Maybe you roll out of bed and make a beeline for coffee, take your supplements, and squeeze in a fasted workout to boost metabolism. From there, you grab a protein bar for breakfast in the car, and it’s off to the races of your day. On the surface, these habits might check all the wellness boxes. But some of them could actually be morning mistakes that sneakily start your day on the wrong foot.
How you stack your morning habits can make the difference between starting the day feeling steady and starting it running on stress, warns Jerry Bailey, D.C., LA.c., a certified nutritionist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, and functional medicine physician with Lakeside Holistic Health. For people already dealing with issues like unstable blood sugar, poor sleep, or hormone imbalances, certain morning habits can amplify stress hormones, worsen energy crashes, increase cravings, and make it harder for the body to maintain balance, he says.
Below, experts break down the moves that seem healthy enough, but may actually leave you wired, wiped out, or stressed.
- ABOUT OUR EXPERTS: Jerry Bailey, D.C., LA.c., a certified nutritionist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, and functional medicine physician with Lakeside Holistic Health. Sunjya Schweig, M.D., is an integrative family physician and founder at California Center for Functional Medicine. Sylvia Klinger, R.D., is a registered dietitian and founder of Hispanic & Multicultural Nutrition Communications.
1. Drinking Coffee Before Water Or Food
Coffee has a ton of benefits, from keeping you alert to helping lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers.
That said, drinking coffee first thing in the morning (after hours without other fluids or food) might cause some unpleasant issues. “Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and can increase alertness, but if you already wake up feeling anxious, depleted, or under-rested, coffee on an empty stomach may leave you feeling more overstimulated than energized,” says Sunjya Schweig, M.D., integrative family physician and founder at California Center for Functional Medicine.
Caffeine before food can also affect blood sugar regulation in some people. “If someone drinks coffee, skips breakfast, and then waits several hours to eat, they may feel temporarily energized and then suddenly shaky, irritable, or exhausted,” Schweig says. While you might interpret this “crash” as a need for more caffeine, it could actually mean you didn’t eat enough, or that your stress hormones are in overdrive.
Read More: Swap These Common Habits To Instantly De-Stress
In fact, registered dietitian Sylvia Klinger, R.D., founder of Hispanic & Multicultural Nutrition Communications, says caffeine can promote the release of several stress hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. This can result in increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, or heightened alertness.
Coffee can also stimulate stomach acid and gut motility. For some people, that might be helpful for digestion. But for others, especially those prone to reflux, nausea, gastritis, loose stools, or a sensitive stomach, Bailey warns that caffeine before food may make things worse.
The better move is to start with water, then have some food before or alongside your coffee. Even a small shift, like drinking a large glass of water before your first cup, can help support hydration, circulation, digestion, and steadier energy, says Bailey.
2. Taking All Of Your Supplements At Once
Taking your supplements first thing can feel like a very responsible morning win. (Good for you for staying consistent!) But downing a handful of supps all at once isn’t always a great idea, according to Schweig.
Not all supplements are meant to be taken together, and not all of them play nicely on an empty stomach. “Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K are better absorbed with some dietary fat, while certain minerals can compete with one another for absorption,” he says. “Others, like zinc, iron, some B vitamins, and certain herbs, can make you feel nauseous or jittery when you take them without food.”
That’s especially worth noting if you have a sensitive stomach, reflux, pregnancy-related nausea, or a more complicated supplement routine. Instead of tossing everything back with coffee and hoping for the best, Schweig recommends timing your supplements based on what they are, how they’re absorbed, and how your body tolerates them. If you take minerals, iron, or a multivitamin, he recommends taking them with food and apart from coffee when possible. Check with your healthcare provider or registered dietitian about the best timing of any supplements you’re taking.
3. Doing Intense Fasted Workouts
Fasted workouts are another one of those habits that work well for some people, but backfire for others, warns Schweig. “If you’re sleeping well, managing stress, and generally feeling steady, exercising before breakfast may not be an issue,” he says. “But if you’re already running on poor sleep, high stress, anxiety, hormone swings, or blood sugar ups and downs, an intense workout on an empty stomach can be a lot for your body to handle.”
Ultimately, exercise is a form of stress—albeit a useful, health-supporting kind. When you add good-for-you stress to an empty tank, it may leave you shaky, exhausted, irritable, and even ravenous later in the day, warns Schweig.
That’s especially important for people managing certain chronic conditions. Klinger notes that people with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, renal disease, anxiety disorders, or cancer should talk with their healthcare provider about habits like fasted workouts, skipping breakfast, caffeine-heavy mornings, or intense early workouts.
While you don’t need a full continental breakfast before every workout, she recommends at least eating something small and protein-forward beforehand, like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, a protein smoothie, or a boiled egg to help support muscle repair and keep you from feeling ravenous or depleted later on in the day.
4. Starting The Day With Screens And Stress
Checking your phone before you get out of bed may feel harmless (or even productive). But beware of what it could be doing to your nervous system. “Reading the news, responding to texts, and scrolling through social media can activate the stress response before your body has had a chance to orient to the day,” warns Bailey. “For people with anxiety, burnout, or high stress, this can create a reactive tone that carries into the morning and may also crowd out more regulating inputs, such as light exposure, hydration, breathing, or a calm breakfast.”
A better approach? Delay screen usage for even 10-20 minutes. Bailey suggests leaving your phone charging in another room so you’re not as tempted to grab it the moment you wake up. Some other tips he recommends: try opening the blinds. stepping outside for some natural light, drinking a glass of water and taking some slow breaths before getting your day going. “If your mind instantly starts to race, try jotting down the top one or two things that actually need your attention that can so you can feel more grounded before the texts, headlines and emails start flooding in,” he adds.
5. Eating A Breakfast That’s High in Sugar
A smoothie, yogurt bowl, or granola bar can sound like a reasonable start to the day (and sometimes it is). But many breakfast foods marketed as healthy are surprisingly high in sugar and low in protein. This can set some people up for a blood sugar rollercoaster, warns Bailey. “Fruit-heavy smoothies, flavored yogurts, granola, pastries, and many breakfast bars can cause a rapid blood sugar spike followed by a crash,” he says. “Individuals with insulin resistance, fatigue, or weight loss struggles are often most affected.”
Read More: The Best And Worst Foods To Eat For Breakfast
This doesn’t mean fruit is bad or smoothies are cancelled, but it’s worth making breakfast more balanced—ideally built around protein, fiber, and fat. If you love smoothies, add a source of protein or fat like protein powder, Greek yogurt, nut butter, chia seeds, flax, or avocado. If you’re a yogurt fan, choose a higher-protein option and add berries, nuts, or seeds instead of sweetened granola. And if bars are your only option, look for choices with protein and fiber. (Pro tip: A food is a good source of these nutrients if it contains at least 10% of the Daily Value.)
Takeaway
A healthy morning doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should actually support your well-being. If your go-to routine leaves you jittery, hungry, foggy, irritable, or crashing by midmorning, it may be worth rethinking things. Klinger suggests starting simple: Drink water before coffee, get some protein in earlier, take supplements with food when it makes sense, delay screens for a few minutes, and choose a gentler workout when your body’s running on empty.