Best Time to Drink Coffee Is in the Morning, Study Says

For years, research has focused on the advantages of drinking coffee, not when you should actually drink it. A new study published in the European Heart Journal shifts that focus, examining how timing of coffee consumption may maximize its benefits.

According to the observational study, the best time to drink coffee is in the morning between 4 a.m. and noon.

"Our findings indicate that it's not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day when you drink coffee that's important," senior study author Dr. Lu Qi told Eureka Alert. Qi is a professor of public health at Tulane University in New Orleans.

What the Study Found

The team examined data from 40,725 adults in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 to 2018) and 1,463 adults in the Women's and Men's Lifestyle Validation Study. Participants shared what they ate and drank for at least one day, including whether, how much, and when they had coffee.

The findings showed those who drank coffee in the morning reduced their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 31% compared to participants who didn't drink coffee. People who consumed coffee before noon reduced their risk of dying from any cause by 16%.

Morning drinkers also had a reduced mortality risk regardless of how much coffee they drank.

While the team noted more studies are needed, we now know that brewing a cup of coffee for breakfast can be much better than getting your caffeine dose later in the day.

Why Morning Coffee Makes Sense

The study's findings actually make a lot of sense when you think about it. The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, so it boosts energy and mental alertness. Drinking coffee in the morning can make you more productive.

Productivity often leads to an improved outlook in life and can support mental and emotional health. When you're healthy in these areas, it also shows in your physical health.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, people experiencing mental health problems are more likely to develop physical conditions like heart disease. When you map all of this out, it reinforces the idea that drinking coffee in the morning can lower mortality risk.

The Problem with Night Coffee

Drinking coffee at night isn't so strange, especially for night owls and people who work graveyard shifts. But it's important to keep in mind that drinking coffee at night may significantly alter your body clock and how your body operates.

Registered dietitian Anthony DiMarino told Cleveland Clinic that it takes two to 10 hours for the average human body to metabolize at least half of the caffeine from a cup of coffee. The remaining caffeine can disrupt your sleep schedule if your body takes longer to eliminate caffeine, especially if you drink coffee after noon.

A cup of coffee can also affect your heart rate, breathing, and emotions. For some people, this translates to more anxiety and panic attacks at nighttime.

Unless necessary, it may be wise to ditch your late-night coffee sessions.

The Bottom Line

Drink your coffee in the morning. Between 4 a.m. and noon is the sweet spot according to this study.

Morning coffee drinkers reduced their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 31% compared to people who didn't drink coffee. Reduced risk of dying from any cause by 16% if they drank it before noon.

The benefits held regardless of how much coffee people drank. One cup or five, morning consumption showed the same pattern of reduced mortality risk.

It makes sense when you consider that caffeine boosts energy, improves alertness, and makes you more productive. Productivity supports mental and emotional health. Better mental health correlates with better physical health, including lower heart disease risk.

Nighttime coffee disrupts that whole cycle. Night shift workers and night owls might not have a choice. But for everyone else, late-night coffee sessions probably aren't worth the tradeoff if you're trying to maximize health benefits.

The study is observational, which means it shows correlation but not necessarily causation. More research needed to fully understand the mechanisms. But the data from over 40,000 adults across two decades paints a pretty clear picture.

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