How to prevent the undesirable coffee crash and stay sharp for longer

3 min readFeb 11, 2022

This article is for the devout Starbucks patron, the ‘once in awhile’ coffee guy and everything in between. We will delve into the beneficial effects of coffee, the undesirable consequences and how you limit these unwanted effects.

Let’s go.

A brief overview of some major molecules in coffee

Caffeine — a stimulant that blocks the neuroreceptors for the relaxation chemical adenosine. This results in increased heart rate, increases blood pressure, and overall enhanced alertness.
Polyphenols — these are anti-oxidant compounds that are highly beneficial and can optimize your cardiovascular profile and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Tannins — these clunky molecules are responsible for the ‘puckering’ reflex when you drink some bitter black coffee. PRO TIP: they prevent the absorption of calcium and iron so take supplements away from coffee.

Benefits of coffee on the body

Coffee can improve memory and brain function and prevent brain aging.
Coffee is an excellent source of antioxidants.
Coffee can improve insulin sensitivity.
Coffee can accelerate fat loss.
Coffee can improve exercise performance.

Coffee consequences

Coffee consumption increases the release of stress hormones in the body, so long-term use in stressful situations can be taxing on your adrenal glands (almond-shaped organ on top of your kidney that release stress hormones). PRO TIP: **If you are a prolonged coffee drinker and suffer from fatigue throughout the day and you take a BREAK from coffee and feel more energized, this is a telltale sign that your adrenals need some rest and love.**
A caffeine crash typically occurs 3–4 hours after a person has consumed a moderate to high dose of caffeine and was previously in a tired state. Symptoms can include tiredness, irritability and fatigue. This is because of the build-up of adenosine, as stated above.

How to mitigate the negative effects of coffee consumption so you can feel better for longer

1. Avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach

Nutritionists and hormone experts collectively caution coffee drinkers to avoid drinking it on an empty stomach. This can lead to acid reflux, poor blood sugar control and a jittery feeling from the fast and furious absorption of caffeine which can wreak havoc on your stress hormones.
Slower absorption of caffeine by having food in the GI tract will prevent taxing your adrenal glands too much.

Even having some fiber or healthy fat (like MCT oil) right before your coffee will be better than nothing to moderate caffeine absorption.

2. Take L-theanine with your coffee

This magical molecule is a naturally occurring amino acid in green and black tea. L-theanine serves as a “buffer” to the stimulating effects of caffeine with its relaxation properties.
L-theanine has been shown to boost dopamine and serotonin levels and it helps promote alpha brainwaves (these brainwaves promote creativity and a relaxed, focused state).

100mg of L-theanine should do the trick, but sometimes up to 300mg is needed depending on your individual biochemistry.

I hope this was helpful, and please let me know in the comments if there are any specific health and wellness subjects you would like me to write about.

Bon voyage for the day!