The Wall Street Journal - 28.03.2020 - 29.03.2020

D8| Saturday/Sunday, March 28 - 29, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

E

VERYONE IScaffein-
ated,” said Michael Pol-
lan, author of the Audi-
ble Original audio book
“Caffeine,” released at
the end of January. “Until you get off
caffeine, you don’t realize how uni-
versal that state is.” Well known as a
writer on food and botany, Mr. Pollan
explored the ways plants and drugs
alter consciousness and behavior in
his 2018 book “How to Change Your
Mind: What the New Science of Psy-
chedelics Teaches Us About Con-
sciousness, Dying, Addiction, De-
pression, and Transcendence.” His
new audio book zooms in on a drug
so ubiquitous, many people don’t
conceive of it as such—even though
its effects on the way they sleep, or
struggle to, are profound.
For research purposes, Mr. Pol-
lan embarked on a 3-month caf-
feine fast. In “Caffeine” he de-
scribes feeling “out of tune with
the rest of civilization” as a result,
not as sharp, less focused. But
there were upsides, too. “After a
couple days, I was sleeping like a
teenager again,” he tells listeners.
“It was the only upside I could see,
and it was a big one. It was won-
derful to have these deep, dream-
filled sleeps.” Recently, Mr. Pollan
took a pause from his morning
routine in Berkeley, Calif., to share
his hard-won wisdom on cultivat-
ing deeper sleep.

of wine isn’t a problem, but if I have

more than two glasses, I’m more

likely to wake up and less likely to

wake up [in the morning] feeling

sharp. If caffeine messes with Slow

Wave Sleep, alcohol seems to mess

with our REM sleep, when we do the

most dreaming.

But my morning coffee is such a key

part of my day.It’s everything: the

smell, the ritual. It’s not just the

[caffeine] molecule. Those ceremo-

nies we have around coffee are won-

derful. During the 3 months I was

off caffeine, I would get my chamo-

mile tea, but I didn’t feel like I was

part of the coffee culture.

Are there similarities between psy-

chedelics and caffeine?I felt there

was when I had that first dose after

being off for 3 months. It was pretty

psychedelic. Not that I hallucinated,

but I felt a radical shift in conscious-

ness and substantially different than

I had a half-hour before. It was eu-

phoric, a surge of well-being.

What are your favorite ways to get

your caffeine?Coffee and green tea.

I usually drink green tea while I’m

working, which is a very even caf-

feine experience—you don’t see that

bell curve. I’ll have a cup of half-caff

after that. Chocolate is another

wonderful delivery system for caf-

feine and other alkalides.

What’s your favorite food to pair

with your tea or coffee?In an earlier

life, a croissant and a cup of coffee

was my idea of heaven, but I’m not

eating croissants these days.

My ideal pairing now might be

coffee with a small square of dark

chocolate.

Do you have any favorite decaf sub-

stitutes?I had a lot of chamomile

and peppermint during those 3

months. I also have herbs in my gar-

den. It’s so easy to take a handful of

How does caffeine affect our

sleep?It appears to take its toll on

Slow Wave Sleep, this critical brief

period of deep sleep that we need

to reset our brains for the next day

and to resynchronize everything.

If caffeine is sleep’s enemy, what

are sleep’s friends?Quiet. Cold—the

lower our body temperature, the

better we sleep. The absence of

screens and stress. Sleep has many

friends. Unfortunately, they’re just

not present or available these days

to most of us.

How did ‘sleeping like a teenager’

affect your waking life?Ifyouhavea

good night’s sleep, you often have a

better day. Even the nights that my

Oura Ring [a smart device tracking

sleep quality] told me I had a crappy

night’s sleep, I’d wake up feeling

great. I’m not sure how reliable the

data was, but my anecdotal report on

a good night’s sleep generally fore-

told a good day. Data be damned.

Do you find that wine or any alcohol

affects your sleep?A small amount

‘It was wonderful

to have these deep,

dream-filled sleeps.’

mint and any lemony herb like

lemon verbena or lemon balm and

pour boiling water over it.

