You’ve barely gotten out of bed when you already turn on the coffee maker. Keep the coffee coming! For many, a cup of coffee is indispensable in the morning. But did you actually know that it is better to wait a while? We explain why.
Why not drink coffee first thing in the morning?
Your body produces a high dose of cortisol after getting up. This is a stress hormone that affects your sleep and wake schedule. Your body produces this hormone and it wakes you up. As soon as you start drinking coffee, you disrupt this hormone production process. The caffeine in coffee also produces stress hormones. In the long term, this would mean that you need more coffee to wake up (and stay awake), because your body no longer finds it necessary to continue producing the same amount of cortisol. Coffee then replaces your cortisol production process. It is therefore not surprising that people who drink a lot of coffee notice changes in their bodies as soon as they drink less coffee. Did you know that too much cortisol in your body in combination with stress can cause you to gain weight and increase your blood sugar, for example? This may partly be due to the coffee you drink.|
When is the best time to drink coffee?
Just because you shouldn’t dive straight for the coffee maker after getting up doesn’t mean you should cut it out of your routine entirely. It is best to drink one around ten in the morning and twelve in the afternoon. Later in the day it can affect your sleep rhythm again. As soon as you consume caffeine at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, there is a greater chance that it will still keep you awake in the evening. The coffee is only out of your body eight hours later. Tea also contains caffeine, but you don’t have to worry about this. It contains less caffeine. You can therefore start and end your day very well with a cup of tea.
Advice
According to dietician Ahlam Ouali, it is best not to drink more than three cups of coffee a day. Preferably less, but really no more than three. If you want to cut down on caffeine, you should reduce it slowly. This way your body reacts less violently to it. As soon as you can reduce it, it is best to start with decaf. This contains only 0.1 percent caffeine, but in terms of taste it cannot be distinguished from coffee with caffeine. Ideal, right?
