We’ve all been there… Feeling tired every day, people automatically point to stress, lack of sleep, or aging. We accept feeling low on energy as part of adulting.
Well it turns out that according to leading health and fitness experts, as well as a growing body of wellness science, your morning routine may be harming your energy levels, concentration, metabolism, and even long-term health.
And millions of Americans do this every morning…
We’re talking about drinking coffee first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
Coffee has long been marketed as the go-to pick-me-up to increase productivity. But while coffee does provide many health benefits on it’s own. Doctors are digging deeper into when and how we’re consuming caffeine in our daily routines. What they’ve found might surprise you…
When you constantly wake up tired, find yourself crashing in the afternoon, depend on more than one cup of coffee to function, or feel mentally foggy before the work day ends, your morning ritual may be to blame.
Why Your Body Reacts Differently in the Morning
Upon waking up, your body produces cortisol. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone.
Your cortisol works throughout the day to help you stay focused and awake. When balanced, cortisol aids in producing energy throughout the day and helps keep your body’s internal clock in check.
In fact, during the first hour of your day, your cortisol levels have already been raised!
When you add caffeine onto an empty stomach right when you wake up, you’re amplifying your body’s hormonal response.
What may have aided in steady energy now overstimulates your nervous system. You may feel jittery or anxious with quick spikes of energy, followed by a crash later in your day.
Doctors are starting to caution that this pattern can become the daily ritual that slowly creeps up on your sleep patterns, mood, focus, and wellbeing.
Why Adults Over 30 Feel It More
If you’ve ever paid attention to how coffee affects you over time, you may have realized it changes as you age.
When you’re in your early 20s you can probably get away with drinking coffee all day long. But after age 30 your body becomes more sensitive to stress, lack of sleep, hormonal imbalances, and wild blood sugar.
“The body can only handle so much stress,” explain dietitians. “That’s why you might start to experience symptoms like:”
-Fatigue
-Brain fog
-Anxiety
-Sleep problems
-Afternoon crashes
-Low energy
-Loss of focus
-Coffee tolerance
Sadly, most people believe these symptoms are solely due to getting older and/or stress from their everyday lives.
However, your daily habits could be playing a larger role than you might think.
Coffee Can Destabilize Your Blood Sugar Levels
Here’s another problem many people don’t know about.
Coffee may spike your blood sugar if you drink it on an empty stomach (especially when paired with poor sleep or chronic stress).
This sudden spike in blood sugar causes your body to release insulin hours later. You may then experience a rapid drop in energy, hunger, loss of focus, and cravings for more caffeine or sugar.
Essentially, your body experiences what some refer to as an “energy roller coaster.”
“If you work in an office or are regularly exposed to screen time all day you may be subjecting yourself to this cycle.”
-Sick and tired in the morning
-Drink coffee
-Feel energized for a few hours
-Crash in the afternoon
-Eat more sugar or caffeine
-Have trouble sleeping at night
-Repeat
This cycle may contribute to poor metabolism, increased stress hormones, and poor sleep quality overtime.
The Modern Burnout Epidemic
Energy/Fatigue is currently one of the hottest health topics in America.
Burnout research, adrenal fatigue trends, cortisol balancing, repairing the nervous system, & hormone optimization have all spiked significantly in the last few years.
The days of looking for a quick fix are coming to an end. People are finally ready to figure out how to have consistent energy, sleep better, think more clearly, and have sustainable daily practices.
On TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube you can find wellness experts talking about:.Regulating cortisol levels
-Getting morning sunlight
-Balancing blood sugar
-Repairing your nervous system
-Aligning your circadian rhythm
-Eating protein in the morning
This heightened conversation has caused thought leaders to reassess why we’ve been doing everyday things we once thought were okay.
What Experts Recommend Instead
The good news is you likely don’t have to ditch coffee altogether.
You CAN still have coffee as part of a healthy morning ritual.
However you will want to be mindful of when you drink it and what you do BEFORE drinking it.
Below are four healthy alternatives to drinking coffee first thing in the morning that many health experts are recommending these days.
1. Drink WATER
Your body is dehydrated when you first wake up from sleeping for hours.By drinking water first thing you are helping fuel your metabolism, digestion, circulation, and brain activity.Additionally, even being mildly dehydrated can cause you to feel more tired and have brain fog.
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