There's nothing better than lying in bed with a steaming cup of coffee. For years, we have been drinking coffee to energize us and prepare us for the day. But are you drinking it correctly? If you don't overdo it with cream and sugar, you can be commended. The timing of drinking it is also important. When is the best time to drink coffee?
ContentCaffeine and energy – what's the connection? When is the best time to drink coffee for energy: don't rush
Recently, studies and experts have warned us against consuming caffeine in the early morning. Instead, they recommend avoiding coffee for at least an hour after waking up. WomanEL will explain why.
Caffeine and energy – what's the connection?
When we wake up in the morning, our body is filled with cortisol, the stress hormone. This gives us the strength to throw off the covers and get on with our day. And this is an example of healthy stress: you need peak stress levels throughout the day to exercise, stay alert while driving, and, yes, even to wake up. When cortisol levels remain elevated, you start to have problems (that is, you experience chronic stress).
Caffeine increases cortisol levels both when we are resting and during periods of stress. In fact, one study found that caffeine increases cortisol secretion throughout the day, especially when we face natural stressors like exams and exercise.
It's not just cortisol that makes us feel more alert after drinking espresso, however. Caffeine “increases alertness by stimulating the central nervous system and blocking adenosine, a molecule that lowers heart rate and promotes sleep,” explains Rhiannon Lambert, a registered dietitian and author of The Science of Nutrition.
This may sound good if you don't like getting up early. We don't want to feel sleepy in the morning, and if this means our brains are adapting to anticipate the effects of caffeine, could it also mean that the body is naturally ready to get moving in the morning to get that cup of energy?
When is the best time to drink coffee for energy: take your time
How coffee affects cortisol levels, Source: freepik.com < p>Some experts believe that drinking caffeine too early can disrupt our natural alarm clock, making it even harder to feel energized in the morning.
Dr. Karan Raj took to TikTok to talk about the fact that when we wake up, this natural spike in cortisol is essentially the result of the body “naturally caffeinating itself.”
“If you consume coffee When cortisol production is already high, you don't get the full benefits of coffee. The whole point of a cortisol spike is to give you an energy boost—you don't need coffee at that time. If you drink coffee when your cortisol levels are already high, it can raise your levels even higher. This throws off your body clock, affecting your sleep, energy and mood.”
How long should you wait? According to research, try waiting at least 1 hour after waking up, or better yet, 2 hours. But remember that everyone's body is different. Some will notice a reaction, others not so much. Experiment.
As with anything, becoming dependent on a substance is probably not a good idea. So if you feel like you can't function without caffeine, it might be worth looking into.
Not all caffeinated drinks are safe. We recently wrote about one that can cause blood clots.
