Despite many coffee lovers enjoying their first cup of coffee as soon as they wake up in the morning, experts said this isn’t necessarily beneficial when it comes to helping you feel awake
Many Brits love a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
And just recently on X, formerly Twitter, one user said: “If I don’t have coffee, I feel like the day hasn’t started well. I don’t get a positive feeling.” While another added: “I love enjoying a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.”
It’s no secret many can’t function without their morning cup of coffee. Some have barely opened their eyes before they feel the need to get a caffeine hit – but according to an expert, you should be waiting.
Coffee experts from Oddy Knocky Coffee said having a brew first thing in the morning could be doing more harm than good when it comes to staying awake in the afternoon. First thing in the morning is when your cortisol levels, which help you stay awake, are at their highest.
They explained: “Jumping straight to coffee in the morning might not be the best idea if we want to stay awake without crashing in the middle of the afternoon. This is all down to our body’s natural rhythms.
“The body makes something called adenosine – which makes you drowsy – and cortisol, the so-called ‘stress hormone’. Both of these chemicals impact how well our daily dose of caffeine hits.
“Adenosine starts off low in the morning after we first wake up, and increases more and more throughout the day, so by bedtime, you/re naturally tired. Cortisol, on the other hand, is at its highest levels in the morning. Drinking coffee right after waking up is probably not the best way to keep your body’s internal clock on track as it fights with these other chemicals in your brain that are all trying to do different things for you.”
Drinking caffeine first thing in the morning can cause a “conflict of chemicals” which might make you “unfocused and unproductive”. Instead, the experts recommend having your first cup of coffee an hour after waking up.
They explained: “This gives your cortisol levels a chance to chill out and lets caffeine do its job properly. Balancing your caffeine intake with the body’s natural cortisol and adenosine rhythm can improve the effectiveness of your morning cup, and avoid disruptions to your body’s internal clock.
“And for the night owls, make sure to have your last cup of coffee at least six hours before bedtime to prevent caffeine from interfering with your sleep and keep you well-rested.”
