There are sooooo many posts on social media about the day not starting until that first coffee hits.

Sure it gives you a jumpstart kick for the day, but do you also know it prolongs natural overnight cortisol levels during the morning?

Cortisol is a stress and repair hormone released by the adrenal gland and regulated by the pituitary gland. It has many different impacts throughout the body.

Prolonged or excessive release of cortisol can contribute to weight gain, poor skin wound healing and thinning, acne and in women, irregular periods and facial hair growth.

In Chinese Medicine it’s understood that coffee is like mud for the liver to process and metabolise. This puts strain on the liver that can lead to many other symptoms over time such as menstrual irregularities, fatigue, body aches, headaches and more.

That’s why I recommend drinking tea, not coffee, for your morning glory. If you must have coffee it’s better to drink it between 9-11am after a sizeable breakfast.

It’s best to avoid coffee after midday because for many people the caffeine can impact on nightly sleep quality and quantity.

And if you can reduce your coffee intake to 1 cup a day, 1-2 days per week, or even 1-2 times per month, your body will thank you in the long run. You may just find you handle stress in your day much better without coffee - less edgy.

That’s something helpful that will have you smiling! 

Dr Christine May is the Principal Dentist and Founder of ViDe and FaceWell.

The health information contained in this article is of a general nature only and should not replace any advice provided by your own health practitioner following a consult.