Many people are accustomed to start their day with a cup of aromatic coffee . All sorts of commercials have called for this for years. They clearly show how a cup of coffee allows you to quickly cheer up and cheer yourself up for the whole day. In addition, recent research suggests that coffee is a much healthier drink than previously thought. It contains a large amount of antioxidants and a number of other beneficial substances.
Its regular consumption even reduces the risk of developing age-related diseases. But is it really right to start the morning with coffee? Doctors recommend that you stop drinking this drink immediately after waking up. The fact is that the drink stimulates the synthesis of cortisol, the stress hormone, the level of which in people upon awakening is high by itself. In addition, there are other reasons why it is better to refuse a morning cup of coffee, so as not to shorten your life.
Coffee raises cortisol levels
Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands in extreme situations. This hormone is essential for the fast fight-or-flight response. That is, the hormone helps the body quickly make a decision and perform an action, for example, an escape from danger. In the morning, cortisol helps you wake up, causing your body to wake up.
But an excessive amount of cortisol negatively affects the nervous system. Usually people in this case begin to feel a sense of anxiety, possibly even the development of depression. At the same time, the body is in tension for a long time, which is also unsafe for the body.
To get a good mood, and not anxiety and worry, coffee should be drunk after 10 o’clock in the morning.
If a person consumes coffee every morning, the body itself begins to regulate the amount of cortisol in the blood. This leads to the fact that the development of the internal stimulant slows down. That is, cortisol begins to be produced in a smaller amount or ceases to be produced at all. In this case, a person ceases to be disturbed by a feeling of anxiety, but another problem arises – without coffee it is no longer possible to cheer up and “gather” strength. Attention and concentration worsens, and the “energy reserve” also decreases.
Therefore, experts recommend consuming coffee between 10 am and noon, but not earlier. Drinking coffee later is also not recommended, since caffeine, according to scientists, lingers in the blood for 12 hours . Accordingly, with a later consumption of the drink, sleep problems may occur. The exception is situations when you have to work at night. A cup of coffee will not hurt, for example, before a night shift.
Why You Shouldn’t Drink Coffee in the Morning
Cortisol is not the only reason why it is desirable to stop drinking coffee in the morning. The stomach suffers greatly from the effect of the drink, since chlorogenic acid, as well as a number of other acids contained in the drink, irritates the gastric mucosa. In addition, coffee stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid. The latter leads to the fact that the stomach begins to “digest” itself. As a result, inflammation occurs – gostritis, ulcers and even oncology.
Therefore, lovers of coffee drinking on an empty stomach often experience such an unpleasant symptom as heartburn and even stomach pain. Moreover, according to experts, instant coffee harms the gastrointestinal tract the most.
Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can cause stomach pain
Keep in mind that even a few weeks of drinking an invigorating drink on an empty stomach will make itself felt. Initially, people usually experience discomfort and heaviness, and then more serious symptoms. Of course, we are talking about people with a completely healthy gastrointestinal tract. In the presence of health problems, instead of a powerful invigorating effect, a cup of coffee on an empty stomach can only aggravate the condition.
In addition, according to the HEALTHYWAY publication , Japanese scientists have discovered another negative effect of coffee – after drinking it, food begins to pass through the stomach faster than expected. As a result, the body does not have time to consume nutrients, which can lead to their deficiency. Subsequently, this can lead to a variety of health problems.
It follows that before drinking coffee, you need to have breakfast. Moreover, it is advisable not to drink coffee immediately after eating, but after at least 30 minutes, and even better – after an hour. Do not forget also that the degree of harm to coffee depends on the method of its preparation. For example, coffee brewed directly in a cup is considered the most harmful after instant coffee, which we talked about earlier.
But this does not mean that a drink prepared in a different way can be drunk on an empty stomach. An attempt to replace morning coffee with black or green tea will also not lead to anything good, since tea has the same property – it irritates the walls of the stomach.
If you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, stop drinking coffee altogether. Do not forget that coffee is not the only way to cheer yourself up in the morning.
