You Could Be Drinking Coffee At The Wrong Time Of Day

DENVER (CBS4) - There's nothing like the smell of coffee brewing to get you out of bed. However, if you roll out like a zombie and down a cup of Joe first thing in the morning, one scientific study says you're doing it wrong.

For some people, drowning yourself in coffee in order to wake up appears to actually be counter-productive as it competes with our body's natural attempts.

We have our own drug that acts like caffeine. Cortisol is a natural stress hormone related to alertness that releases throughout the day. It's controlled by our internal clock and the amount peaks dramatically after awakening, helping to get us going.

A study found that drinking coffee during this time renders it less effective, causing you to build up a tolerance. That means it's going to take more and more to keep you feeling awake.

Waiting to drink coffee until after your cortisol surge is best, according to the study -- roughly an hour after waking.

It's also apparently best for some to avoid coffee from noon to 1 p.m., and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., which are additional peaks in cortisol.

And if you work an odd schedule, the rule still applies. It's a matter of our internal clock, which is regulated by sunlight and darkness rather than sleeping patterns.

So whenever it may be that you wake up to start the day, your body begins releasing cortisol to help you out. Let it assist you before drowning the efforts in caffeine.

CBS4 social media and website producer Heather Sadusky writes about trending topics on social media and across the Internet on her What's Trending Blog. Share a story idea with Heather by clicking here.