If you’re drinking coffee when you wake up or during your noon lunch break, you’re doing it wrong.
The fine folks at AsapScience explain how our natural circadian rhythm increases our cortisol levels at set times during the day: 8 to 9 am, 12 to 1 pm, and 5:30 to 6:30 pm. These are the worst times to drink coffee, because rather than compliment the alertness-boosting cortisol, the effect of the caffeine in coffee on us is actually diminished and we’ll need more of the drug to get the buzz.
The best times to drink coffee, then, are outside of these hours. We’ve seen this advice before, but the video above offers a few more details and explanations, such as what time we go to sleep or wake up not having much to do with the cortisol surge, which is regulated by sunlight. However, cortisol levels can rise by 50% after we wake up, so if you’re an early or late riser, just wait at least an hour before reaching for that java.
Are You Consuming Your Coffee Correctly? | YouTube via Food Network