When you’re seriously starved for sleep
Coffee may seem like the natural solution for a night of subpar sleep—and it can be, but only to a point. New research finds that caffeine stops being effective at improving alertness whenever you get less than 5 hours of sleep for 3 consecutive nights.
The reason: So little sleep causes such a steep decline in cognitive performance that no amount of caffeine can overcome it. If you can’t seem to get least 7 hours of shut-eye per night, skip the coffee altogether and take a 20-minute nap when energy levels dip, which research shows can help you overcome symptoms of sleep deprivation and improve alertness better than caffeine.
When you drink a cup at the crack of dawn
Pounding a coffee at 6 AM isn’t doing your energy levels any favors. That’s because in the first couple hours after waking, your levels of the stress hormone cortisol are at their highest, which actually gives you a natural energy boost. So, many experts agree that the best time to have your first cup is sometime between 10 AM and 12 PM, when cortisol levels start to dip.
That way, you’ll be taking advantage of your body’s natural high, and saving that hit of caffeine for when you really need it. If you do drink your first cup super early, chances are you may just need another one a couple hours later to keep the momentum going—and depending on your personal health history, more coffee may not be a good thing. For individuals who have difficulty controlling conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, the cons of excess coffee may outweigh the pros.
This article was written by STEPHANIE ECKELKAMP on Prevention.com