Even if you love coffee, you should probably change your habits and avoid drinking it in the morning in bed. After a learned study, researchers have just determined the ideal moment to taste it.
Each morning, millions of people around the world start their day with a cup of smoking coffee. This sacred morning ritual is often perceived as the boost necessary to face the daily challenges, stimulating for concentration, alertness and cognitive performance. According to Statista figures, eight out of ten French people have consumed coffee in the last three months in 2022. One person consumes an average of 3 kilograms of coffee per year, which corresponds to almost 500 cups per year.
But beyond sensory pleasure, the precise moment when this energy drink is consumed could influence its effectiveness. Indeed, coffee, rich in caffeine, acts as a stimulant by blocking adenosine receptors, a molecule responsible for the feeling of fatigue. However, our body follows a circadian rhythm, a biological clock regulating various physiological functions on a 24 -hour cycle. Among these functions, the production of cortisol, often called “stress hormone”, plays a key role. Cortisol helps to wake up and stay alert, with natural peaks at the beginning of the morning.
Drinking coffee when cortisol is at its peak might seem redundant. In reality, this can reduce the efficiency of caffeine and increase tolerance, thus requiring higher doses to obtain the same effect. Studies suggest that the first peak of cortisol generally occurs between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Thus, consuming coffee during this period might not offer the expected renewed energy.
It is therefore necessary to wait until the cortisol level decreases in order to allow caffeine to act optimally, avoiding interference with natural hormonal rhythms. But this is not the only criterion to take into account. James Betts, professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath, discovered that drinking a strong coffee just after a bad night’s sleep can alter the blood sugar control over the day, as he explains to the BBC.
“When people have a bad sleep night and consume caffeine just before breakfast, this leads to a significant increase in blood sugar and insulin response”explains Betts. “People have therefore lost metabolic control-they can no longer tolerate sugar. In other words, this alters your body’s ability to manage breakfast.”
It is for this reason that the professor recommends mark a one hour break between morning meal and coffee consumption. As the person will probably have not completed their digestion and the absorption of nutrients, it is safer. On the other hand, for those who practice sport in the morning – the brave – coffee should conversely be taken before effort. The researcher recommends consuming the drink between 45 and 60 minutes before the exercise.
By slightly adjusting the time of our morning coffee break, we can therefore improve our vigilance and our productivity throughout the day. Especially since coffee has a protective role against heart disease and dementia, among others. But beware, like all things, we must not abuse it, under penalty of losing all the benefits and putting your health in danger!
