Coffee and a Nervous System Reset for Professionals — How Casual Conversations Change the Way You Start Your Day

How long after waking do you reach for yours?

This week I was at an office in the Brisbane CBD, setting up for a Reset and Recharge session — a Corporate Wellness program I facilitate for busy professionals leading them into gentle body movement, breathwork and meditation – in short, a complete nervous system reset for professionals, releasing accumulated stress to regain focus and clarity.

The usual participants were beginning to filter in, finding their space, that quiet settling that happens just before a session begins. And somehow, in that in-between moment, we started talking about coffee.

We all love something about it, don't we? For some it's the smell of a fresh brew filling the room. For others it's the ritual, the warmth of the cup, that first sip. Someone mentioned they'd recently stopped reaching for it the moment they woke up — not because they love it any less, but because it was a conscious choice.

That got my attention. I shared what I'd been reading about and practicing, and honestly, it's one of those things that once you know it, you can't unknow it.

The 90-minute window worth knowing about

When you wake up, your body triggers something called the Cortisol Awakening Response. Cortisol — often labelled the stress hormone, but really your body's natural alertness and energy regulator — surges in the first 30 to 45 minutes after you open your eyes. Your body is already doing the work of waking you up.

Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors. Adenosine is the neurotransmitter that builds up through the day and makes you feel sleepy — it clears during sleep and begins rising again the moment you wake.

The thinking behind the 90-minute delay, popularised by neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, is this: let adenosine build a little first, and let your cortisol peak naturally before caffeine enters the picture. That way caffeine works with your body's own rhythm rather than cutting across it.

The result, for many people, is steadier energy, fewer afternoon crashes, and over time less reliance on caffeine just to feel normal. It's worth noting that the research on the precise 90-minute timing is still emerging rather than definitive — but the underlying logic is sound.

And my philosophy has always been this: rather than dismissing something outright, why not try it, give it three weeks, and then draw your own conclusions. Your own lived experience is data too. Plenty of people find it genuinely shifts how they feel through the day — and you won't know until you try.

What you actually do in that first window

This is where ancient wisdom and modern science find each other in a really satisfying way.

Light. Get some, early. Before the UV index climbs — so within that first hour after sunrise — step outside for even 5 minutes. Not through a window, not via a screen. Actual outdoor light.

This signals to your brain that the day has begun, anchors your circadian rhythm, and quietly supports everything from mood to how well you'll sleep that night. The research on morning light and circadian health is solid and well-established.

And this is where the Yogic Surya Namaskar — Sun Salutations — comes in beautifully. The gentle practice draws on a much older tradition of reverence for the sun as the source of all life and energy.

Facing the rising sun, moving through a flowing sequence of 12 postures tied to breath, is a deliberate act of alignment — with the light, with the body's own waking rhythm, with the energy of a new day. The yogic tradition understood intuitively what we are now beginning to map with science: that how you meet your morning shapes everything that follows.

But Sun Salutations not your thing? A brief walk works. A few gentle stretches work. And if movement isn't calling you that morning, even simply stepping outside, facing east, and taking a few slow conscious breaths — letting the gentle warmth of the early sun settle on your skin — that works too.

The point isn't the method. It's the intention of meeting the morning before the morning meets you.

So what does a better morning actually look like?

It doesn't need to be complicated or dramatic. Before that first coffee, try this:

Step outside for five to 10 minutes. Look toward the sky — not directly at the sun, just toward the light. Let your body register that the day is here. Move a little — even a few rounds of Sun Salutations, a few stretches, a gentle walk, or just a few conscious breaths.

Let your cortisol do its job naturally. Give yourself a window of at least 90 minutes — and then make the coffee. Savour every bit of it.

It'll taste exactly the same — but your nervous system will be in a very different place to receive it.

These are the kinds of small, conscious shifts that open when we slow down long enough to pay attention — which, funnily enough, is exactly what we explored together in the 30 minute session that followed that conversation.

Sometimes the most valuable reset happens simply when you pause.

I facilitate Reset and Recharge sessions for corporate teams — simple nervous system resets for professionals, through movement and breath, designed for busy people. If this resonated and you're curious what a session could look like for your team, I'd love to hear from you.

Shery Slatter - Mindset and Corporate Wellness Coach, Brisbane - Australia