This Is Actually the Best Time to Have Your First Cup of Coffee
When it comes to your morning routine, chances are you get up and immediately flip on your coffee maker to get that morning cup o’ Joe going while you begin moving around. However, as tempting as that may be, if you want to actually get the most out of what you’re brewing, you might want to consider drinking that first cup of coffee a little later.
Ever noticed that you’re jittery after that initial mug? That has to do with a critical chemical reactions happening in your body. Registered dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman told The Huffington Post that this may be due to the fact that the caffeine from your coffee is mixing with two chemicals that your body naturally emits when you wake up: Adrenaline, a compound that prepares the body for exertion, and cortisol, a stress hormone. They’re already doing the important job of easing you out of your sleep cycles and helping you function as you start your day. So, not only are caffeinated drinks redundant, but they could also have negative side effects, like making you feel more on edge. “You basically want the caffeine in the coffee to shine as a solo artist and not be influenced by the strong effects of cortisol,” Lockwood Beckerman explained.
Additionally, even if you don’t necessarily get a case of the jitters from your morning coffee, when you have that caffeine mixed with chemicals your body already produces, it means you may also be cutting that buzz short, meaning you may feel tired again more quickly than if you spaced everything out. All of this means that you’d eventually have to drink more coffee throughout the day to get the same impact out of it.
So, what can you do instead to even out your caffeine fix? Wait an hour or so to drink your first cup of coffee, like having it alongside your breakfast if it takes you a while to cook. Or, if you eat breakfast quickly first thing in the morning, feel free to sip it as you get ready for your day or after you get to work. With just these few tweaks to your routine, you’ll be able to get the most out of your cup o’ Joe — and start your morning off on the right foot.
