A Hot Take on a Popular Beverage

Coffee is one of the most beloved beverages on Earth. Millions of people reach for it within minutes of waking up. Many proudly declare they "can't function" without it. Others view it as a harmless ritual, a productivity tool, or even a health food.

But I've seen coffee leave a lot of people, myself included, feeling anxious, wired-but-tired, depleted, dependent on a morning cup, and struggling with sleep, digestion, or energy crashes—and many don't realize all the ways coffee may be contributing. Some of them have nothing to do with caffeine.

That's why I'm writing this. I LOVE the taste of coffee so it took awhile for me to come around to it, but coffee isn't for me. I’m more inclined to binge later in the day when I drink coffee (even if I drink it with a full breakfast), it makes my head hurt later in the day, it makes my eyes dry, my skin look and feel dry, and it also interferes with my ability to get good, quality sleep. Replacing it with alternatives has been a game changer for me, as well as many of my clients.

Here’s a perspective that doesn't get talked about enough: why do so many otherwise healthy, capable, intelligent people feel dependent on a substance before they can fully engage with their day?

The debate around coffee usually centers on whether it's healthy or unhealthy. One camp points to studies showing potential benefits. The other highlights concerns about caffeine, sleep, stress hormones, and dependence.

I think we're asking the wrong question. In a world where people are chronically stressed, under-slept, overstimulated, dehydrated, and increasingly disconnected from the natural rhythms their bodies were designed to follow, coffee is often treated as the solution. We've normalized waking up exhausted, relying on caffeine to feel alert, and pushing through fatigue as simply part of modern life. But does that actually sound like health?

Does it make sense that millions of people need a psychoactive substance every morning just to feel functional? Or have we become so accustomed to the solution that we've stopped questioning the problem?

Coffee often feels like the energy equivalent of modern medicine: tired? Here's a stimulant. Fatigued? Have another cup. Rather than asking why we're exhausted in the first place, we've become remarkably good at overriding the signal and carrying on. But what if fatigue isn't something to suppress, but rather a message your body is trying to give you? And what happens when we continue to try to override these messages?

Our bodies are constantly communicating with us. Low energy may be pointing toward poor sleep, chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar instability, hormonal imbalances, dehydration, or any number of underlying issues. Viewed through that lens, fatigue stops being an inconvenience and becomes a clue. Perhaps the most important question isn't how quickly we can silence the signal, but what the signal is trying to tell us. And that's where the coffee conversation gets interesting.

From Sacred Ritual to Daily Necessity

Coffee wasn't originally consumed the way we consume it today. Its roots trace back to Ethiopia before spreading throughout the Middle East, where it was often used in spiritual and social settings. Sufi mystics reportedly drank coffee to support prayer and meditation. Later, coffeehouses became gathering places for philosophers, merchants, artists, and intellectuals.

In many ways, coffee helped shape the modern world. But historically, coffee was often consumed intentionally. It was social, ceremonial, and occasional. Today, many people drink coffee immediately upon waking, before breakfast, and multiple times throughout the day. Rather than enhancing an already healthy state, coffee is often used to compensate for poor sleep, chronic stress, overwork, and burnout. Somewhere along the way, coffee transformed from an occasional aid into a daily necessity. That shift alone is worth examining.

Coffee Doesn't Create Energy

Perhaps the most important thing to understand about coffee is this: Coffee does not create energy. It creates the perception of energy. Specifically, it alters our perception of  fatigue. While that can certainly be useful, it raises an important question: are we addressing the cause of our fatigue, or simply becoming better at ignoring it?

Imagine your car's oil light comes on. You could add oil or ignore the light. For many people, coffee functions more like the latter than they'd care to admit. The question isn't whether coffee makes you feel better in the moment. The question is whether it's helping you address the reason you don't feel well in the first place.

The Genetics Component

One of the most fascinating things about coffee is that two people can drink the exact same cup and have completely different experiences. One person feels focused, energized, productive, and calm. Another feels anxious, restless, wired, irritable, and unable to sleep.

Part of the answer lies in genetics. Genetic variations influence how quickly caffeine is metabolized, how sensitive we are to stimulants, how efficiently we detoxify compounds, and how our nervous systems respond to stress. As a result, two people can drink the same cup of coffee and have dramatically different physiological responses.

This is why arguments about whether coffee is healthy or unhealthy often miss the point. Coffee isn't inherently good or bad. It's highly individualized. 

When Coffee Becomes a Stressor

For some people, coffee works beautifully. For others, it quietly contributes to the very symptoms they're trying to solve. The challenge is that many of these effects don't feel like coffee problems. They feel like stress, aging, personality traits, or simply "normal life,” which is precisely why they're so easy to miss.

Caffeine Sensitivity & Genetics

Many people don't realize they're caffeine-sensitive because they've consumed coffee for so long that their symptoms feel normal. If coffee leaves you feeling anxious, restless, wired-but-tired, overstimulated, or unable to unwind at the end of the day, it may not be a personality trait. It may be a biological response.

Elevated Stress Hormones

Coffee stimulates the release of cortisol and adrenaline. For someone already living in a chronic state of stress, that extra stimulation can further activate the fight-or-flight response. What feels like energy may actually be a stress response. This helps explain why some people feel simultaneously energized and anxious after drinking coffee. The body isn't necessarily producing more energy—it may simply be mobilizing resources in response to a perceived demand.

