The optimal time to drink coffee isn't when you normally have it

Maybe coffee doesn't need to be the very first step in our morning routines.

While it's often associated with wakefulness, experts claim there may be benefits to holding off on that cup of joe for a different time of day.

Cortisol, a stress hormone, is highest in our body right as we wake up, according to Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition.

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From there, she said, it begins to decline naturally throughout the day.

Caffeine is a stimulant, so if it's consumed (by drinking coffee, for example) when cortisol is high, that can increase stress levels that were already high at the beginning of the day. 

Cortisol begins to decline naturally throughout the day, but its effects could be heightened by consuming a stimulant at its peak. (iStock)

Note the time delay

"The [cortisol] decline is different for everyone but typically occurs one-and-a-half to two hours after you wake," Zumpano said.

That's the best time to have coffee, Zumpano said.

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That way, "you can rely on your body's natural alert system - cortisol - and when it declines, then you use caffeine to provide the boost."

The best time to drink coffee, according to a dietitian, is not when most people think it is.  (iStock)

"There is no specific time that's best to drink caffeine," the dietitian added. "[It's] based on when you wake and your natural rise and drop in cortisol."

Yet adhering to the body's natural wake-up processes can help sustain energy levels by avoiding one big cortisol, caffeinated crash.

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Fox News Digital previously reported on smart ways to consume coffee, with an expert noting that coffee drinking should be tailored to each individual.

"For some people, waking up and having a glass of water to rehydrate and then having coffee works well – but for others the morning ritual of having a cup of coffee first thing upon awakening is just too good to give up," said Wendy Troxel, a Utah-based sleep expert and senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. 

Drinking coffee first thing in the morning is "mostly a matter of personal preference," a sleep expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

"So, I think it's mostly a matter of personal preference."

Know when to cut it off

The ideal window may begin two hours after waking up, but how long do we have until we need to cut the coffee again before going to sleep?

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"I typically suggest six to eight hours before bed, but some people are slow metabolizers of caffeine," Zumpano said. So "it may take longer for their bodies to excrete caffeine."

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For those people, she suggests limiting consumption in the nine-to-12-hour window before bed.

"Coffee is high in antioxidants and can aid in alertness and wakefulness, although one should not be dependent on caffeine for this effect," a dietitian said. (iStock)

"Coffee is high in antioxidants and can aid in alertness and wakefulness, although one should not be dependent on caffeine for this effect," she said.

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"If you struggle with caffeine addiction, look at other lifestyle factors such as sleep duration and quality, nutrition, exercise, and timing and amount of caffeine consumption."