Sniff coffee, don't drink it

Why a sniff, not sip, of coffee is enough to get you moving in the morning

Sniffing coffee should be enough to get you going in the morning, not drinking it, researchers claim.

Despite the fact that many of us rely on a hit of caffeine first thing to wake us up, scientists in Japan have discovered it's the smell of coffee that perks people up rather than the taste of it.

Well, strictly speaking, not people, but rats certainly, leading them to believe it's probably the same for the two-legged population as well.

In news that could have Starbucks quaking in its fairtrade boots, half of a group of rats who'd been kept awake for 24 hours (did they have an exam paper due?) were than blasted with the smell of roasted coffee beans, which appeared to reverse the effects of their lack of sleep.

'Is it better for us to smell coffee bean aroma than to drink coffee, or would any other food-related odour produce similar effects? Further studies are needed,' Professor Yoshinori Masuo, who led the study, told the New Scientist.