4 Ways We Can Be Smarter with Our Office Coffee Consumption

No office is safe without a healthy supply of coffee. However, many businesses are spending far too much on the office coffee than they need to. Here are 4 ways that any office can start consuming their coffee in a smarter and more conscientious way.

Don’t Overdo It

Perhaps the simplest way that you can be smarter about your coffee consumption is to simply try and reduce your overall intake. Anyone who has ever had to get up earlier than they wanted to, just so they can go and work at a job that they don’t really want, knows just how essential that first cup of coffee in the morning really is. For many people, the day can’t properly begin until that first cup of coffee is inside of them.

However, if you want to reap the maximum benefits from every cup of coffee that you have, you need to avoid overindulgence. If you drink too much coffee, then not only will you lose out on the benefits it provides, but you will increase the unpleasant side-effects like anxiety and irritability.

According to one study, participants who consumed 200 milligrams of caffeine exhibited better memory recall than those who had consumed just 100 milligrams. However, doses above the 200-milligram range only produced more side effects - they didn’t further enhance recall.

Postpone Your Morning Cup

For many people, the morning cup of coffee is the most important part of their morning ritual. But if you are used to shuffling straight from your bed to the kettle in order to make your morning coffee, you might want to consider holding off for just a little while. The reason for this is the production of a hormone called cortisol, which regulates feelings of wakefulness.

In short, drinking coffee when cortisol levels are already high tells your body not to produce as much of it. If you drink coffee first thing after getting up, your body will end up interpreting these mixed signals as telling it that it doesn't need to be producing as much cortisol.

Lower cortisol levels throughout the day will lead to you feeling more fatigued. If you try to stave off this fatigue with more coffee, you will end up in a never-ending cycle of artificial wakefulness.

Invest in a Smarter Machine

If you want to be smarter with coffee consumption in your office, investing in a new machine could go a long way. When you have people making their coffee without the benefit of a machine, people measure out their own portions. Some people use level teaspoons, while others will heap theirs. There will always be variations in the amount of coffee that each person uses.

A machine, on the other hand, encourages workers to use standardised measurements, meaning that each cup uses a predictable amount of coffee. This makes it much easier to plan your coffee usage and ensure that you are keeping it to a reasonable level in your office. Once you start comparing commercial level machines against the alternatives, you will find them to be a much more efficient and reliable option.

Avoid Coffee After Midday

This advice is given out a lot, and with good reason; drinking coffee after midday has been shown to have a negative impact on the amount and the quality of sleep that we are able to achieve afterwards. Encouraging everyone in your office to keep their coffee consumption to the morning will enable you to make your available supplies last much longer.

Learning to be smarter about your coffee consumption isn’t just beneficial for your health, but it can also save your office money in the long run. Stick to the advice outlined above and you should have no trouble being smarter with your coffee consumption.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes