How To Drink Caffeine (Hint: You're Doing It Wrong)

I’d guess that most people drink coffee first thing in the morning. The routine is: wake up, turn the coffee machine on, do something easy like scroll through Instagram or get dressed, then drink coffee.

There’s a better way.

Let’s start with the basics. Our body produces a neurochemical called cortisol. It is one of several that naturally wake us up and keep us awake. Additionally dopamine, norepinephrine and Orexin/Hypocretin. Normally, too much cortisol causes hypertension, stress, and burnout.

One cup of coffee contains about 150mg of caffeine, a stimulant– it wakes us up and keeps us awake, improves our mood (activates Serotonin), enhances our focus (gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA). It takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in.

When we drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, we’re telling our body to produce less cortisol to wake us up. The coffee says “I got it from here.” Less cortisol means less stress, right? Well, not exactly.

That actually means two things. First, we become more dependent on caffeine because our body is producing less cortisol early in the morning. And as we drink more, our Serotonin activity increases, and Serotonin receptors multiply. We get used to more of that activity and that can lead to withdrawal symptoms when we stop. Second, caffeine can compound the effect of cortisol, making us feel jittery, more stressed out, and facing difficulty sleeping at night.

A better way to use caffeine and take advantage of our body’s own systems might look like this. When we wake up, we can activate our cortisol naturally by exposing ourselves to sunlight (Vitamin D) and drinking water. Letting cortisol run its course early in the morning can help normalize stress levels through the day. Drink a coffee later in the morning if you need it. 10 or 11am. Because then, you’re using cortisol to energize your early morning and caffeine through the afternoon. That 3-4pm crash will be less intense (when we typically reach for another coffee) and it may be easier to fall asleep later at night.

Or, there’s always decaf.

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Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.