Caffeine is one of the most widely used stimulants, and it is highly addictive, partly because of how it makes us feel and partly because it is so widely available and so much a part of our social lives. Sharing a cup of tea of coffee is something many of us do on a daily basis with friends and family, and while it seems that for most people it is perfectly fine to have one or perhaps two cups of coffee in a day, many people drink far more than that, and there seems to be a lot of ignorance about what caffeine actually does in our bodies (and our minds).
I remember a man coming into Organico a few years ago and asking us if we had anything to help him to fall asleep. We talked about a few different herbal remedies and then right at the end of the conversation I reminded him that is best to avoid coffee or tea after 3 or 4pm, as they can both disrupt sleep patterns. He was very surprised. It was at this point he told us he drank up to 18 cups of strong coffee every day, and (we could hardly believe it) he seemed never to have made the connection between his coffee consumption and his inability to fall asleep.
But this is just one of the effects of caffeine. And the effects are also very personal – if I had 18 cups of coffee I would very probably end up in hospital; but some people are far more tolerant of stimulants than I am. I enjoy the odd cup of coffee as a treat, and the odd cup of tea as a comfort. But even 1 cup after 4pm would have me awake half the night!
Most people love caffeine because it makes them feel more alert. But ironically research done by Dr Peter Rogers in Bristol University shows that regular coffee drinkers did not feel any better after their sacred cup than non-coffee drinkers – they just feel better than they did when they woke up, because coffee is addictive, and in order to counteract the withdrawal symptoms (tiredness, confusion) you need to drink more!
Patrick Holford describes a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry that looked at the link between coffee intake and mental performance, which found that moderate to high consumers of coffee (high consumers drank 5 + cups per day) had higher levels of anxiety and depression than the abstainers, and the greatest level of stress-related medical problems as well as lower academic performance.
The main problem with caffeine is that it over stimulates our adrenal glands, which are responsible for energy production among many other things, and over time they get exhausted and this causes huge problems. See my article in the West Cork People for more info.
Kicking the caffeine habit isn’t actually all that hard. You may get withdrawal symptoms for 2 to 3 days (headaches, tiredness, irritability). These reflect, Patrick Holford says, how addicted you have become. After this period you will start to feel much better and you will realise how much better off you are without tea or coffee.
Popular coffee substitutes include Bambu, Barleycup (make it stronger than they say!) and No Caff. Try to limit decaffeinated coffee as it still contains all the other stimulant coffee contains and can lead you straight back there again (spoken from experience!)
If you are trying to give up stimulants, make sure you have really good breakfasts every morning (before you drink coffee or tea!) so your blood sugar stays nice and level. This will help to prevent excessive cravings mid morning. Try hot water with lemon first thing in the morning. If you are tired all the time no matter what you drink, consult a nutritionist who can assess your whole diet and help you to make good choices to support your health.
For more information call into Organico! We are open Monday to Saturday 9.30 to 6pm.
