03/22/2026
I love coffee, so I’m saying this with respect and a tiny bit of sadness :(
It’s not giving you energy the way you think.
Caffeine blocks adenosine, the signal that tells your brain you’re tired. So you feel alert, but you’re really just overriding fatigue.
At the same time, it increases dopamine, which is why it feels so good, and cortisol, which is why it can feel a little… intense.
When hormones shift, the brain becomes more sensitive to that stimulation.
So what used to feel smooth can start to feel jittery, anxious, or like a crash waiting to happen.
Nothing wrong with coffee.
Just different feedback from the body.
Three simple things that can help support this:
• Drink water first
• Have a little food before coffee
• Wait a bit and let your natural cortisol rhythm, guided by the brain and pituitary, wake you up first
Curious…
Have you noticed your coffee hitting differently lately?