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Daily Edition • Wednesday, April 8

Your Nighttime Coffee Habit Might Be Making You More Impulsive

A white coffee cup filled with dark espresso, placed on a grid-patterned tablecloth, with a small spoon beside it.

Curated/Unsplash

Fly in the Ointment: Whether it's noon or 3 pm, most of us have a coffee cutoff because we know it affects our sleep. However, a new study suggests that drinking caffeine too late might influence something else: our decision making.

The Study: Researchers gave fruit flies caffeine under different conditions, comparing daytime versus nighttime exposure and tracking how impulsively the flies behaved afterward. Flies that had caffeine at night had a much harder time stopping themselves from flying into strong airflow, which is basically the fruit fly equivalent of sending a reckless text. Flies that got caffeine during the day showed none of the same behavior. Interestingly, female flies responded more strongly to the stimulus than males.

The Takeaway: A nighttime cup of coffee may impact your decision-making in addition to your sleep. These findings may have broader implications for people who need to stay alert at night, particularly shift workers.

Keep in Mind: The researchers say these effects could be especially relevant for women. However, the study was conducted on fruit flies, not humans, so the result might not be totally applicable.

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Florida Is Testing New Alternative Pesticide

A person in work boots sprays pesticides on green crops in a sunny field, with mist and vapor rising from the plants.

Getty/Unsplash

Chemical pesticides have long been the default for controlling mosquitoes and other pests. But a growing number of companies are exploring botanical alternatives that aim to be effective without relying on harsh synthetic ingredients.

One example: Med-X’s Nature-Cide, a plant-based pesticide formula now sold through retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Kroger. The company reports $6.4M in sales so far and says its botanical approach is currently being independently evaluated by Florida mosquito control districts — some of the most influential programs in the U.S.

Med-X is also preparing for a potential Nasdaq listing (ticker: MXRX), while pursuing WHO pre-qualification that could open the door to broader public-health use worldwide.†

Investors reviewing the company say this moment — before broader market attention — is a huge opportunity.

See The Opportunity

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Health Tech

Do Infrared Sauna Blankets Really Work?

A woman in a towel sits on the floor next to a large black bag, with a cozy couch and plant in the background.

Courtesy: Higher Dose

You Should Know: The benefits of traditional saunas are fairly well established. Frequent use is linked to reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and dementia. But installing one at home is a luxury many of us don’t have, and they’re not standard across public gyms. That’s driven a lot of people toward sauna blankets — infrared-powered wraps that promise the same sweat session without the hot room.

Going Deeper: Sauna blankets use far-infrared light to heat your body. Infrared saunas in general have shown real promise — a meta-analysis found they improved cardiac function in heart failure patients. However, long-term studies linking sauna use to longevity were all conducted with traditional Finnish saunas — not infrared or other types of heat therapy. Evidence for infrared saunas and blankets is still limited, and Mayo Clinic says deeper research is still needed.

Takeaway: Sauna blankets can increase your heart rate and make you sweat — mimicking some of the physiological effects of traditional saunas. If access or budget is the barrier, they’re a solid alternative, but not a perfect swap.

Bottom Line: A good sweat is typically a win, but more research is needed on the benefits of infrared sauna blankets before we cozy up in them in lieu of their classic Finnish counterparts.

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SPOTLIGHT

Making Nutrition Feel a Little More Human

Two men holding cans of Proda stand in front of a wall of stacked Proda cans, smiling at the camera.

JEFF CHURCH & MATTHEW POSTLETHWAITE
Co-Founders of Proda

Courtesy: Proda

Protein has become one of wellness culture’s favorite nutrients, but actually getting enough of it can still feel strangely joyless. For years, the category has been dominated by thick shakes, chalky powders, and products that seem designed for optimization more than enjoyment. Which raises a fair question: if a health habit feels like homework, how long are most people really going to stick with it?

That’s the tension Jeff Church and Matthew Postlethwaite are building around. Postlethwaite, an actor and wellness entrepreneur, first started thinking about the problem while trying to help his grandmother, who was struggling to get enough protein but couldn’t stomach dense shakes or supplements. Church, a longtime beverage builder and serial founder, saw the same white space from the other side: soda had already been reinvented for gut health, but not really for protein. Together, they landed on a simple premise — what if a protein drink felt less like a functional sacrifice and more like something you’d actually crave?

Their bet is that wellness products work best when they don’t just check a nutritional box, but fit naturally into daily life. In other words: less punishment, more pleasure. In a health culture that often confuses effectiveness with austerity, that may be the more interesting idea.

CHECK OUT PRODA | LISTEN

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Quick Picks

Lifestyle Spring Clean — Refresh your mindset, digital life, and sleep with these tips.

Furry Friends — Do pets actually help you live longer?

Moving On Up — This small habit can upgrade your career.*

Bent Out of Shape — Are these 4 sleep positions ruining your posture?

Unbalanced Biome — These are the 5 worst foods for your gut.

^*Indicates a brand partnership

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Super Age Games

Eight Longevity Trials. One Science-Backed Competition.

Courtesy: Super Age

The Super Age Games wasn't built around what looks impressive in a gym. It was built around eight longevity markers that actually predict how long you'll live well: functional strength, aerobic capacity, agility, endurance, balance, grip strength, working memory, and relational capacity. Eight trials. Each one tied to a measurable longevity outcome.

We partnered with researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging to make sure every trial has science behind it. The waitlist is open now. Spots are limited and waitlist members will get access to tickets first.

Join The Waitlist

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What We're Cooking

Tsoureki

A braided loaf of bread beside red Easter eggs, with a hand cracking an egg, revealing a white interior and red shell pieces.

Courtesy: Souvlaki For The Soul

Serves: 3 loaves | Cook Time: 4 hours 50 minutes

Making this traditional Greek Easter bread is a labor of love, but there’s just over an hour of active work in the kitchen — the rest is simply waiting for the bread to rise. Similar to challah or brioche, it’s rich, soft, and buttery — but with an aromatic twist. Orange juice and zest, along with ground cherry seeds (mahleb), give Tsoureki its signature brightness and gentle tartness. It’s often braided and adorned with dyed red eggs for Easter, and can be enjoyed as a light breakfast with jam — or transformed into a next-level French toast.

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HEALTHY HABIT

The Slow First Minute Habit

For the first minute of a meal, deliberately eat more slowly than usual. Slowing down even briefly can help you register taste, pace, and fullness cues more clearly. You don’t have to turn every meal into a mindfulness exercise — just start with one calmer minute.

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Final Thought

A person is working in rice paddies at sunset, with mountains in the background reflecting in the water.

There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do.”

– Freya Stark, The Lycian Shore

Pete Walls/Unsplash