craving caffeine
Most people wake up, make their morning coffee (or tea) and get on about their day. Everyone has their routine that gets them going and most don’t think past that- getting going.
A few months ago I came across some research on the negative effects of having coffee on an empty stomach. I took it to heart for a few weeks, trying to have a banana or shovel breakfast into my mouth hole- but I couldn’t get that into a new routine and eventually reverted back.
Fast forward to days ago when I came across Juli from Paleomg’s story about drinking 40oz water first thing in the morning. My lightbulb went back off and I decided to dig deep into the science of caffeine on an empty stomach.
Juli made a GREAT point- you wake up dehydrated. Freaking duh. You just spent 8ish hours asleep not consuming water. Sleep is nature’s natural fast and I just never looked at it that way until she so eloquently pointed it out.
I have always been one to take water and coffee with me on the go, I had two tumblers for each beverage but I never dipped into my water until my coffee was done. Some days I included a smoothie and fumbled all three, but even that took 2nd to my caffeine.
So why should you keep reading or give a crap?
Well, I’m not telling you to quit coffee- quite the opposite. I call coffee liquid tolerance, I don’t ever see a time where I stop drinking it. But I have made changes that are actually sustainable to my morning routine and have helped me get going so much more efficiently.
This is also a reminder that coffee is not the only source of caffeine. There is also tea, energy drinks, espresso, soda, some chocolates and there’s supplements out there containing caffeine. A lot of “weight loss” pills contain a sort of caffeine that supposedly boosts your metabolism when really it’s making you poo more and can dehydrate you.
Now, let’s get nerdy with it.
what it’s doing to your body:
Caffeine stimulates your stomach acids and gets the gastric juices flowing, but in some people the signal to stimulate the lower esophageal sphincter doesn’t activate. When that muscle between your stomach and esophagus is relaxed- that’s when acid reflux/heartburn can occur. I could not find any solid research on why this happens, only speculation that the same effect may also slow gastric emptying. There is also evidence caffeine on an empty stomach can increase your cortisol. High cortisol levels can increase your blood sugar, which can lead to weight gain.
But why does it make us poop so quick then? Well that same relaxing effect allows things to get moving. Gastrin, one of those stomach acids can stimulate your stomach to contract (some people get pain with too much coffee on an empty stomach and this can be why) but what makes us run to the porcelain god is the muscle between our small and large intestine becomes relaxed. So things get flowing between your intestines because of this.
Lots of this research is conflicting and different studies yield different results. It was also reported that in a study with a caffeinated and decaffeinated control group- the same bowel movements were had. On the same lines, a study in the early 90’s found that one third of their participants felt no need to use the facilities after regular or decaf coffee. Weird.
Your brain on caffeine:
Caffeine is the most commonly used drug in the world. Yes- it is considered a drug. Why? Well to simply put it, it alters your brain chemistry. It is an antagonist at your adenosine receptors, which when they are working slows our neural activity down (so basically what helps us sleep). Which is one of the ways it ‘wakes us up’. This effect can stimulate dopaminergic activity- releasing dopamine. Some studies indicate this release of dopamine is one of the underlying causes of the addictive quality.
Also probably why it makes some of us go from Oscar the grouch to being able to tolerate society.
On another note, caffeine is a stimulant. Doses above 400mg (4x8oz cups) may have side effects that can include increased heart rate and nervousness. If you are someone who has anxiety or a panic disorder…..those are very similar symptoms during panic attacks/anxious moments.
Amongst all that listed, caffeine on an empty stomach can also cause nausea which no one wants first thing.
Let’s get back to the original question- why water first?
Well I just want to put something in my system, get my body hydrated and honestly after 32oz of water I feel just as awake. Why 32oz? Cause that’s the size of my favorite insulated tumbler that is with me all day long.
Water allows your digestive tract to get moving without the stimulating side effects of coffee.
As someone who would drink a half a pot a morning before food- I still feel the need for caffeine and the addiction is real. Plus I just love sitting down to homework with my coffee. So I don’t plan on quitting or dealing with withdrawals. I just want to set my body up for better success throughout the day.
I have also noticed I am getting hungrier earlier in the morning and able to eat much more starting my morning with water.
Take what you want from this and I encourage you to do your own research. Remember, while google is a great resource just make sure it’s reputable.
Happy sipping!
Want to read for yourself? Here are some of the links I used:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10499460/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/caffeine/
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-nutrition/why-does-coffee-make-you-poop