THIS Is The Best Time Of Day To Drink Coffee

If you're anything like us, or, well, any New Yorker really, coffee is a round-the-clock necessity. Most obviously, it's the beverage of choice upon waking up, when surviving your morning commute, and when cracking your knuckles and getting to work as soon as you sit down at the office.

Then there are the social opportunities - perhaps a cup at noon in the work kitchen or a Starbucks run with your co-worker. A coffee catch-up, a post-dessert sip. 

But everything you know about the nectar of the gods is wrong, according to some literal buzzkill researchers. Indeed, the optimal (and most effective) time to drink coffee is the moment you truly need it. Like one of those hippie dippie diet plans, you've just got to listen to your body and chase the caffeine only when that 3 p.m. slump kicks in, a.k.a. the lowest point in your circadian rhythm. For adults,that usually means the late afternoon, although students and young adults do hit that low in the early morning. In that case then, those late-night instant brews aren't going to help cognitive performance - so save the caffeine for when you really need it.

(Yeah, we'll try.)

[Photo via @ktnewms]