When I first heard this, I was aghast. If you know me, you know that I love coffee. I sometimes joke that coffee is my third love, after my child and husband. That’s how much I love coffee. But I’ve been experimenting with the timing of caffeine consumption after learning what I’m about to share with you, and have been pleased wth the results.
It turns out that waiting about 2 hours after waking up to drink coffee is often recommended due to the natural production of cortisol, a hormone that regulates various body functions, including managing how your body converts fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy, and it also helps you stay alert and awake. Here’s why timing your coffee intake can be beneficial:
1. Cortisol Levels Peak in the Morning
Cortisol levels are naturally higher in the morning because it helps you wake up. In fact, they peak about 45 minutes after waking, according to this National Institutes of Health study. This is part of your body’s natural circadian rhythm. Drinking coffee when your cortisol level is at its peak might not only diminish the effectiveness of caffeine but could also potentially increase your tolerance to caffeine over time, meaning you might need to consume more to feel the same effects.
2. Enhancing Coffee’s Effectiveness
By waiting until your body’s cortisol production decreases, the stimulating effects of coffee can be more pronounced. Waiting about 2 hours allows when your cortisol begins to decline may help you feel the caffeine’s boost more effectively. I definitely found this to be true. While I’m a bit groggy right after waking, I find that brushing my teeth and following with exercise facilitates alertness much better than coffee.
3. Avoiding Increased Tolerance
Consuming coffee during peak cortisol times usually leads to an increased tolerance of caffeine, requiring higher doses of caffeine to achieve the alertness you used to attain with smaller amounts. This can also increase the likelihood of caffeine-related side effects like jitteriness, anxiety, or disturbed sleep patterns.
Because I love coffee so much, it’s easy for me to over consume the soul-warming liquid goodness and have definitely experienced increased tolerance and the negative consequences of too much coffee – including the jitters, and worse, the poor-sleep doom loop, described below.
4. Optimizing Absorption
Your body may absorb and metabolize caffeine more efficiently when it’s not simultaneously managing high levels of cortisol. This can lead to a more sustained and pleasant alertness rather than a sharp spike and potential crash.
5. Regulating Sleep Patterns
For those sensitive to caffeine, timing coffee consumption carefully can help avoid interference with sleep. Even though waiting 2 hours after waking might not seem directly related to nighttime sleep, establishing a routine that prevents caffeine intake too late in the day starts with morning habits. When you optimize absorption to maximize that pleasant alertness from caffeine, you’re less likely to crash and compensate with too much coffee too late in the day. Just like it’s advised to wait about 2 hours after waking to drink coffee, it’s also advised to stop drinking coffee at least 6 hours before bedtime. All that being said, individual responses to caffeine and personal schedules vary, so it’s important to listen to your body and adjust accordingly.
While these days, I tend to wait a couple hours after waking before my first cup, there are certainly those mornings when my homemade olive oil, collagen-peptide coffee is just what this mamma needs to start her day a little before that 2 hour mark.
For ideas of what your first beverage should be, check out my post here.
Do you drink coffee? If so, when do you drink your first and last cups? Leave a reply below. I’d love to hear from you.
