In the Broadway show “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” the office staff members are so obsessed with coffee breaks that they break into a song of lament when the pot is empty! (Hey, it was pre-Starbucks). Do your employees keep checking the clock until their next caffeine session? If so, you may want to adjust the timing, especially in the morning says a Washington Post blog.
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Post blogger Roberto A. Ferdman says that studies of how the “stress hormone” cortisol ebbs and flows throughout the day show that morning may be the worst time to drink coffee or other caffeinated beverage.
According to the blog, when a worker’s cortisol level is high, they are most alert, and cortisol levels are highest from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., when the body is naturally endeavoring to stay alert and active.
When coffee is consumed during this time, it supersedes the natural boost from cortisol. Continuous consumption of coffee in the morning will cause the body to produce less cortisol and increase its need for caffeine, starting a vicious cycle of increased consumption.
The blog suggests study results show that that coffee breaks be scheduled for “trough times” when the body’s natural cortisol levels are low—roughly from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
So, will employees want their caffeine then? Well, it’s summer— the perfect time for iced coffee.
Ironically, I’m reading this while drinking my morning Diet Coke.