Happy International Coffee Day! BENEFITS of drinking coffee...

Happy International Coffee Day to all the coffee lovers out there!

But wait a minute... Should we be drinking coffee? I am going to answer yes, as I am all about creating healthy habits, not restrictions... and I love coffee! I am having one proper strong coffee around 10 am every morning. Why only one and why mid morning?

The research has shown that drinking coffee in the afternoon can be disrupting your sleep. Scientifically the best time to drink coffee is between 9:30 am and 11:30 am. This is related to the cyrcadian rhythm and your cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone. Caffeine increases cortisol secretion when timed at period of peak cortisol levels, which for most people is between 8 and 9 am, this explains why the best time to drink coffee is not also first thing in the morning.

However every one of us has an individual caffeine threshold and some people might be sensitive to caffeine, so the level of coffee consumption should be set accordingly.

And now about its benefits:

Coffee is loaded with polyphenols and through their antioxidants activity, potential health benefits include lower risk of several serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, liver diseases and even certain cancers,
Caffeine enhances exercise endurance,
It improves mood and cognition,
It may even reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.