Experts say you're drinking coffee at the wrong time of day and it's making you more tired
If you reach for a cup of coffee the moment you wake up, you could be doing more harm than good
Starting your day with a steaming mug of coffee might not be the key to staying alert all day long, it's been claimed. Caffeine aficionados at Oddy Knocky Coffee have deliberated on the body's natural rhythms and their impact on how well a morning brew can work, divulging what they believe is the optimum time to savour that first sip.
An Oddy Knocky Coffee representative said: "Jumping straight to coffee in the morning might not be the best idea if we want to stay awake without crashing in the middle of the afternoon. This is all down to our body's natural rhythms."
They continued to explain the biology behind our caffeine hit: "The body makes something called adenosine - which makes you drowsy - and cortisol, the so-called 'stress hormone'. Both of these chemicals impact how well our daily dose of caffeine hits."
Elaborating further, the spokesperson told Bristol Live: "Adenosine starts off low in the morning after we first wake up, and increases more and more throughout the day, so by bedtime, you're naturally tired. Cortisol, on the other hand, is at its highest levels in the morning."
Finally, they clarified why an immediate coffee fix may not be ideal: "Drinking coffee right after waking up is probably not the best way to keep your body's internal clock on track as it fights with these other chemicals in your brain that are all trying to do different things for you. This conflict of chemicals messes you up in the morning, keeping you unfocused and unproductive. This is the opposite of what our beautiful coffee is supposed to do for us."
"Here's a pro tip: Have your first cup of coffee about an hour after you wake up - and no sooner. This gives your cortisol levels a chance to chill out and lets caffeine do its job properly.
"Balancing your caffeine intake with the body's natural cortisol and adenosine rhythm can improve the effectiveness of your morning cup, and avoid disruptions to your body's internal clock. And for the night owls, make sure to have your last cup of coffee at least six hours before bedtime to prevent caffeine from interfering with your sleep and keep you well-rested."
