You may start every day with a cup of coffee, but there are certainly some right and wrong ways to drink it.
While coffee has many proven health benefits, some common coffee-drinking mistakes can interfere with your energy levels, sleep, hydration, and overall health.
To ensure you get the most health benefits out of coffee, we asked experts to weigh in on the ways you might be drinking coffee wrong—and how to fix these bad habits.
Drinking coffee too late in the day can impact your sleep by disrupting your body’s ability to fall asleep or stay asleep. That’s because the effects of caffeine, a natural stimulant in coffee that affects the central nervous system, can last for several hours.
Research has found that drinking coffee up to six hours before bedtime can disrupt sleep quality. Sleep is important for disease prevention, mood, focus, and immune function, so it’s recommended to stop drinking coffee at least six hours before bed to support optimal sleep.
Regular consumption of unfiltered coffee, such as French press, Turkish coffee, or espresso, can raise levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol.
Compared to filtered coffee, unfiltered coffee contains higher levels of diterpenes, in particular, kahweol and cafestol, which are linked to increased LDL blood cholesterol levels. High levels of LDL cholesterol have been shown to increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Overloading your cup of joe with added sugar or sweeteners can spike the total sugar content, which increases your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) and chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Excess sugar also disrupts the balance of the gut microbiome and may also worsen symptoms of mental health conditions. Additionally, studies show that consuming excess amounts of added sugars contributes to weight gain and increases the risk of obesity.
Instead, enjoy your coffee black or sweeten it with a small amount of natural sweetener, such as raw honey, date syrup, stevia, or pure maple syrup.
To optimize your daily energy level, avoid drinking coffee first thing in the morning. Immediately drinking coffee upon waking can interfere with adenosine, a neurotransmitter that influences your body’s circadian rhythm (your body’s internal 24-hour clock) and sleep-wake cycle.
To combat this effect, Debbie Petitpain, MBA, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, recommends having your first cup of coffee 60 to 90 minutes after waking up.
Some people drink coffee alone in place of a meal, whether for weight loss or as a personal preference. Coffee may be associated with weight loss and a total reduction in body fat, but it does not contain enough nutrients to be consumed as a meal replacement.
To reap the benefits of coffee, enjoy it after a meal, like breakfast, for metabolic benefits and better blood sugar control. For most people, consuming up to 400 milligrams (1-4 cups per day) of caffeine is safe.
Coffee has many health benefits, but some bad coffee-drinking habits might be hindering your health goals.
These include adding too much sugar, drinking it first-thing in the morning, and drinking too much unfiltered coffee.
