Health Hacks – 5 Ways To Make Your Coffee Habit Healthier

Health Hacks – 5 Ways To Make Your Coffee Habit Healthier

Coffee is an all-encompassing treat for the senses that starts the moment you catch the first rich and comforting notes of its aroma in the air. Its effects are so delicious that it comes in a close third behind water and tea as the most consumed beverage on the planet. 

Of course, if you get your coffee habit wrong, it can leave you feeling wired, jittery, or perpetually exhausted. If you’d like to get maximum benefits from each brew while minimizing coffee’s downsides, the following five tips will help. Health hacks – 5 ways to make your coffee habit healthier.

1. Perfect the art of homemade coffee

Whether you buy coffee beans online or from a local roastery, you will find the experience of grinding and brewing your own coffee at home to be infinitely satisfying. There are many brewing methods to choose from, and as you hone your skills and fine-tune your senses, you’ll likely find a lot of joy in this new ritual. 

In addition to the mental and emotional benefits, brewing your own coffee at home can save you money if you were buying from cafes or save your taste buds if you were drinking instant coffee. 

2. Set a coffee-drinking window

We all know that drinking coffee too late in the day can lead to sleep issues, but did you know that you can run into problems if you sip too early as well? When you first wake up, your body naturally gives you a little cortisol boost to get you going. If you add coffee to the mix, it can push your cortisol levels too high. If you’ve ever felt weak and shaky after your morning brew, this could be why. 

Your ideal coffee-drinking window is between 9:30 am and 1 pm. 

3. Don’t go overboard with caffeine

That coffee-drinking window applies to all caffeinated drinks, so don’t just switch to tea or soda after 1 pm. It’s also important to avoid gorging yourself on coffee throughout your caffeine window. Everyone processes caffeine at different speeds, but generally speaking, it’s best to go for the minimal effective dose, consuming just enough to give you the little boost of energy and focus we all love.  

4. Have some caffeine-free days each week

Caffeine is a stimulant, and like many other drugs, it can lead to an ever-increasing tolerance if consumed daily. So, pick at least a couple of days a week on which you can do without the jolt of energy, and take a break. In addition to resetting your tolerance, this should prevent you from experiencing withdrawal symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and brain fog if you ever have to unexpectedly forego coffee. 

5. Sip it slow

Coffee offers relatively quick-release caffeine, which means it can give you a massive energy spike and then an equal and opposite crash. To avoid this (and the temptation to drink more coffee when the crash hits around 2 pm), sip your coffee slowly, and savour every mouthful. 

Of course, slow sipping can lead to hot drinks getting cold and cold drinks getting lukewarm. To avoid this, get yourself a good-quality thermos or thermal coffee mug. These come in all sorts of sizes and designs, and they make it easy to bring coffee out with you from home. If you’re dedicated to barista-made espresso coffee, you’ll find many cafés offer discounts for customers who bring their own reusable cups. So, you’ll be in for wins all around!

Whether you’ve been experiencing some negative side effects from your coffee habit or you just want to optimize your ritual, the tips above should help. 

Featured photo by Andrea Piacquadio by Pexels