Yea or nay on CBD as a sleep aid?I

don’t have a big sleep problem but if

I did, I would certainly try it. I know

people who swear by it, but they

also swear by other cannabis prod-

ucts, which are legal here in Califor-

nia. Knock on wood, I haven’t had to

explore that yet.

—Edited from an interview

by Eleanore Park

HENRY FLORES (PHOTO ILLUSTRATION); ALEX LAU FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FOOD STYLING BY PEARL JONES, PROP STYLING BY VANESSA VAZQUEZ (COOKIES); F. MA

RTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, STYLING BY ANNE CARDENAS (COFFEE, SODA)

GGET Los Ídolos, Colombia De-

cafThese beans from Los Ange-

les roaster Go Get Em Tiger

(GGET) have a full-bodied, cara-

mel profile that becomes more

pronounced as your beverage

cools. They’re a nice choice for a

pour-over or a drip coffee to

drink black, and versatile enough

to brew espresso-style for a

shot or a cappuccino.$20 for 12

ounces, gget.com

Devoción DecafThe decaffein-

ated coffee from Bogotá- and

Brooklyn-based Devoción deliv-

ers complexity on par with the

third-wave outfit’s caffeinated of-

ferings. Thanks to a gentle caffeine

extraction that avoids excessive

heat and pressure, this coffee

pleasantly surprises with a fruity

and slightly floral nose and a

smooth, chocolaty finish.$18 for 12

ounces, devocion.com

Slow Brew

Decaffeinated coffees

for the discerning

THE OFF DUTY SLEEP ISSUE | EATING & DRINKING

My first trip to Australia was

the first time I flew business

class on an international

flight—which meant that it

was the first time I had a seat

thatconvertedtoaflatbed,a

game-changer for me. On the

connecting flight from Los

Angeles to Sydney I popped

an Ambien, and I literally

woke up in Sydney 14 hours

later. It remains my bench-

mark for sleep.

My Best Sleep Ever

DAVID CHANG

Chef and

author, with

Gabe Ulla, of

‘Eat a Peach:

A Memoir’

(May 19, Clark-

son Potter)

The author of ‘Caffeine’ offers tips and truths on our abiding addiction and how it shanghais our shut-eye

Consult a Slumber Sage

21

erol Spritzes—minus the

booze.“Iwantedtomakea

soft drink that felt pleasur-

able but not overly indul-

gent,” said founder Jason

LaValla. Flavors range from

fruity and spicy to lemony

and herbal, but they are all

bold, botanical and decid-

edly grown up.$36 for case

of 12, casamaraclub.com

Though a nightcap sounds
relaxing, alcohol imbibed too
late in the evening can actu-
ally get in the way of a good
night’s sleep. (See “Dine,
Drink, Drowse,” page D6.)
Opt instead for Casamara
Club’s nonalcoholic soft
drinks, inspired by deli-
ciously bitter Italian bever-
ages like Negronis and Ap-

Say Cin-Cin and Buona Notte

22

Is there any ritual more

soothing than milk and

cookies? In Ayurvedic

medicine, nutmeg pro-

motes sleep, and these

brown-butter cookies con-

tain a healthy dash. Fool-

proof and free of extrane-

ous ingredients, they are

equanimity itself.

Nutmeg Dreamers

Preheat oven to 250 de-

grees.//In a saucepan over

medium heat, melt1 cup

butterand cook until dark

gold, about 5 minutes. Let

cool slightly, about 3 min-

utes.//In a food processor,

combine^3 / 4 cup sugar, 1^1 / 2

teaspoons vanilla extract,

(^1) / 4 packed teaspoon freshly
grated nutmeg, 1 tea-
spoon baking powderand
2 cups flour. With motor
running, pour in melted
butter and continue to pro-
cess until butter is fully in-
tegrated.//Roll dough into
balls about 1 inch in diame-
ter. Place on a parchment-
lined baking sheet and
bake 30 minutes. Let cool
on baking sheet before
moving, as cookies are
fragile when still warm.
Add a Pinch
Of Tranquility
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