Coffee for Your Mood: Does Coffee Make You Happier?

How to Drink Coffee for Mood Elevation and a More Productive Day

Have you been wondering whether coffee could enhance your outlook on life? Does coffee improve your mood, or does it just reduce the feeling of tiredness? Coffee can be a delicious way to jump-start your morning, eliminate grogginess, and help you tackle a busy day. However, whether a hot cup of Joe actually improves your mood is a question that many acclaimed researchers have explored in depth.

Studies suggest that people who consume coffee are less likely to become depressed as a whole. One reason for this may be that caffeine can increase dopamine production. Since dopamine is a chemical that creates feelings of well-being, happiness tends to come as a side effect. 

According to an article from the National Library of Medicine originally sourced from the Journal of Psychopharmacology in Oxford, England, research indicates that in adults, the effects of caffeine on behavior are generally positive.

However, there's a lot more to this question than meets the eye. The amount of coffee you consume, your General Health, age, and other factors must be taken into consideration. In this helpful article, we will look at whether coffee improves your mood and how it can be used to help you become more productive in a healthy way. 

Yes, Coffee Improves Your Mood; Here's How it Works!

Does coffee make you happier and can you drink it for mood enhancement? The answer is yes. But exactly how does this work? Well, coffee is sourced from the seeds of the Coffea plant. Coffee beans naturally contain caffeine, a chemical responsible for blocking adenosine in the brain.

Caffeine is an antagonist of the adenosine receptor A2ARS. In fact, according to the Journal of Neuroscience, caffeine not only promotes wakefulness but may also potentially induce other positive feelings. Primarily, caffeine is a stimulant. This means it increases activity in multiple areas of the brain and nervous system. 

It can also increase the circulation of certain chemicals including adrenaline and cortisol. In small or reasonable amounts, caffeine can improve your mood, and help you feel refreshed, focused, and happier. 

The Healthy Way to Drink Coffee for Mood Elevation

One cup of coffee contains approximately 95 mg of caffeine. This is just about the perfect amount to wake you up and help you feel better. Although caffeine affects everyone a little bit differently, anything under 100 mg is considered reasonable. In comparison, a shot of espresso contains around 65 mg of caffeine. You shouldn’t have more than 400 mg of caffeine in 24 hours if you are trying to be healthy. 

The healthiest way to consume coffee is in moderation and preferably, with sustenance. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach isn't the best thing for your body. However, coffee after a meal can help to improve digestion and give you a pick-me-up. Additionally, people who plan to go to bed by 11pm should stop drinking coffee sometime before mid-afternoon. 

It is also important that you get adequate rest. Your mood and sleep patterns have direct correlations. So, even though coffee can be a great pick-me-up, adequate sleep, good nutrition, and leading a healthy lifestyle, in general, are important factors for those who want to feel happier. 

Can Coffee Help You Focus?

Yes, coffee can help you focus on tasks, stay in the zone while studying before a test, or get pumped before completing activities that you need to check off your to-do list. Coffee can also help you hone your focus on a very specific task. It improves alertness and may even be useful for those looking to retain information better. 

In fact, according to a 1994 Military & National Academics Study in the US, drinking coffee can help sleep-deprived individuals stay alert and function better. Other studies suggest that drinking coffee before an exam may also help to enhance your brain's performance and boost your memory. This is especially helpful for remembering key facts and identifying patterns. 

How Does Coffee Give You Energy?

Coffee can give you energy because it contains caffeine which blocks certain receptors in the brain that make you feel tired. In fact, we have an entire blog about how coffee can wake you up right here. For the most part, coffee can effectively boost energy in people feeling fatigued from lack of sleep, low caloric intake, or other exhausting activities. 

Coffee with caffeine stimulates your sympathetic nervous system. This means that it can suppress hunger, aid in a feeling of satiation, and even may help fat cells be broken down more efficiently which can convert into energy. According to a Harvard article, caffeine may be effective for weight management because of this. 

When to Stop Drinking Coffee Before Bed? 

Getting good sleep at night is very important to your health and well-being. This is true for physical health, weight management, and mood. Caffeine can stay in your system for quite a while, but some people metabolize it faster than others.

So when to stop drinking coffee before bed? The recommended cut-off time to stop drinking coffee is about 6 hours before you need to hit the sack. So, if you plan to go to bed at 8:00 p.m., you should stop drinking coffee by 2:00 p.m. However, everyone metabolizes caffeine a little bit differently. This means if you want to really stay on the safe side, stop drinking caffeine even earlier in the day. Or, if you aren't particularly affected by caffeine, you could keep drinking your coffee until later. 

What is the Best Coffee for Mood Enhancement?

Coffee can affect everyone's mood slightly differently. However, many people notice their mood is almost instantly better after drinking a latte. This is because espresso shots (a latte usually contains 2, 3, or 4) each contain about 65 mg of caffeine. Plus, the milk and sugar in a latte are sure to give your mood an instant makeover. 

Buy The Best Coffee for Mood Enhancement Here

We sell the perfect pure Arabica coffee beans for making delicious mood-enhancing homemade lattes right here, so check them out! A freshly handcrafted homemade latte is a great way to boost your mood and save money. Plus, many of our coffee beans are sourced from local Fair-Trade Certified farmers.

This means that you are getting great coffee that supports a great cause as well as real-life coffee growers around the world! That itself should give your mood a boost. If that isn't enough, the smooth and delicious pure arabica flavors are sure to bring a smile to your face. Life is always a little better with great coffee!