Can I Drink Coffee After Yoga?

Coffee is a stimulating drink that immediately kicks up energy and awareness levels. After your Yoga session's physical and mental exercises, should you opt for the coffee energy kick?

In short, no, you shouldn't.

Coffee increases cortisol levels, so drinking a cup of coffee after your Yoga session is not healthy because it shoots up your cortisol level at a time when the body is actively working to bring the level down.

Yoga stretches and poses are stressors which the body combats by increasing the circulatory levels of cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels for long periods can lead to some health issues, so the body works to bring cortisol levels back to normal.

What are the effects of drinking coffee after a Yoga practice? What are the best drinks after Yoga? What about drinking coffee before a Yoga session? Read on to find out.

Drinking coffee after yoga or workout can lead to several health issues. These include:

Repeatedly drinking coffee after strenuous yoga or workout sessions can cause the circulatory level of cortisol to be chronically high over long periods.

This situation can cause some health issues, including muscle weakness, diabetes, and susceptibility to infections.

Breakdown of muscle tissue – Cortisol is a catabolic hormone which means it breaks down tissue. So, elevated levels of cortisol over long periods can cause a breakdown of muscle tissue.

Diabetes – Cortisol inhibits the secretion of insulin which is the hormone that lowers blood glucose levels. So, too much cortisol over long periods can cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket and lead to diabetes

Susceptibility to infections – Cortisol suppresses the immune system, so raising its levels over long periods will make one susceptible to infections.

The caffeine in coffee has a mild diuretic effect, meaning it may cause body dehydration by making you urinate more.

A strenuous yoga or workout session will leave you dehydrated because you'll sweat and lose body fluid. So, you need to be hydrated afterwards. A diuretic, no matter how mild its effect, is not what you need.

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In response to the physical and mental exercise of your practice, the body produces adenosine to help calm it down.

However, the caffeine in coffee antagonizes adenosine receptors. That is, it prevents the binding of adenosine with its receptors and prevents adenosine from doing its work .

The effect is that you are super alert in the short run. But keeping this up can affect various brain functions, including sleep, cognition, learning, and memory.

Your yoga or workout activities will increase your heart rate. After your sessions, the body needs to calm down and recover.

However, that cup of coffee after your session will set your heart racing again instead of calming down. Keeping this up can lead to cardiovascular issues.

Cortisol is an appetite-inducing hormone, so you will want to eat something after your yoga or workout session because of the increased cortisol levels.

Interestingly, the caffeine in coffee inhibits the perception of sweet taste, making you crave even sweeter high-calorie treats.

A high appetite and a craving for high-calorie treats make a perfect combination for gaining weight.

Coffee can kick up your energy and alertness levels, but it is not the drink you should reach for after Yoga practice. The physical and mental exercises of your Yoga session will already have your energy and awareness levels up, so upping these again with coffee bothers on overkill.

Coffee after exercising is also not OK on the hormonal level. After working out, the body immediately focuses on reducing workout-induced high circulatory cortisol levels.

However, taking coffee will further shoot up the cortisol level, and chronically elevated cortisol levels can lead to problems like muscle weakness, diabetes, susceptibility to infection, and more.

So, after your yoga practice, drink a cup of plain water to stay hydrated instead of that cup of coffee. For better recovery, take electrolyte-filled drinks like coconut water or beverages that contain carbs and proteins like smoothies.

Mind you, coffee is not a good yoga/ workout partner, so not only is it not fine after your session, but it is also not fine before your sessions.