Hello!
This week we’re learning about the best times of the day to drink coffee, and why we should be avoiding coffee at other times.
Coffee is the healthiest drink on earth, according to some scientists.
However, the time of day we consume it exponentially increases or decreases its benefits, and drinking coffee at the ‘wrong’ time can actually be harmful to our health.
Importance
We have an internal clock called the circadian rhythm.
This rhythm dictates all the mechanisms in our bodies — from hormone release and turning on and off the metabolism, to when our bodies are primed for sex. The circadian rhythm does it all.
But this rhythm is why we need to be cognizant of our caffeine habits.
At certain times during this rhythm, we should avoid coffee. And at other times, we can maximize the benefits of coffee.
The circadian rhythm controls a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN is responsible for releasing cortisol — our stress hormone.
This hormone, while often vilified, is normal and beneficial. However, when we compound our natural cortisol spikes with a cup of coffee, it can dramatically increase our stress response, and can also cause our bodies to be immune to the impact of the caffeine. In the long term, this increases our caffeine tolerance, meaning we’ll need more and more in order to get a buzz.
Implementation
I think we all know by now to avoid coffee after 2pm (or ideally 10 hours before sleeping) due to the long half-life of caffeine.
Drinking coffee in the afternoon can impact the quality of our sleep; while you may fall asleep fine, your sleep will not be of good quality.
But what you may not realize, is we should avoid coffee at other times of the day as well.
We have a natural spike in cortisol about an hour after we wake up — so for most people, around 8–9am. (From when we wake up, our cortisol levels continue rising for about an hour.)
We have another spike in the afternoon, around noon.
We want to avoid consuming caffeine during these spikes, and if we want to optimally maximize the benefits, we want to aim to consume the coffee just after the spike.
So, what does this translate to? For the average person with a normal sleep schedule, consume coffee in these windows:
9–11:30am
1pm-5pm (although it’s advised to avoid caffeine after 2pm)
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