5 Reasons To Ditch Caffeine

5 REASONS TO DITCH CAFFEINE

Caffeine is one of the most addicting DRUGS on the planet. Yes, I said it, caffeine is a drug. Caffeine is defined as a drug because it stimulates your central nerve system. It causes a temporarily alertness because it puts your body into fight or flight mode, but more on this later. According to E-Imports, Expresso Business Solutions, “50% of the population, equivalent to 150 million Americans, drink espresso, cappuccino, latte, or iced/cold coffees. [And], Independent coffee shops equal $12 billion in annual sales.” There are a lot of American’s addicted to their coffee/caffeine, including myself at one time.

Here are the Top 5 Reasons you should quick caffeine:

#1 Overstimulates your adrenal glands

Caffeine causes your Adrenal Glands to kick out Cortisol, Epinephrine and Norepinephrine this causes your body to be in Fight or Flight mode. Your body literally goes into survival mode as blood is drawn away from your digestive system and diverted to your muscles. This means that your digestion is put on hold while your body utilizes added energy to run away or fight. Cortisol will also narrow the arteries while epinephrine increases the heart rate. What would that do? It will cause the blood to pump harder and faster. So, imagine drinking coffee every morning day in and day out, what is this going to do to your body long term?

#2 Sleep Problems

Sleep problems are very common in people who have a caffeine addiction. I have suffered sleep problems because of a caffeine addiction. When your body is in a stressed state melatonin (the sleep neurotransmitter) in the brain is suppressed and it is harder to fall asleep. Caffeine in a healthy Adult can take an average of 12 hours to fully metabolize. This means that if somebody drinks caffeine in the early to midafternoon hours they would still have caffeine in their system well into the evening hours.

#3 Decreases Insulin Sensitivity

Drinking caffeine consistently can decrease one’s insulin sensitivity making harder for them to respond to circulating blood glucose. This causes blood sugar levels to spike and will cause sugar imbalances and fluctuations in energy.

#4 Caffeine is Addictive

Most people suffer from caffeine addiction. Caffeine is one of the most unregulated drugs in the US. The caffeine content in tea, coffee, and energy drinks can vary. But because of it’s addictive nature companies like to use it in their products. WHY? Because, it keeps people coming back for more. The problem with addiction is it makes it tougher on the person trying to clean up their diets and lifestyle. Caffeine has some nasty withdrawal affects which include: nausea, dizziness, irritability, headaches, and it can even set off migraines, among other things.

If you can’t handle quitting cold turkey, then it might be best to try and wean yourself off of it using green tea and/or yerba mate.

#5 Loss of vital electrolytes

Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more frequently. Not only does this cause dehydration but it also leeches minerals from your body. Caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee are acidic in nature and cause your body to release minerals to buffer the acid. Minerals are vital for your body to function normally. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why people get very tired and sluggish from chronic caffeine consumption.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Should you quit caffeine? Well, I would suggest it. What changed for me was I got tired of all the stress and anxiety I was feeling. I was tired of the addictive nature of it. So, I decided to educate myself. I bought the book Caffeine Blues by Stephen Cherniske, M.S. and I devoured it. It’s a great book with about 600 references of research explaining how caffeine isn’t so great for us. I just know how much better I feel without it and what a dramatic difference it made in my life when I decided to stop. I noticed improved sleep, better energy and less anxiety.

If this is something you are wanting to do, I must warn you, the first couple of weeks were very tough for me. I was tired, fatigued, and exhausted. I would take up to four naps in a day. But, I knew my adrenals were healing and that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. So, I fought through all my cravings and my exhaustion and I feel so much better because of it.

I will include a step by step process on how to easily get off caffeine… To be continued…