If you start your morning with a cup of coffee or tea to wake yourself up, you aren’t alone: 85% of people in the United States have some form of caffeine every single day, and out of that, 70% of us consume it in the a.m. hours.
However, that actually isn’t a great idea, psychologist and sleep expert Dr. Leah Kaylor, Ph.D, MSCP, tells Parade.
“Drinking caffeine right after waking can interfere with your natural cortisol cycle,” she explained. “It’s like revving an engine that is already in overdrive.”
And you know what you’re at risk for if you do that? A crash! (Or, at least a trip to a metaphorical mechanic.) If you rely on caffeine for energy and focus, there are ways to use it even more effectively. Find out what neuroscientists and neurologists say about how to use your daily cup of joe (or oolong!) to maximize the brain benefits—and maybe even wrap up your work early so you can actually relax once it wears off.
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How Does Caffeine Impact the Brain?
First things first: How exactly do coffee, tea, energy drinks or other caffeine sources impact us overall?
“Caffeine can temporarily increase alertness, help concentration and improve mood. It can also help in pain relief,” Dr. Dustin Scheinost, Ph.D, BS, assistant professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, biomedical engineering, statistics and data science at Yale School of Medicine, tells us. “For example, some over-the-counter migraine medications contain a combination of standard pain relievers (aspirin and acetaminophen) and caffeine. There is some evidence that mild caffeine use is associated with reduced risk of degenerativebrain diseases.”
“Caffeine blocks the action of the sleep molecule adenosine, which promotes sleepiness,” Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, Ph.D, neuroscientist, sleep expert and head of sleep research at Wesper, adds. “It also raises our blood pressure slightly, and increases our cortisol levels slightly, which help us feel energized and focused. Caffeine has also been shown to be rich an antioxidants and clinical studies have shown that consuming caffeine is neuroprotective and may even offer modest improvements in longevity.”
To quote the late, great Billy Mays: But wait, there’s more!
Related: This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Drink More Than One Cup of Coffee Every Day
According to Dr. Jamey Maniscalco, Ph.D, neuroscientist and founder of Manifest Wellness, caffeine also increases dopamine activity (which can improve your mind, increase your motivation and just generally make you feel good), releases norepinephrine (which can help sharpen your attention and concentration) and stimulate the release of acetylcholine (which can improve verbal and working memory).
“Together, the combination of adenosine inhibition and neurotransmitter enhancement contributes to caffeine’s well-documented benefits on mental performance,” he says. “These include faster processing speed (how quickly your brain can take in and act on new information), improved memory recall (especially for short-term and working memory tasks), enhanced reaction time (which is why caffeine is often used in sports or high-stakes cognitive tasks) and generally helps different regions of the brain communicate more effectively and adaptively. In essence, caffeine doesn’t just wake you up—it temporarily fine-tunes your brain’s operating system.”
That all sounds glorious, right? Still, we should all proceed with some caution, because we’re all different and so are our brains, bodies and individual reactions to caffeine. You can have too much of a good thing, and it can reverse the benefits.
“In the short term, caffeine gives us energy by releasing adrenaline which increases heart rate, blood pressure, releases sugar stores from our liver and makes our muscles and brain produce more energy so that our body and brain to work more effectively and efficiently,” Dr. Ella Akkerman, MD, neurologist at VSI in Reston, Virginia, says. “However, excessive and chronic cortisol elevations are stressful and deleterious for our bodies and brain and cause fatigue by increasing inflammation through stress response, lower pain threshold, disrupt sleep, cause anxiety and worsen focus and memory.”
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The Coffee Hack Brain Experts Say Can Help Boost Focus and Energy
It’s all about the timing, and other experts pretty universally agreed with Dr. Kaylor: While most people start sipping their java just minutes after waking, it may actually be better for them to wait a bit.
“There are two times that caffeine are beneficial and both of these times depend on the natural flow of your circadian rhythm (basically, your internal 24-hour biological clock),” Dr. Rohrscheib says. “While most people prefer to consume caffeine upon awakening, clinical research has shown that consuming caffeine from mid to late morning is most beneficial.”
Wait, what?! “This is due to a natural decline in cortisol levels around this time can lead to sleepiness and low energy levels,” Dr. Rohrscheib explains.
Other experts agree. Dr. Maniscalco tells Parade, “Most people wake up with a natural surge in cortisol, a hormone that helps us feel alert and regulates our energy. This surge, known as the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR), typically peaks about 30 to 45 minutes after you wake up. If you consume caffeine during this window, your body is already producing its own ‘natural espresso,’ and adding more stimulation can be redundant or even counterproductive.”
Related: Does Coffee Hydrate You?
“Instead, research and expert opinion suggest waiting about 90 to 120 minutes after waking,” Dr. Maniscalco continues. “For someone who gets up around 7:00 a.m., that means having your first coffee around 9:30 a.m., when cortisol levels are naturally declining and caffeine has a more noticeable, cleaner effect.”
He adds, “I’m not saying this is easy (I struggle many days!), but the longer you can wait after you wake up, the more effective—with fewer side effects—coffee will be.”
The other ideal window for many people is at or right after lunch, according to Dr. Rohrscheib.
“The second time to consume caffeine is early to mid-afternoon, at approximately 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.,” she says. “This helps to reduce the completely normal mid-afternoon slump that occurs when our circadian rhythm pressures us to rest. Consuming caffeine in this time window often gives us the energy and alertness to get through the rest of our day without affecting our sleep later.”
Related: Is It a Bad Idea To Drink Coffee When You’re Sick? Immunologists Weigh In
Are There Other Ideal Times for Caffeine?
Because everyone and their schedules are different, your mileage may vary with this. Dr. Akkerman says to ask yourself these questions regarding timing your caffeine intake:
- When are you most active?
- When is your blood pressure the lowest?
- Do you work a night shift or a day shift?
Another consideration (and perhaps the most important), according to internist and Big Bold Health founder Dr. Austin Perlmutter, MD, is when you go to bed.
“Caffeine has a half-life of six hours, which means that half of the caffeine you consume at 3 p.m. is still actively influencing your circadian rhythm and sleep opportunity at 9 p.m.,” Dr. Perlmutter advises. “Generally speaking, cutting out caffeine consumption around 2 PM is a good idea to protect quality sleep. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine and should consider stopping consumption earlier in the day. Those with anxiety, jittery symptoms or issues with gastrointestinal sensitivity may want to be more careful with caffeinated beverages.”
Up Next:
Related: The Mid-Morning Habit Neurologists Are Begging You to Never, Ever Do
Sources:
- Dr. Ella Akkerman, MD
- Dr. Leah Kaylor, Ph.D, MSCP
- Dr. Jamey Maniscalco, Ph.D
- Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, Ph.D
- Dr. Dustin Scheinost, Ph.D, BS
