It’s official, we now know that the morning is not the best time for you to consume coffee. I mean, you can, and with real no side effects from doing so, but it isn’t the healthiest or most logical choice when you look at the facts:
I drink two cups of coffee a day: one at 8 am when I am getting ready for work, and one at 9 am when I am just getting to work. A lot of people follow the same schedule I am on. Due to your body’s natural inborn clock, known as the circadian clock or circadian rhythms, your body produces different hormones throughout the day. Some hormones make you hungry, some make you energetic, some make you tired. Circadian rhythms govern hormone secretion and bodily functions. The hormone cortisol makes you feel awake and alert, a kind of “natural caffeine”. The body produces this hormone right around 8-9 am. The next time that you reach for your crusty office coffee mug during these hours, wait a minute and sit; reach into your consciousness to assess whether or not you actually need coffee at this time of day. Odds are, you are probably feeling adequately energized and can pass on the second (or first!) cup of joe.
Ever noticed how you get a little energy slump right after lunch? Around 2 pm? This is when alertness diminishes. This is also because of our circadian clock. During this time of day, many of us are apt to reach for a few quarters for the candy machine. Next time you catch yourself with the post-sandwich nods, swap that candy right out for that am coffee you skipped over while your cortisol was fully activated.
Drinking coffee during cortisol production can cause some problems: first, the coffee won’t work as well, because it’s effects are diminished by the natural speediness going on inside that cranium of yours. Second, you will build up a tolerance to caffeine quicker. Your body doesn’t notice much of a change in alertness, so you drink more. The higher your level of addiction is to caffeine, the worse your withdrawal symptoms become: headache, moodiness, anxiety, lethargy… ew, forget all that! The best time to consume your coveted coffee are between the hours of 9:30-11:30 am and 1:30-5:00 pm. I’ve been trying this for the past week and my energy levels have been more stabilized throughout the day more than average, and noticeably so.
What time do you drink coffee? Do you believe that changing the time you drink coffee can promote stabilized energy for the entire duration of the day?
