Is caffeine bad for your hormones?

When coffee helps, when it hurts, and how to drink it without wrecking your hormones

February 12 , 2026

Are you a coffee drinker?
Same. Same so hard.

I love my coffee. I love the ritual, the smell, the health benefits (coffee is full of antioxidants!), and I especially love this meme:

“I’m not in the habit of taking away coffee from moms. I’m not a monster.”

And listen, I’m not here to take your coffee away.
But as much as I love coffee and support your morning habit, there are times when we want to scale back… or maybe scale way back.

Before we get into that, I have one rule I live and die by:

You should always have your morning coffee with or after food. Never before.

If you’re having coffee before, or <<audible gasp>> instead of breakfast, this is something I want you to shift.

Either have some food with your wakey juice or save it for after you eat.

If you feel like you need caffeine immediately upon waking, you may be dealing with low cortisol and serious dehydration. If that sounds like you, try an adrenal cocktail first thing in the morning before reaching for coffee.

Alright. Now let’s talk about when it actually makes sense to modify (read: reduce) your coffee intake.

These recommendations still apply even if the symptom is new but the coffee habit is old. We can develop issues with any food at any time.

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When you might want to scale back on coffee:

1. If you’re dealing with a lot of anxiety

   This is a big one. Scaling back or even switching to decaf can be hugely helpful. I had to go fully decaf for about a year in grad school when I was having panic attacks. You don’t need to be in full-blown anxiety mode for this to apply. Even mild or situational anxiety can improve with less caffeine.

2. If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep

   Cut back on total coffee and stop caffeine earlier in the day (sometimes even by 10am). Tea counts. Chocolate usually doesn’t matter unless you’re very sensitive.

3. If you have high or low cortisol symptoms

   High cortisol can look like anxiety, rage, sugar cravings, trouble winding down.
   Low cortisol can look like low energy, depression, salt cravings, low motivation, brain fog.
   If either (or both) sound familiar, scaling back matters. One cup per day is usually fine with or after food.

4. If you need more and more coffee to feel anything

   This usually means your body is tired for reasons that have nothing to do with caffeine. Or you’ve built up tolerance and lost sensitivity to its benefits.

5. If your gut hates coffee

   Yes, coffee stimulates digestion. That’s normal.
   But if you’re running to the bathroom, having loose stools, feeling nauseous, losing your appetite, or dealing with heartburn, coffee might not be serving you right now.

6. If you’re curious what your body feels like without it

   Caffeine is a drug. I’ve taken extended coffee breaks before and probably will again. After the initial withdrawal hump, many people report more consistent energy without it. Just don’t quit cold turkey, tapering helps avoid headaches.

So… should you scale back?

Like most things in nutrition:
It depends.

Coffee isn’t good or bad. It’s contextual.

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Still tired even with coffee?

If coffee feels like the only thing keeping you upright but your energy still crashes, your anxiety feels wired, or your sleep is a mess, that’s a sign your body needs more than caffeine.

Energize is my fast, no-BS energy reset for moms who want to:

• Have more consistent energy

• Feel calmer and less reactive

• Support cortisol and hormones without changing their whole routine

This isn’t about quitting coffee.
It’s about fixing what coffee is trying to compensate for.

👉 Get started with Energize here.

xo

Alison

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