Coffee in The Morning: When is it Most Effective to Drink Coffee

Coffee in the morning is a fixed ritual for many. However, the early timing right after getting up doesn’t necessarily seem to be the best time for the pick-me-up. When we should and shouldn’t drink coffee depends on many factors.

Theoretical principle: This is how coffee wakes you up early in the morning

Caffeinated coffee wakes you up. That much is undisputed. From a physiological point of view, caffeine develops its effect by docking to so-called adenosine receptors in the nervous system. It works like this:

• The adenosine receptors normally bind to the naturally occurring substance adenosine in the body. This process signals to the cells that dopamine and glutamate – both nerve stimulating transmitters – should be inhibited. This should allow the organism to rest.
• If caffeine overturns this regulatory mechanism by competing with the adenosine receptor, the resting impulse is missing. The result: the central nervous system continues to be stimulated and you remain alert.
• However, whether this stimulating effect of caffeine on the body already works early in the morning was doubted by two Canadians who dealt with the topic last year.

Cortisol: Why Coffee in the Morning May Not Do That Much

Contrary to the sentiments of many morning coffee drinkers, Canadians Gregory Brown and Mitchell Moffit, two science bloggers, presented the following theory last summer, which is intended to prove that coffee in the morning does not bring the desired effects.

• The linchpin: A central wake-up mechanism of every organism works via the body’s own cortisol production. Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal cortex.
• Cortisol is known as the so-called stress hormone. Basically, it is an “activation messenger”. It puts the body and mind in a kind of “state of alarm” – it really wakes you up.
• On average, cortisol levels are usually at their highest in the morning, right after waking up. This is logical because then the body should be attuned to “activity and attention”.
• During the day, the cortisol level decreases until bedtime in the evening. There are also small peaks between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
• The two Canadian science bloggers conclude: If the cortisol level is already quite high, then an additional stimulating stimulus from caffeine is of little use.
• Her conclusion: In the morning right after getting up, coffee cannot develop its desired effect at all. After a good night’s sleep, you’re already optimally awake. Likewise, the cortisol peak times at noon and in the early evening are not the right time for coffee consumption.
• The recommendation is, therefore: to wait with the first cup of coffee until your cortisol level has dropped a little. One or better two to three hours after getting up, coffee can really unfold its stimulating qualities.
• However, there are also contradictions to this generalized recommendation. The background: Everyone ticks differently. The so-called circadian rhythm, which determines the daily ups and downs in cortisol levels, does not work the same for everyone.
• For example, if you’re a “night owl” or an “early lark,” your peak cortisol times will be different.
  If you are mainly concerned with the “wake-up qualities” of caffeine, you should ideally know how your personal inner clock is ticking when you have your first cup of coffee of the day.

A question of genetics and lifestyle

In addition to the stimulating effect, caffeine also has other effects on the body: it accelerates heart activity, stimulates metabolism and breathing, causes the blood vessels in the brain to constrict, increases muscular performance, and promotes digestion.

• So if you tend to suffer from sluggish digestion and would like to stimulate it a little, then coffee in the morning can definitely be a good recommendation for you.
• If you are an ambitious athlete and would like to prepare your body well for training sessions, then coffee before training can increase muscle performance. This also applies to competitions.
• The caffeine reaches its maximum effect about 30 minutes to an hour after consumption. With regard to the duration of the effect, there are again quite large differences: women usually break down the caffeine much more slowly than men.
• Overall, you should consider: Coffee consumption also increases your cortisol levels. Therefore, people who are under constant stress and therefore have a permanently high, damaging cortisol level are advised against drinking coffee altogether.
• On the other hand, a certain habituation effect sets in with daily consumption. The effects on cortisol and, above all, its effectiveness is then not as strong as if you only drink coffee occasionally.