half-life runs from about four hours in fast metabolisers to eight or more in slow ones, and the difference compounds over a day.
| Metabolism | Half-life | Clears in | Latest for 11 pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | 4.1 hours | 10 hours | 1:15 pm |
| Average | 5.7 hours | 13 and a half hours | 9:34 am |
| Slow | 7.9 hours | 18 and a half hours | 4:33 am the night before |
Common questions
How long does 200 mg of caffeine last?
About 13 and a half hours for an average adult. 200 mg peaks near 183 mg active 45 minutes after you take it, then halves every 5.7 hours until it falls below 40 mg, the line Cira uses as low enough to sleep on.
Is 200 mg of caffeine a lot?
It is the top of the moderate range. 200 mg is the most that the European Food Safety Authority considers safe to take at once, and half of the 400 mg daily limit.
How late can I take 200 mg of caffeine and still sleep?
For an 11 pm bedtime the latest is 9:34 am. Move it by the same amount as your own bedtime. People who clear caffeine slowly need about 18 and a half hours, so they should stop earlier still.
How much of a 200 mg dose is left after 12 hours?
About 48 mg, for an average adult. After 6 hours about 99 mg is still active, and after 24 hours about 11 mg.
Other doses
Look it up another way
Where these numbers come from
Every figure is calculated with the model the Cira app uses: caffeine peaks 45 minutes after you take it and halves every 5.7 hours, a typical value for healthy adults. The 40 mg sleep line is a working threshold of the model, and the 400 mg daily limit is the figure used by the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA. These are averages. Smoking, pregnancy, the contraceptive pill and some medicines change how fast you clear caffeine. How the numbers are worked out.
