Morning isn’t the Best Time to Drink Coffee. Here’s Why!

Winter is here, and since coffee is consumed a lot during this season, it is important to know the best time to drink coffee.

Highlights:

• Never drink coffee right after getting out of bed.
• Consume coffee when the cortisol levels are low.
• Irregular caffeine consumption can affect your hormones and circadian rhythm.
• The best time to drink coffee is 90 minutes after waking up.

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world and is considered to be beneficial for health. Earlier this year, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that drinking one cup of coffee per day makes people more physically active and walk 1,000 more steps a day.

The study also found that drinking just one cup of coffee during the day reduced people’s sleep duration by 36 minutes at night.

Many people believe that their day begins with coffee. From French-pressed to dripped, hot to cold-brewed, people depend on different types of coffee to wake up their bodies. People think that they can’t say a word without a cup of coffee in the morning.

But have you ever thought that drinking coffee in the morning might be devastating for your health? Moreover, what if you could get more energy by waiting an hour rather than drinking coffee the moment you open your eyes?

In this blog post, we will tell you why morning isn’t the best time to have coffee and determine the best time to have it. Moreover, we will also talk about how coffee impacts hormones and circadian rhythms.

You can also take advice from an expert general physician in Pakistan.

Early Morning Coffee Intake Isn’t Good. Why?

The answer to the above question lies in the biological clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is regulated by the environment and runs on a 24-hour clock.

For example, daylight is a major regulator of this cycle. When it is cloudy and murky, you feel lazy and slow. Whereas, when the sun rises, you feel alive and awake. Similarly, hunger, sleep cycles, hormone production, and many other things are regulated by this rhythm.

So, when you wake up, the biological clock sends a message for cortisol production in the body. Cortisol is a hormone also known as a “stress steroid”. It shoots up when you have an adrenaline jump or when you are stressed. It wakes you up, creates alertness, and regulates many metabolic functions.

The natural boost of cortisol occurs throughout the day, but the peak time is between 8-9 am. This means if you consume caffeine during this time, it will be wasted as you’re already at your natural peak.

When you have coffee early in the morning, your body doesn’t need it but still takes up the caffeine and develops a caffeine tolerance. People are most likely to develop a caffeine tolerance despite the time they drink coffee.

Read This Next: Everything You Need To Know About Caffeine

Caffeine’s Impact on Circadian Rhythm

Circadian rhythms, the biological clock, regulate our sleep and wake-up cycle. Moreover, it also regulates our body’s functions. Caffeine can have major impacts on our biological clock. Some of them are:

• Sleep Disruption

Drinking coffee close to bedtime can disturb sleep. Caffeine is a stimulant that blocks the receptors in the brain that promote sleep. Therefore, it becomes difficult to fall asleep and get a full night’s sleep. As a result, it can interfere with normal circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycles.

• Shift the Body Clock

The circadian rhythm of the body is controlled by the internal body clock. This body clock is located in the brain and is influenced by certain external elements, such as light exposure or food intake. Coffee can reset the timing of this clock by changing the perception of time. This can disrupt the sleep patterns, the daily rhythms, and temporarily shift the circadian rhythm.

Caffeine’s Impact on Hormones

Consuming too much coffee or drinking coffee at the wrong time can disrupt the production of hormones. Some of the major impacts of caffeine on hormones are as follows:

• Caffeine and Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that is produced when we wake up in the morning. Its peak time is around 45 minutes after we wake up in the morning. Then it drops in the next few hours and throughout the rest of the day.

If you’re taking caffeine when your cortisol levels are already up, then you’re disrupting the natural cortisol flow. But if you wait for a few more hours, then you can kick up the cortisol levels with coffee.

Moreover, if you double up the stimulants, then you may build tolerance with time. It means that, with time, taking coffee won’t boost your energy levels.

• Delay the Melatonin Release

Melatonin is a hormone that is produced in response to darkness. It regulates the sleep-wake cycle and helps with falling asleep. Consuming caffeine can interrupt the production of the melatonin hormone and make it difficult to fall asleep. This can also disrupt the natural biological clock.

Then, What is the Best Time to Drink Coffee?

Drinking coffee at a time when your cortisol levels are high is not a good option, as your cortisol levels are highest after you wake up. So, if you wake up by 8 am, you may not need coffee until 9:00-9:30 am because cortisol levels will be high.

Once your cortisol starts to drop and you start to feel lethargic, drink a cup of coffee to boost your energy levels. This way, you are not interfering with your body’s natural energy but increasing it at the right time.

1. Mid-to-Late Morning

If your routine is to wake up at 7 am, wait an hour or two after you wake, and let your cortisol levels drop, i.e., drink coffee when you feel tired.

2. Pre-Workout

If you go to the gym, drink a cup an hour or so before to ensure that the caffeine gives your body all the energy it needs.

3. Afternoon Cutoff

If you are in the office, you will often feel lethargic after lunch, around 1 to 3 pm, as cortisol levels drop.

4. Night Shift

If you are working the night shift in a mandatory office and sleep around 8 am, drink a cup of coffee at 9 pm, and work.

Read This Next: 5 Benefits of Coffee for Office Workers

Key Takeaway

If you’re a morning person and drink coffee right after getting up, then change your habit today. Instead, consume coffee after 90 minutes of getting up. During this time, you can freshen up, get ready, and have breakfast. After that, you can have a cup of coffee to boost your cortisol levels.

If you need more information and guidance regarding this matter, then you can consult the best general physician in Pakistan.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What Time is the Healthiest for Coffee?

Mid-to-late morning is the healthiest time for coffee. When the body’s cortisol levels start to drop, you can have a cup of coffee.

This depends on the body’s metabolism. If you have a fast metabolism, then you won’t feel any effects. But if you have a slow metabolism, then you may feel nervous. In this scenario, pair your coffee with a breakfast with rich fiber.

Note: This article is based on details published in medical journals. Readers must consult their physician in this regard.