How Your Morning Cup of Coffee Boosts Happiness and Productivity

Coffee is the first thing most people reach for in the morning, but it does more for your body than just waking it up. There’s plenty of scientific evidence that suggests coffee can fight cancer, reduce your risk for diabetes, and can even act as a productivity booster and anti-depressant.

How Does Coffee Make us Happy and Productive?

There’s no denying that coffee makes us feel more awake, but why is that? The caffeine in coffee blocks adenosine receptors, which cause drowsiness. Since they can’t bind together, we feel less drowsy. Caffeine also encourages adrenaline production, helping with motivation.

Essentially, coffee gets our bodies ready for action by improving our memory, alertness, mood, well-being, and energy. It’s obvious how these traits can affect our productivity.

When we’re more productive, we tend to be happier. If you want to cash in on these benefits, check out this carefully curated list of Roasty’s coffee box subscriptions. There, you’ll find several brands that offer light and dark roasts, flavored beans, and personalized subscriptions.

How Much is Too Much Coffee?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is safe to consume for healthy adults. That’s the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee, 10 cans of regular soft drinks, and 2 energy shot drinks. If you drink more than 4 cups, you should slow down.

You’re more likely to develop a caffeine addiction if you drink more than 400 mg a day, but you could become addicted after 1 or 2. It’s essential that you pay attention to your body.

Withdrawal symptoms can occur if you don’t drink consistently. Research suggests that caffeine may make you more productive because you’re preventing withdrawal symptoms, but for most people, that isn’t the case. Moderate amounts of coffee increase productivity regardless.

How Can I Maximize the Benefits of Coffee?

When consumed in safe amounts, coffee consumption is good for your body and mind. But if you don’t have time to drink 4 cups a day, here’s how you can maximize the benefits of coffee.

Drink Coffee 3 Hours After Waking Up

It seems weird to wait 3 hours after waking up to drink your first cup of coffee, but waiting can improve caffeine’s effectiveness. Drinking coffee too soon could cause the caffeine to interact poorly with the stress hormone cortisol, which is at its peak when you wake up.  

Other studies suggest that drinking coffee immediately in the morning could increase cortisol levels but not necessarily decrease the energizing effects of caffeine. However, cortisol will make you feel more nervous as a result, which could cancel out some of caffeine’s positives.

Favor Light Roasts Over Dark Roasts

There’s a running myth that dark roasted beans have more caffeine content than lightly roasted beans, but there are also people who believe caffeine is removed during the cooking process. So, what’s the truth? The truth is, caffeine is extremely stable during the roasting process.

That means that most beans, regardless of color or size, have the same caffeine content. However, since lightly roasted coffee is less dense, you’ll probably put more of it in your coffee machine per scoop. So, if you aren’t weighing your beans, choose light roast over dark.

Drink Caffeine Gradually and Stay Healthy

The mid-day crash is a common occurrence for most coffee drinkers. After the crash, you’ll have a hard time staying motivated. That’s why it’s important to drink your caffeine gradually by spacing out your cups throughout the day. Or, you could drink green tea in the afternoon.

However, the effects of caffeine work best when you’re drinking lots of water. Caffeine has a mild diuretic effect that you can offset by drinking other fluids. Don’t rely on caffeine for energy. You should eat healthily and exercise regularly to promote vitality and youthfulness.