I feel like my day hasn't begun until I’ve consumed a minimum 8 oz. of pure, concentrated heaven: Coffee. And I'm not alone. Sixty percent of American coffee drinkers claim they need coffee to start their day. Which is why I’m sad to say that scientists disagree. No, really. Our circadian clocks are an internal, biological, 24-hour hormonal cycle that regulate how sleepy or alert we feel throughout the day. Among other things they control our cortisol production, a hormone that naturally makes us feel more awake.
If we consume coffee, or any caffeine for that matter, during times of peak cortisol production, scientists say that the effect of the caffeine will not only be greatly diminished during that time, but our bodies will also build up a tolerance to the effects of caffeine. That means less buzz for you even when you’re drinking coffee at the right time. So when are the optimal times for your daily dose?
For people who wake up between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., cortisol levels rise during the early morning hours and begin to drop off around 9:30 a.m. Levels rise and fall again around noon and 5:30 p.m. This means the optimal times for consuming caffeine fall somewhere around 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
What about those of you who wake up insanely early?
According to the research, "Although the release of cortisol is mostly
controlled by sunlight, levels of cortisol increase by about 50% upon
awakening." So even if you get up a 5 a.m. you aren't off the hook
completely. Science says you still don't need your first cup of coffee until at
least an hour after you get up. I
certainly don’t plan to change my early a.m. blend and science says nothing of
us who drink coffee while burning the midnight oil.