myFM: Should you hold off on your morning coffee?

Are you a wake and put on a pot of coffee kind of person? Think about it - hopefully, you’ve just slept for around 7 hours; why do you need coffee before you can string a sentence together?  What’s not going right about your sleep? Do you have brain fog, or did you drink too much? You’re running on caffeine rather than dealing with the underlying reason as to why you’re not rested as you wake up. 

I know some rely on coffee to stimulate morning bowel movement, but why do you need that stimulation? What is your diet missing that the peristalsis or muscle action of your intestines can’t move the stool along? 

As well as, according to experts, drinking coffee on an empty stomach right after waking up can interfere with your cortisol levels and leave you feeling even more tired, stressed and anxious later in the day. And, unless you’re having black coffee, you’re dehydrating your body more too. 

There’s a flow to your body, both from the circadian rhythm and your blood sugar levels, which ideally rise after you eat and lower as your last meal is digested. I’m not talking roller coaster ride here, which is what coffee can do to you as you start the day. And yes, as you hit that peak of alertness, awake, and productivity, know that a crash is on its way not long after. 

The ideal time for coffee is mid-morning from about 9:30 am onwards, depending on what time you get up. There’s a hormonal rhythm to understand, and as you wake, your cortisol levels are high, and your coffee sends that higher. Excess cortisol can hinder your normal sleep mechanism and sleep quality. As I said, it’s a cycle of ups and downs, and you want to do what it takes to keep those highs and lows like a rollercoaster for kids, not the Leviathan at Wonderland!  

I just did a podcast episode 143, all about blood sugar balance - an episode that came out this week. Also, episode 58 was dedicated to coffee and how to use it as a functional food. 

Note: Coffee signals your stomach to release gastrin or gastric acid thatkicks off a wave of peristalsis contractions that moves food and liquid through the intestines.

Listen to the audio below!