Better a latte than never?
While some TikTok users blame their mid-afternoon energy drops on drinking coffee first thing in the morning, researchers reveal the pros and cons of delaying your caffeine intake.
“Everyone reacts differently to caffeine,” Marilyn Cornelis, a caffeine researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told the New York Times on Wednesday.
Caffeine can make it harder to fall asleep – and stay asleep – because it competes with adenosine, a naturally occurring chemical in the body that promotes sleepiness.
Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona, told the Times that it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to feel the effects of caffeine after it is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Genetics plays a role in how long caffeine keeps you alert, Cornelis said: Some only need one coffee for the entire day, while others fall asleep a few hours later.
Grandner said he usually waits 30 to 60 minutes after waking up to enjoy his first cup.
The idea is that since adenosine builds up throughout the day, drinking coffee first thing in the morning would give you “less bang for your buck” because your adenosine levels are at their lowest.
Dr Deborah Lee, sleep expert for British furniture maker Get Laid Beds, also advises making your first cup 45 minutes or more after getting up.
“The hormone cortisol (stress) follows a rhythm specific to your own sleep cycle,” Lee told the Mirror in February. “High cortisol levels can impact your immune system, and if they’re already at their peak when you wake up, drinking coffee as soon as your eyes are open can do more harm than good, and may even make you immune against caffeine for a long time. period of time.”
But Allison Brager, a U.S. Army neurobiologist, told the Times that research has shown that regular caffeine consumption has little effect on morning cortisol levels.
Brager said coffee in the morning can still help workers and athletes stay focused, while delaying it can extend the effects of caffeine into the early afternoon.
But don’t wait too long to drink it: Grandner and Lee advise finishing your last cup at least six hours before bed to get a restful sleep.
News Source : nypost.com
Gn Health
