Experts Say You Should Delay That First Cup Of Coffee
Asking people to delay that first cup of coffee is asking a lot. For most of us we have a set routine when it comes to coffee in the morning. Maybe you’re the type of person that pours that first cup down your gullet as soon as you can get it brewed. There are others that wait till after they finished their morning rituals of awaking and taking a morning shower or whatever it is they need to do. These people put off the first cup of coffee till they’re on their way to work.
For me doing a morning radio show and being up at the unholy hour of 3am I need that first cup of coffee as soon as I wake up. In fact, I have a drip coffee maker that I set up to brew the night before so all I have to do is pour that first cup as soon as I stumble into the kitchen.
On the other hand my wife can wait a couple of hours before her first cup. That always amazes me, because I actually crave that first cup of coffee before my feet hit the floor.
She might be on to something…
Delay that first cup of coffee?
Have you heard this term yet? “The New York Times” did a big write-up on something called “caffeine delay” . . . or the idea that it’s better to wait an hour or two before your first cup of coffee.
A ton of influencers claim you’ll get a bigger energy boost if you wait, and it might be true. But is it worth it? According to experts, only if you want to limit yourself to ONE cup of coffee a day.
Caffeine works by binding to receptors in your brain and blocking a chemical that makes you drowsy called adenosine. (uh-DEN-uh-seen)
Your adenosine levels are at their lowest right after you wake up, so there’s less of it to block. That’s why an immediate cup of coffee might not do as much as it would when you’re dragging later in the day.
But for most people, there’s no harm in having a second cup of coffee later. You’ll still get that bigger boost. Plus, just the THOUGHT of coffee helps some people wake up. So if that first sip is what gets you out of bed in the morning, go for it.
Delaying could also be dangerous for some people, since a lot of us don’t get enough sleep and rely on caffeine. If you wait, you might not be as alert on your drive to work.
(NY Times)