A Cure for the Winter Blues - How Coffee Lifts Our Mood!
It’s that time of the year when the days are getting colder and the nights are getting darker. The winter months can often feel quite demanding for many of us and there is evidence that this phenomenon is not just happening in our heads.
During the darker months of autumn and winter, some people can experience symptoms such as low mood, lack of energy and loss of pleasure, which may well point to Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
The Restoring Powers of Coffee
Recently published research has looked into the relationship between the darker months and accompanying SAD, mood and caffeine intake, producing evidence to suggest that drinking coffee can help to improve moods during winter.
The new research comes from a pan-European survey, funded by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, and looks into the effects of diet and general lifestyles on mood.
Results were taken from 5,000 adults across the UK, Italy, Finland, Germany and Poland, revealing a very convincing relationship between caffeine consumption and improved mood. The survey also offered some quite revealing statistics relating to respondents’ moods during winter, with 28% of adults across Europe reported to experience depression and increased feelings of sadness as daylight hours decrease.
The Science of Coffee
As described by Assistant Professor Giuseppe Grosso, from the Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania: “There is evidence that coffee polyphenols may pass the blood-brain barrier, exert anti-neuroinflammatory effects and even promote neurogenesis, hence resulting in decreased risk of both cognitive and affective disorders”.
This would appear to match up with what the survey reveals about respondents’ relationship to coffee, particularly coffee drinking habits during shorter days: the primary motivation for drinking coffee during at this time of the year was to feel more energised, with the improvements to mood and emotions, alertness and concentration also cited as driving factors.
Existing research has also suggested that 75mg of caffeine, or around one cup of coffee, every four hours can be associated with a sustained improvement in mood throughout the day, while additional research has proposed that even the aroma of coffee may stimulate alertness.
Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that coffee can heighten alertness, maintain vigilance and promote memory, leading to improvements in attention, cognitive function and mood, each of which can suffer during cold, dark winters.
It’s clear that there is plenty to be said for the restorative powers of a cup of delicious hot coffee!
Where to Buy the Best Coffee This Winter
At Coffee-Direct, you will find a selection of more than 100 delicious coffee varieties.
Why not take a look at some of our picks to enjoy this winter?
12 Days of Christmas Gift Pack - £29.99
Experience a new coffee every day with our 12 Days of Christmas Gift Pack. Featuring twelve remarkable coffee varieties from across the globe, this gift pack enables the recipient to try a different coffee variety for each day of Christmas and experience the wealth of diverse flavours and characteristics contained in some of the finest coffees available.
Coffee of the Month – Get 50% off your first order!
Subscribe to our Coffee of the Month and we'll send you a different, carefully selected coffee throughout the year, each of which have been expertly roasted and chosen to showcase our extensive range of quality origin and blended coffees from around the world.
What’s more, you can enjoy 50% off your first Coffee of the Month order!
Monsoon Malabar Coffee – From £10.99
One of India’s most sought-after coffees and an all-time customer favourite here at Coffee-Direct!
From the unique process used to give these legendary beans their signature taste profile to its intensely rich flavours and aromas, this Indian roast is an exceptional coffee.
Kenya Blue Mountain Coffee – From £12.99
Our Kenya Blue Mountain is grown from seeds originally from Jamaica, which produce a coffee that has the natural sweetness of Blue Mountain Jamaica, but has also taken on the rich aromatic flavours and intensity that is typical of Kenyan coffee.
Buckaroo Coffee – From £10.99
Not for the faint-hearted, our Buckaroo Blend is strong, darkly roasted and straight to the point, with a kick that's sure to get you moving first thing in the morning.