Coffee offers numerous health benefits. In certain instances, it can extend your lifespan, help prevent diseases, promote gut health, and enhance your metabolism.

However, not many people know that there's anideal time to drink coffee for maximum benefit. Globally, there is an "estimated 1 billion consumers", according to a study published in the European Heart Journal, Oxford Academic.

And it appears that moderate coffee consumption - roughly three to five cups daily - has been associated with lower risks of premature death. And you might discover that morning is the best time to enjoy your brew.

Therefore, ensure you drink your coffee between 8am and 11am, the usual wake-up time for many, and certainly before midday.

The Journal said: "We must accept the now substantial evidence that coffee drinking, particularly in the morning hours, is likely to be healthy. Thus, drink your coffee, but do so in the morning!"

Backing up why this is, the European Heart Journal explained: "Wang et al. analysed the time of the day when coffee is consumed in 40,725 adults from the NHANES and of 1,463 adults from the Women’s and Men’s Lifestyle Validation Study."

"They noticed two distinct patterns of coffee drinking", indicating approximately 33% of individuals are "morning drinkers," whilst 14% consume coffee throughout the entire day. Those who enjoy a morning cuppa had a 16% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 31% lower risk of dying from heart disease compared to non-coffee drinkers.

These benefits were specifically associated with morning consumption; the "all-day" pattern did not offer the same significant protection. The report further suggests that having coffee in the morning aligns with your body's natural energy surge.

This means that drinking coffee later in the day may keep your nervous system switched 'on' when it should be winding down. This disruption interferes with your internal clock (circadian rhythm), which is why many all-day drinkers struggle with sleep.

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The experts confirm that "caffeine, a main ingredient of coffee besides hundreds of others, has many rapid and positive actions on the brain, i.e. it enhances alertness, fosters concentration, and improves mood and well-being". The experts say it also "reduces the risk of depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease."

It adds that "caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumed at a dose of four cups a day was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes as compared with those drinking fewer than one cup a day.

"More importantly, in a large study, funded by the National Institute of Health, consumption of 4-5 cups of coffee per day was inversely associated with mortality, heart and respiratory diseases, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, but not cancer."

Enjoy your coffee, but stick to morning consumption. The research indicates that drinking it in the morning works best with our body's natural sympathetic activity and protects our sleep patterns, the study concludes.