Sleep Disruption

Many people insist coffee doesn't affect their sleep because they can fall asleep at night. But falling asleep and sleeping well are not the same thing. Coffee can reduce deep, restorative sleep even when it doesn't prevent sleep altogether. Which creates an uncomfortable possibility: the coffee you're drinking because you're tired today may be contributing to why you're tired tomorrow. In other words, the solution may be quietly reinforcing the problem.

Digestive Stress & Acidity

Coffee naturally stimulates stomach acid production. For some people that's beneficial. For others, it can contribute to reflux, heartburn, digestive discomfort, gastritis, or irritation of an already sensitive digestive system. When consumed first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, these effects can become even more pronounced.

Mold & Mycotoxins

Coffee is an agricultural product and, depending on how it's grown, processed, and stored, may contain mold-derived compounds known as mycotoxins.Most coffee falls within “accepted safety standards” but some individuals are significantly more sensitive than others—particularly those dealing with mold-related illness, chronic inflammation, or environmental sensitivities.

Dehydration & Mineral Loss

Coffee contributes to overall fluid intake, but caffeine also has a diuretic effect and can increase the loss of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium. For someone who is already depleted, this may contribute to fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, and poor sleep. It may also show up in ways we don't immediately associate with coffee: dry skin, a dull complexion, dark circles, or a generally depleted appearance.

Hormonal Effects

Coffee influences cortisol and other hormonal pathways. Some individuals notice increased anxiety, irritability, mood fluctuations, worsened PMS symptoms, or other hormonal changes when consuming coffee regularly. 

Pesticide Exposure

This may be one of the most overlooked aspects of coffee. Many health-conscious people spend significant time and money reducing toxic exposures in their food, water, skincare products, and homes, yet consume multiple cups of conventionally grown coffee every day without giving it a second thought. Coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. If you're drinking it daily, sourcing matters. The question isn't whether one cup will harm you. The question is what repeated exposure looks like over years and decades.

Dependence

Perhaps the most uncomfortable question is this: Does coffee actually give us energy? Or does it simply make us feel less tired? If skipping your morning coffee leads to headaches, brain fog, fatigue, irritability, or difficulty functioning, it's worth asking whether coffee is creating energy—or merely relieving caffeine withdrawal. In other words, are you operating above baseline, or simply returning to it?

Coffee Myths, Mistakes & Better Practices

Coffee While Fasting

One of the biggest myths in the wellness world is that because black coffee doesn't technically break a fast, it's therefore a healthy choice during a fast. I disagree entirely. Just because something doesn't break a fast doesn't mean it's supporting your physiology. For many people, coffee while fasting is one of the most stressful things they can do to their bodies. You're layering a stimulant on top of an already stressful metabolic state and asking your body to run on stress hormones rather than nourishment. The conversation shouldn't stop at, "Does it break a fast?" The more important question is: what is it doing to your body?

Coffee on an Empty Stomach

Even if you're not intentionally fasting, drinking coffee before consuming any protein fat,  or nutrients can create its own set of challenges. Coffee naturally stimulates cortisol, adrenaline, stomach acid production, and digestive activity. Consuming it immediately upon waking may amplify stress hormones and contribute to blood sugar instability later in the day.

Many people never connect their morning coffee habit to the anxiety, cravings, irritability, afternoon crashes, or inconsistent energy they experience later. One of the simplest experiments you can try is eating a fat and protein-rich breakfast before your coffee (or adding protein and fat to your coffee) and paying attention to how you feel.

Timing Matters

Many people reach for coffee within minutes of waking, whichs may be one of the least strategic times to consume it. Your body naturally produces a surge of cortisol shortly after waking to help you feel alert and energized. Waiting 60 to 90 minutes before your first cup allows your body to take advantage of its own natural wake-up mechanisms before introducing caffeine.

Adding Fat Isn't a Bad Idea

Adding healthy fats such as ghee, grass-fed butter, coconut oil, or MCT oil can slow absorption, increase satiety, and reduce some of the blood sugar volatility people experience from coffee alone. A coffee paired with healthy fats may affect the body very differently than black coffee consumed on an empty stomach.

Coffee Is Not Breakfast

This sounds obvious, but millions of people effectively use coffee as a meal replacement. Coffee can suppress appetite and blunt hunger signals, which may feel convenient in the moment. But many people end up under-eating protein and nutrients during the first half of the day, only to experience cravings, energy crashes, and overeating later. What feels like discipline in the morning often becomes dysregulation by afternoon.

Not All Coffee Is Created Equal

The quality of your coffee matters. Organic sourcing, proper storage, and testing for pesticides, mold, and mycotoxins can make a meaningful difference, particularly for individuals with chronic inflammation, environmental sensitivities, autoimmune issues, or compromised detoxification pathways. The goal isn't to create more rules around coffee. The goal is awareness.

A Question Worth Asking

What if the goal isn't learning how to function with coffee, but discovering how good your body can feel without needing it? If your body were deeply nourished, well-rested, hydrated, hormonally balanced, and functioning optimally, would you still feel like you need coffee every day? 

The goal of this article isn't to demonize coffee. It's to encourage curiosity. If you're struggling with anxiety, poor sleep, brain fog, digestive issues, irritability, dull skin, energy crashes, or other health issues, consider taking a break from coffee for 30 days and see what happens.

And if you do choose to drink coffee, quality matters. Personally, I recommend Purity Coffee, which is organic and tested for pesticides, mold, mycotoxins, and other contaminants.

Stay tuned for some of my favorite coffee alternatives…