Doctor explains why you shouldn’t drink coffee first thing in the morning
While a nice cup of coffee might be the first thing you reach for when you reluctantly drag yourself out of bed in the morning, one doctor reckons it's not such a good idea.
Dr Karan Raj has become famous on his popular @dr.karanr TikTok account for sharing advice on everything from what happens if you don't wash your belly button to the dangers of holding in a fart.
Life's big questions, right?
He's used to dishing out the science to explain why we're not getting enough sleep or why you shouldn't spend more than 10 minutes on the toilet - unless you want an increased risk of getting haemorrhoids, that is.
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A couple of years back, Dr Karan also taught us more about the best practice around drinking coffee.
And don't worry, he wasn't telling us all to steer clear of it - which is the advice you'd probably assume would come your way from a doctor.
However, the expert did advise kick-starting your morning with a nice, hot cup of the stuff, arguing that it could actually be counter-productive.
Back in 2021, he appeared on the BBC's Morning Live where he urged people to ditch the caffeine as their morning beverage - and instead save it for later in the day.
Speaking to host Gethin Jones, Dr Karan said: "Don't drink coffee first thing in the morning to wake you up."
He then went on to explain the reasoning behind his advice, adding: "Your body naturally wakes you up with cortisol, you get a cortisol spike in the morning.
"So save your coffee until slightly later mid-morning when your cortisol dips and your energy dips - you'll get a caffeine boost then."
Dr Karan has previously shared a TikTok video in which he shared the above advice alongside two other common early morning habits that might be negatively impacting your energy levels.
In the clip, he said: "Three mistakes you make every morning.
"You press the snooze button. This convinces your body that you are entering another sleep cycle, causing you to release hormones that induce more sleep.
"Then when you do get out of bed, your body is full of sleep chemicals that keeps you tired for another four hours."
He then went on to mention another habit I reckon a lot of us are guilty of - whipping out your phone as soon as you're awake.
"Checking your phone as soon as you wake up," he said.
"When you wake up in the morning, your brain gradually increases your alertness - going from delta to theta to alpha brain wave.
"Looking at your phone skips the theta and alpha brain wave, putting you on edge."
The advice prompted a bit of debate in the comments, with some keen to try and make their morning easier and others firmly in the snoozing/phone checking/coffee drinking camp.
One person said: "But but but Doc... those extra five snoozes are the best part of the morning."
Another joked: "People are not safe around me until I've had my morning coffee."
While a third person said: "Cheers, Doc. Amazing info as always."
Jess Hardiman