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Last night I dreamt that I was joining the army, moving to Joburg, and trying to keep a chicken from defrosting while looking for an affordable Persian rug.

I’m sure someone out there will have some very interesting insight into what that says about my childhood, but the bottom line is that I had a terrible night’s sleep.

I work from home these days so my commute is usually bedroom to yoga mat and yoga mat to coffee machine, before parking at my desk.

Today I took a left at yoga mat and headed straight for a cup of Terbodore Coffee Roasters and their SELECT range, which boasts ethically sourced, expertly farmed, and roasted coffee beans from Uganda and Colombia.

Great taste, sure, with the added kick that you get to be smug on your high horse around others.

It seems like a perfectly natural response to hit that coffee immediately after a night of restlessness, but according to a new study conducted at Bath University, it’s why I’m now crashing just a few hours later.

CNN spoke with James Betts, professor and co-director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism:

“We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee – intuitively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee,” said Betts.

“Up until now we have had limited knowledge about what this is doing to our bodies, in particular for our metabolic and blood sugar control.”

The study involved 29 healthy people who took part in three different overnight experiments, with at least a week between each.

They found that one night of interrupted sleep didn’t do much to the participants’ blood glucose and insulin responses when compared to a good night’s sleep.

However, strong coffee consumed immediately upon waking after a restless sleep substantially increased the blood glucose response by around 50%.

“Most breakfasts are rich in carbohydrate (often sugar), so it is fair to suggest that the same effect would persist for other typical breakfast foods,” [Professor Betts] said.

“Of course, if you did consume a breakfast that was lower in carbohydrate, especially sugar, then that would certainly reduce (or even remove) the blood glucose spike we see after eating.”

In other words, for the best results, you should eat something before you inhale your first coffee.

Drinking coffee before brekkie can have a negative effect on blood sugar control, which is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease.

The study didn’t say anything about the second or third cup throughout the day, but we have some suggestions on that front.

While a hot cup of coffee is great before the day warms up, you might want to switch to a cold brew when that summer heat peaks.

If you buy a four-pack or a 12-pack of cold brews from Terbodore Coffee before the end of October, they’ll double it up – just check under the ‘Sparkling Cold Brew’ section of the online shop.

However, and whenever, you take your coffee, I hope it gives you enough strength to soldier through the day.

[source:cnn]