This Morning Coffee Habit May Boost Your Mood

Bottoms Up: Most advice around coffee is all about what not to do — drink it too late, and you’ll wreck your sleep and throw off your impulse control. But new research flips the script. A recent study suggests that drinking coffee within a specific window may actually boost your mood and set you up for a better day.

The Study: Researchers used a process called experience sampling method (ESM), which captured data from participants in their daily lives, not in a lab. They gathered more than 28,000 surveys from 236 participants between the ages of 18 and 29. They also examined factors that could potentially moderate caffeine’s effects, including time of day, sleep quality, mental health, and social setting.

The Takeaway: Researchers found drinking coffee within 2.5 hours of waking in the morning had the strongest link to increased enthusiasm, happiness, and contentment. This was consistent across all participants, regardless of mental health or other factors. In some participants, they even found a connection between this timeframe and decreased negative affect, like sadness.

Keep in Mind: Data was self-reported, but the research supports sticking with early caffeine consumption is better for mood and for sleep.