What Can Happen to Your Body If You Drink Coffee in the Morning
Researchers from the University of Nevada-Reno found that coffee grounds can be used as biodiesel, so soon your car might smell like cappuccino. But that first morning cup of coffee may not be the healthiest start to your day. Doctors suggest drinking coffee mid- to late-morning, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can actually make you feel sleepier because caffeine spikes stress hormones and sugar causes blood glucose drops,
It can also cause your body to lose essential minerals like iron, magnesium, B vitamins, and calcium, which are vital for your nervous system and bone health. Coffee may upset your stomach by stimulating the colon, leading to diarrhea, and additives like milk can cause discomfort if you’re lactose intolerant. It can also disrupt sleep, increase cravings for sugary snacks, and contribute to weight gain. Caffeine can worsen anxiety, especially since stress hormones are already high in the morning. It can dehydrate you, drying out skin and making it more prone to wrinkles and other issues. Additionally, morning coffee may raise blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of weight gain and skin problems
Everyone has a preference for how they take their coffee. With cream and sugar or plain black. Iced or hot. First thing in the morning or just whenever you get to it.
Speaking of that first cup, does the timing of when you drink your coffee in the morning matter?
“There are many benefits to drinking coffee,” says Knubian Gatlin, a wellness dietitian at Houston Methodist. “The caffeine content can help increase energy levels, alertness, improve cognitive function and enhance performance during physical activity. Additionally, one of the byproducts of caffeine, paraxanthine, plays a role in fat metabolism.”
Research also suggests that coffee consumption is linked to a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, possibly due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Other studies show it may help protect the liver by slowing the growth of scar tissue that can lead to fibrosis.
Coffee’s ability to wake us up is what we tend to rely on the drink for the most. But is there such a thing as drinking it too soon after waking up? Could there be a “best time” for taking advantage of its active ingredient, caffeine?
How does caffeine affect the body?
Let’s start by defining a few terms: adenosine and adenosine receptors.
“Adenosine is a molecule that plays a role in suppressing energy and arousal, making us naturally sleepy,” explains Gatlin.
It does this by attaching to adenosine receptors, found throughout the body. Adenosine levels are lowest as you wake up, but they build throughout the day. As more adenosine attaches to its receptors, the interaction promotes a cascade of sleep-promoting effects.
“Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, meaning adenosine can no longer attach to help promote sleepiness,” says Gatlin. “Additionally, its mixture of vasoconstrictive and vasodilatory effects impact how nutrients are transported through our body, which promotes energy production.”
In these ways, the caffeine in coffee keeps you awake and alert — and help to improve everything from cognitive to physical performance. But Gatlin says that’s not all it does. The other effects of caffeine can actually work against feeling energized.
“Coffee is an appetite suppressant, meaning it can affect appropriate energy intake,” adds Gatlin. “The caffeine in coffee can also act as a diuretic, which can lead to water loss via urination. If we’re not rehydrating properly, even mild dehydration can impact our energy levels.”
Lastly, caffeine can affect cortisol levels, a hormone that plays many important roles in your body
