If you’re like me, you don’t function in the morning until you’ve had that first cup of coffee.

I need the coffee to make words happen, and also to interact with co-workers without anybody lashing out.

More specifically, I need that cup of Importers in my hands before I even open my laptop. Life is too short for kak coffee.

Despite my routine, however, that early morning cup isn’t actually the ideal time for a caffeine boost.

In fact, it’s one of the worst times.

Science has been validating my chronic caffeine habit for a while now. It’s shown that caffeine reduces your risk of cancer by up to 20%, reduces your risk of heart disease by 5%, and can help to prevent Parkinson’s.

It’s also helped with the rise to prominence of the nappuccino – yes, that’s a thing and it makes a surprising amount of sense, as well as our understanding of why coffee makes us need the toilet.

Now science is once again stepping in to help you achieve maximum benefits, with a timeline of exactly when your coffee will be most effective.

Here’s JavaPresse:

Steven Miller is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. One of the things he studies is Chronopharmacology, the study of how drugs interact with your body’s natural rhythms.

In this case, he looked into caffeine and circadian rhythms.

Your circadian rhythm runs on a rough 24-hour clock and is regulated by your environment. Daylight, for example, is a heavy regulator of this rhythm. When the sun’s out, you feel awake and alive. When it’s cloudy, you feel more slow and lazy.

Sleep schedule, hunger, and many other things are determined by this clock, including your body’s hormone production schedule.

When you first wake up, your body gives you a boost of cortisol, the hormone that makes you alert and capable of navigating things like the shower, clothing choices, and general life.

Everyone experiences natural cortisol boosts throughout the day, with a daily peak between 8AM and 9AM for most people.

This means that caffeine consumed during this time is largely wasted because you’re already at your natural alertness peak (even if you don’t always feel like it).

If you wake up at 6:30AM, for example, drinking coffee before 9AM means that your body absorbs the caffeine, and you develop a tolerance without the benefit of a high boost.

Which brings us to the best time to drink coffee.

Miller claims that this point is immediately after a cortisol peak.

So in the morning, around 9AM to 11:30AM.

In the afternoon, between 1PM and 5PM.

These periods between natural cortisol boosts are the times where that caffeine jolt will be most productive. Instead of crashing between peaks, you’ll maintain alertness.

So enjoy your coffee responsibly and you’ll get the most out of it. While you’re at it, the fresher the coffee, the better, and the smell and taste of your brew also contribute to that necessary boost.

If you appreciate the finer things in life, you’ll need to try Importers Coffee – the oldest coffee brand in the Western Cape. The company imports top quality coffees from the world’s leading equatorial coffee growing regions.

To get your daily cup (or three, we ain’t judging), you can stop by their famous shop in Newlands, grab a cup at Café du Cap (113 Loop Street), or stock up on their pods and beans to use at home.

You can even win one of their coffee machines, as well as 100 coffee pods to get you up and running, by entering our competition on Instagram.

Head here and follow the simple instructions to stand a chance.

[source:javapress]