Many of us wake up with one thing in mind – coffee! Or at least, a caffeinated beverage to start his day. But what if I told you that you've been drinking your coffee incorrectly all this time? We all have an internal biological clock called the biorhythm, which regulates many processes within our bodies, including our desire to sleep during the day. This clock also controls the release of a hormone called (cortisol), which is often referred to as the stress hormone because it is secreted in high levels during the body's so-called "fight-or-flight" response. Cortisol secretion is also linked to your level of alertness during the day. And the highest levels of cortisol peak occur between 8 and 9 in the morning.
This means that your body has a natural mechanism to wake you up from sleep. And while you might think that caffeine could complete this mechanism, scientists actually found that consuming coffee or energy drinks during peak cortisol production significantly reduces the effect of caffeine and increases the strength to resist caffeine over the longer term. Generally, this means that you get less euphoria, and need more in the future to stay alert. We analyzed caffeine addiction and resistance in one of the last episodes, you can watch it here. For this reason, drinking coffee after a 9am cortisol rush might be better. Scientists have found a few other times when cortisol is also at its peak: between noon and 1:00 p.m., and between 5:30 and 6:30.
Which means that the best time to drink your coffee is outside these times. These cortisol stabilizers – and the circadian clock in general – are more regulated by sunlight, meaning your sleep schedule doesn't have much effect. So what if I get up too early, or too late? Would you be better off drinking coffee right now? Well, scientists have actually found that cortisol levels actually increase right after you wake up by about 50%, no matter what time of day it is. Science says, wait at least an hour before you start having your cup of coffee, so your body is optimally prepared..
