The best time of day to drink coffee depends on why you drink it. If you need a boost right after waking up, drinking it in the morning can be helpful.

However, drinking coffee on an empty stomach can cause complications for some people, so you may want to wait and drink it with breakfast.

“There’s a tendency to think that it’s good to drink only black coffee before eating, but coffee is not the same as breakfast,” Cording says. “While drinking black coffee on an empty stomach is perfectly fine if you feel good, each person is unique in terms of what they need to thrive.”

Some health experts, such as neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., suggest that many people will also benefit from delaying caffeine consumption for at least 90 minutes after waking up. This gives your body time to wake up naturally, and it can help you get through the day without needing extra coffee (which will benefit your sleep).

If you want to take advantage of caffeine’s potential performance-enhancing benefits, drink it about 30 minutes before your workout.

You should also at least stop drinking caffeinated coffee six hours before bedtime34 and limit your daily caffeine intake to about 400 milligrams (4 to 5 cups of black coffee) per day, according to Cording. Otherwise, it can disturb your sleep.