Catchy title, ain’t it? Sounds like I did a whole lot of research, right? No. I just opened up several articles (okay, four) and started typing away.

Well, yes, the picture is too warm. But look at the color of that coffee!

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that random. At the start of the year – January 4, 2019, to be exact – I posted a question on my IG stories: “What time in the day do you usually have your first cup/shot (of coffee)”? Turnout was intense! I had to sort through hundreds of answers! Okay, it was more 8 answers – but still, that’s about 3% of the number of followers I had that time.

BTW @wheresmonickee simply said “morning” like she was greeting me or something – but I noticed that there were answers coinciding with the time of day I myself usually take my coffee: after lunch. Also, @coffeecrawlerph literally answered “After lunch”. But when is the right/optimal time to drink coffee?

Remember my messy writeup about Coffee before bed? Generally, taking coffee at night is not a good idea, though there are some exceptions. But I never tackled the afternoon. Before we go there, I would like to point out that those four articles (published 2014, 2015, and two during 2018) all talk about the general times of day when cortisol levels rise in the human body. That would be:

• 8 to 9 am;
• Noon to 1 pm; and
• 5:30 to 6:30pm

Source: www.inc.com

So what the hell does that mean? According to that same article from INC, cortisol (aka the stress hormone) “makes you feel alert and, when absent, makes you feel sleepy. Just like caffeine.” It goes on to say that according to Neuroscientist Steven L. Miller, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (not in the Philippines), “drinking coffee when your brain is already releasing plenty of cortisol limits its positive effects”. In simpler terms, you get more stressed.

For the general population, drinking coffee at night is already a no-brainer. Afternoon then? It may seem that that window between 1pm and 5:30pm is prime time but again, for most of us, it’s not a good idea still. According to registered dietitian Anar Allidina (as reported through globalnews.ca): “Some of us are more sensitive to caffeine than others and it’s a good idea to avoid caffeine up to six hours before bedtime to ensure we have restful sleep,” adding “Try to avoid having coffee after 3pm”.

Cat, unlike her owner, does not drink coffee. Thus, she sleeps all day.

Okay, so the 1 to 3 still works? Not really if you back to the INC article, they note that accoding to WebMD (ahh yes, our online doctor), “caffeine remains in your system for up to 12 hours and can help create insomnia.” Yikes. For most people, don’t risk it. I might have to rethink that as well, I’m not getting any younger.

So that just leaves us with the 9 to 12 noon window. The articles all agree this is a good time to drink coffee but vary about the actual times. But, through simple averaging, it seems that the most safest time (according to 4 articles, mind you, take this with a grain of salt!) is, drumroll please… 10 am!

Remember the eight answers to my “survey”? @coffeecupseries was spot on with 10 am. She knows what’s up.

I can confirm that this particular cup of coffee was drank in that window – pun intended

Then again, you have to take your lifestyle into consideration. If you work the night shift, you can’t drink coffee at 10 am. If you wake up at 4 am every day, 10am may have the same effect in  you as drinking coffee in the afternoon.

As for me, well I might still stick to this time. I’ll let you know if it changes

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