I Started To Wait 90 Minutes After Waking Up To Drink My Morning Coffee - Here’s What Happened

Many years ago a good friend who is a nutritionist told me that I really shouldn’t drink coffee (or caffeine in general) first thing in the morning. Of course the first thing I said was, “why not?” Like most people, my morning cup of coffee was how I woke up and jump-started my day. Some days I literally felt I couldn’t think or function without first having at least a few sips of coffee.

Well, he went on to tell me that by drinking coffee as soon as I woke up, I was setting myself up for the early afternoon crash that I dreaded.

I always thought the afternoon crash was a result of my morning coffee “wearing off.” But the reality was something far more physiological than that.

Yes, the afternoon crash was a result of the caffeine in my system dissipating. However, what was left behind was the true culprit.

Cold, early mornings on the farm without coffee were tough at first. However being cold without the proper gear is even tougher. Here's the gear I trust to keep me warm and comfortable. 

In short, when you wake up in the morning, there are chemicals in your body that help you “wake up.” These chemicals tell your body “it’s time to wake up.” It takes roughly 90-120 minutes for these chemicals' levels to drop naturally. However, if you drink coffee before this happens, you negate these chemicals from working.

Additionally, there are chemicals that make you feel tired. And coffee (or caffeine) block those chemicals so you won't feel tired.

Yes, that's right!  Coffee doesn't give you energy. It simply blocks the chemicals' receptors which make you feel tired. 

Therefore, when the coffee starts to wear off around 1-2pm, those chemical levels are still too high. And this is what leads to the afternoon crash.

IMPORTANT: High carbohydrate lunches cause insulin to spike, which leads to a crash in energy as well. Couple this with the caffeine wearing off and chemical resurgence, and you’re ready for a nap at 2pm on some days. RIGHT?

I decided to put this “theory” to the test. For 30 days I would wait 90-120 minutes after waking up before having a sip of any kind of caffeine (not even decaf coffee (because decaf still has caffeine…just not as much).

I’ll admit at first it was rough. I truly believe it was more mental than anything. I realized I enjoyed the process of making my morning coffee just as much as I enjoyed drinking it. So, I decided to create a new morning routine to replace the old one. I started drinking a cup of hot water with two (2) tablespoons of apple cider vinegar stirred in with a few drops of organic honey. 

Making this new morning beverage was a simple process…just like making my morning coffee....

....And sipping it, although caffeine free, it quickly helped replace my oral fixation “experience” of sitting outside and sipping my morning cup of Joe. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I was watching the clock like a hawk. And as soon as 90 minutes were up, I was preparing my cup of coffee or picking one up since I was typically out of the house by then.

But that’s when it happened!

One day, I had to be on the road for an early meeting. I had a 3 hour drive. I woke up, made my apple cider vinegar cocktail and hit the road. The plan was set in my head to stop at a rest stop in 90 minutes to grab coffee. But one business phone call lead to another and before I knew it, I was pulling up to my meeting. 

Without time to grab a cup of coffee prior to entering my meeting, I simply went without it. After my meeting ended, it was time to grab lunch. And since I never have caffeine after 12 noon (it affects my sleep if I do), I went without coffee that day.

And you know what?

I felt fine!

I have continued this routine for months and it's completely changed how I feel on a daily basis. The craziest thing I've realized is I truly don't need caffeine to be a functioning human being on a daily basis, as I previously believed!

In fact, there are many days when I go without any caffeine!

Not surprisingly, the days I don't ingest caffeine are when I sleep the best and wake up feeling rested and re-charged. And when I wake up feeling well-rested and re-charged, I don't feel the need to immediately consume caffeine when waking up.  It's as if I'm putting myself into a cycle that's the exact opposite of the typical caffeine-dependent cycle. 

Do I still enjoy a cup of coffee or an energy drink from time to time? Of course. But I've found that now when I consume these drinks, I do so more for the taste and not out of necessity. And truth be told, it makes having them much more enjoyable. 

Here's something else I realized after starting this little experiment....

....Delaying caffeine intake for 90 minutes after waking up is a mini challenge to start-off the day.  Doing so gives me a little victory.  From there, it's easy to attack the rest of my day with a winning mindset.

I know this may sound trivial, but once you try it, you'll realize exactly what I'm talking about. Ask anyone who starts their day at 5am going to the gym. Getting up at 5am is the first win. Going to the gym is another win. Getting a good workout is a third win. The workout is typically followed by a healthy shake or breakfast; another win.

So before 7am (when many people are still in bed) you've managed to rack up four (4) WINS for the day. And this folks, completely transforms the rest of your day. Truth be told, routines like this can transform the rest of your life. 

If you desire big changes in your life, you have to start by making small changes in your daily routine. Try delaying your morning coffee by 90 minutes and see what happens. I'm highly confident it will have the same affect on your life as it did on mine.

Good luck and Godspeed!

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