Does Coffee Boost Productivity?

Coffee has long been associated with boosting productivity. It is commonly drunk before or during work to help wake people up and keep them working efficiently throughout the day. We take a look at whether coffee’s effects on productivity are as good as they are perceived to be, and how you can get the most out of your coffee.

Does Coffee Boost Productivity?

As one of the best-loved beverages in the world, it should come as no surprise that there have been many studies into coffee and its effectiveness. Luckily, this has been able to give us some answers as to how much coffee can impact on our productivity. Most of these studies have concluded that caffeine – found in coffee – increases attention, helps you to learn things faster and can improve your motor skills.

PLOS One reports that drinking around 2 cups of coffee can improve short-term memory, helps the brain to identify words faster and increases the ability to solve problems. Likewise, a study from The Nutrition Doctor found that caffeine has a positive impact on your brain’s energy levels, which can contribute to improved cognition, including enhanced memory, ability to focus and better problem-solving.

When Should You Drink Coffee to Be More Productive?

The effectiveness of coffee on boosting productivity all depends on when you are reaching for that cup. While coffee is often associated with being a morning drink, used to perk you up at the start of the day, sipping your brew at this time can actually be counterproductive. This is because your body naturally produces its own version of caffeine: cortisol. The peak times during the day when your body produces cortisol are early morning, midday and evening.

When you drink coffee at the same time that your body is producing cortisol, you can eventually gain a tolerance towards caffeine, which can reduce the effectiveness of a cup of coffee. Therefore, the best times to drink coffee to boost positivity are between these times – around 9.30 to 11.30 am and 1.30 to 5pm – as a coffee during these times can be a great pick-me-up for when your body isn’t producing as much cortisol.

Coffee Boosts Productivity Not Creativity

A common misconception about coffee’s benefits is that its stimulating powers help to boost creativity. However, this is not the case. While coffee has been found to boost productivity, in terms of the amount of tasks that can be achieved, jobs that require quality over quantity actually don’t benefit from coffee.

How Much Coffee Do You Need to Drink?

You are likely to have noticed that some people will feel the need for a caffeinated beverage a lot more frequently than others. It typically takes around half an hour for the caffeine in your coffee to reach peak levels in your bloodstream, and these levels will decrease over a period of around 5 hours. However, there are many factors which can impact on how quickly the caffeine leaves your system.

For example, people who regularly drink highly caffeinated drinks, or those who smoke will find that they crave coffee more often, as caffeine tends to leave their system faster than those who don’t. On the other hand, those who don’t drink coffee regularly will see the effects of the coffee lasting longer. Interestingly, hormones can play a big part on the effects of coffee, as women who use birth control will also find that caffeine stays in their system longer!

How to Get More Productivity Out of Your Coffee

There are a number of ways in which you can adapt your coffee drinking to get the best benefits out of your brew. Caffeine is the part of coffee that boosts productivity, so to get more productivity from your brew, you’ll want a higher amount of caffeine! The way you make your coffee, and the types of coffee beans you use have a big impact on the amount of caffeine present in your cup.

Robusta and Arabica are the two main types of coffee bean used. Robusta coffee contains around twice the amount of caffeine as Arabica. The way these beans are roasted and ground will also have an impact on the amount of coffee present. Typically, darker roasts will contain lower levels of caffeine than lighter roasts. This is because when the beans are roasted for a longer amount of time to create a dark roast, the caffeine molecules break down. When it comes to grinding your coffee beans, the finer the coffee, the higher the amount of caffeine.

The brewing method used to create your coffee will also have an effect on the amount of caffeine.  For example, the longer you leave your coffee brewing, and the more coffee you use in comparison to the level of water, will both contribute to a more caffeinated cup. That’s why so many people love using the AeroPress UK coffee maker using the inverted method, as there is often a higher amount of coffee used than usual, and the coffee is left to brew for a little longer.  

It is also a good idea to opt for smaller cups of coffee more frequently, rather than one big mugful, as this is a far more effective way of drinking coffee. By doing this, you can maintain the caffeine’s effect throughout the day, rather than having an overload of caffeine at once and then crash later in the day. 

 Do you think coffee helps to boost your productivity? Leave us a comment to let us know your thoughts!

 

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