When Is the Best Time to Have a Cup of Coffee?

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages on the planet. It contains caffeine, a widely used stimulant. So, when Is the Best Time to Have a Cup of Coffee?

Many individuals drink a cup of this caffeinated beverage as soon as they wake up, while others say it is better to wait a few hours.

Coffee and cortisol

Many individuals have a cup — or three — of coffee first thing in the morning or shortly after.
However, because your stress hormone cortisol is at its peak level at this time, it’s thought that drinking coffee too soon after awakening reduces its invigorating effects.

Cortisol is a hormone that might help you stay awake and focused. It also keeps your metabolism, immunological system, and blood pressure in check.

The hormone has a sleep-wake cycle-specific rhythm, with high levels peaking 30–45 minutes after rising and gradually declining during the day.

However, it has been recommended that the optimal time to drink coffee is in the middle to late morning, when cortisol levels are lower.

This period is between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. for most people who get up at about 6:30 a.m.

While there may be some truth to this, no studies have found that delaying your morning coffee has any invigorating benefits over having it right when you get up.

Another reason for delaying your morning coffee is that the caffeine in coffee might raise cortisol levels.

When your cortisol level is at its highest, drinking coffee may help to raise it even higher. Cortisol levels that are too high for too long can weaken your immune system and cause health concerns.

Despite this, there has been no long-term research on the health effects of higher cortisol from coffee consumption.

Caffeine-induced cortisol elevations are also lowered in those who drink caffeine on a daily basis.

However, there’s probably little harm in drinking coffee first thing in the morning rather than several hours later.

If you’re willing to switch up your daily coffee routine, you could find that waiting a few hours to have your coffee gives you extra energy.

Coffee can help you workout better.

Coffee is well-known for its ability to stimulate wakefulness and alertness, but its caffeine concentration also makes it a great workout performance enhancer.

Additionally, coffee is a lot less expensive option than caffeine-containing products such as pre-workout powders.

Caffeine has been shown in several trials to delay exercise weariness and improve muscle strength and power.

While it may not make a difference whether you drink your coffee first thing in the morning or several hours later, the effects of caffeine on exercise performance are time-dependent.

It’s advised to drink coffee 30–60 minutes before a workout or sporting event to maximize the beverage’s favorable benefits on exercise performance.

This is the time it takes for caffeine levels in your body to reach their maximum.

Caffeine doses of 1.4–2.7 mg per pound (3–6 mg per kg) of body weight are beneficial for enhancing exercise performance.

This translates to around 200–400 mg of caffeine or 2–4 cups (475–950 mL) of coffee for a 150-pound (68-kg) individual.

Anxiety and sleep disturbances

Caffeine in coffee can help you stay awake and improve your athletic performance, but it can also induce sleep issues and anxiety in certain people.

Caffeine’s stimulating effects last 3–5 hours, and depending on individual differences, around half of the caffeine you take remains in your body after 5 hours (7Trusted Source).

Coffee consumed too close to bedtime, such as with dinner, might disrupt sleep.

Caffeine should be avoided for at least 6 hours before bedtime to avoid the disruptive effects of caffeine on sleep.

Caffeine can cause anxiety in certain people, in addition to sleep issues.

If you suffer from anxiety, you may discover that drinking coffee makes it worse, in which case you should drink less or avoid it altogether.

Green tea, which contains one-third of the caffeine in coffee, is another option.

The amino acid L-theanine, which has soothing and calming qualities, is also included in the beverage.

How much coffee is considered safe?

Caffeine intake for healthy people is up to 400 mg per day, which is around 4 cups (950 mL) of coffee.

The recommended daily caffeine intake for pregnant and breastfeeding women is 300 mg, with some study stating that 200 mg is the safe top limit.

Caffeine from all sources is included in these recommendations for healthy caffeine use.

Tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and even dark chocolate are all frequent sources of caffeine.