He coffeethat faithful morning companion that helps us start our day with energy. With sugar or without it, alone or accompanied by the various types of milk that exist, this drink has become a regular every morning for … millions of people in the world.
This is because, in addition to helping us in our process of wake uphas multiple benefits for our body, especially for our cardiovascular health. However, to enjoy these benefits, it is important to take it correctly and at the right time.
«Coffee well used in studies is associated with lower cardiovascular risk, lower total mortality and better metabolic function. But the moment matters,” says the cardiologist and digital communicator. Aurelio Rojas.
The body produces cortisol when you wake up
«Is it better to drink coffee as soon as you wake up or wait a while? Because? What I’m going to tell you contradicts what almost everyone does», he states on his Tiktok account.
The expert explains that, during the first 30-60 minutes After we wake up, our body produces “the peak of cortisol morning” naturally, “what is scientifically called ‘awakening response’».
@doctorrojass Coffee as soon as you wake up? It’s not always the best idea. When you wake up, your body already naturally activates the morning peak of cortisol, key for energy, attention and cardiovascular regulation. If you drink coffee right there, the caffeine does not add, it overlaps: less real effect and more tolerance. Waiting 60–90 minutes improves the response to coffee, respects the circadian rhythm and reduces nervousness and palpitations in sensitive people. Coffee is healthy. The moment matters. References 1.Clow A, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010. 2.Fries E, et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009. 3.Cappuccio FP, et al. Sleep. 2010. 4.Ding M, et al. Circulation. 2014. 5.Loftfield E, et al. N Engl J Med. 2018. #coffee #stress #cortisol ♬ original sound – Aurelio Rojas 🧡 Cardiologist
On this occasion, he states, cortisol is not harmful, but rather what helps us activate: “It is the hormone that gets you going: it raises the energyincreases the attentionregulates the blood pressure and synchronize your biological clock».
For this reason, he warns, drinking coffee as soon as we get out of bed can be counterproductive, since it alters this process: «Now comes the important thing. If you drink coffee right when you wake up, the caffeine it contains does not give you more energy, what it does is override that natural cortisol spike».
“The result is that you have less stimulating effectyou develop more tolerance to caffeine and that is why you need it every time you get up and in some people with chronic stress or with a more sensitive heart nervousnessfurther palpitations and even anxiety», adds the cardiovascular health specialist.
The best time to drink coffee, according to Aurelio Rojas
To avoid this, Rojas states that the “ideal” is “wait approximately 60 minutes after getting up to have coffee. «That small gesture improves the effects, reduces the overstimulation of the nervous system, protects the circadian rhythm and maintains a healthier and more physiological hormonal response», he argues.
In this sense, he recommends doing other activities before drinking our coffee: “Wake up calmly, expose yourself to the natural light of the sun, move a little at home or on the way to work, hydrate very well and then coffee. This, he concludes, is “a small gesture that will surely your heart will notice it».
