I've decided that I've been drinking too much caffeine. I'm a weekday-morning coffee drinker for the most part. It's my normal routine to make the coffee at the office and pour the first cup (and we're not talking 8oz. mugs, more like 16). Occasionally, I'll have a cup in the afternoon if I'm really dragging. Or I'll have a latte in the evening if I'm out with the girls. I never really thought it was a big deal, but several weeks ago, I found my heart racing after a couple mugs of coffee. It only took a few days of this rapid heart-beating for me to rethink my daily caffeine habit.
It was right around that point when I decided that after the New Year, I would start making a serious effort to decrease my caffeine intake. It was also right around that point when I came across a couple of articles that reinforced my new perspective on caffeine. While caffeine can increase our alertness and help us tackle that pile of work on our desks, we all know that too much caffeine can have serious negative effects. Whether we believe it or not, caffeine can negatively affect our sleep, even if we don't have a drop of the stuff after 8AM. And if we drink large amounts of caffeinated beverages throughout the day, we can also risk caffeine intoxication which can result in a number of physical symptoms: anxiety, stomach upset, racing heartbeat and insomnia to name a few.
It's clear that those of us who have a coffee habit may need to rethink our drinks. But if you're breathing a sigh of relieve because you only have one cup of coffee in the morning, or because you don't drink coffee at all, you might want to think twice. It turns out that we may be drinking more caffeine than we think. The amount of caffeine in a drink is rarely listed on the label, and we often drink caffeinated beverages even when we're not tired or hoping for a jolt. Grab a cola with your sandwich at the deli and you've consumed about 35 mg of caffeine. An 8 oz cup of coffee during your book club could have up to 135 mg. And those energy drinks that are so popular, whether you need a kick or not? They could have anywhere from 80 to 505 mg of caffeine.
The cumulative effects of these beverages could have you tossing and turning at night, or unable to sit still during the day, and wondering why. So before you grab that drink from the cooler, or pour your third mug of coffee, think twice. You might be better off with a glass of water.
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Guilty as charged. Now I feel horrid. I'm sitting here with a bottle of Diet Pepsi Max in front of me which contains 46 mg of caffeine.
Elizabeth – A little caffeine now and then doesn't hurt, and even a bottle of Pepsi a day probably isn't that bad. It's when we're accumulating a lot of caffeine throughout the day that we might have problems. Just something to think about. Don't feel bad. Just be aware.
I gave up about eight months ago and am so grateful that I did. I used to be dead to the world prior to having at least 2 cups (16 oz) of coffee in the morning, and now I can wake up on my own time without an alarm clock. It's been amazing!! Good luck in your endeavors and take care…the first week will be really hard I won't lie, but push through and I promise you'll be happy you changed your habits.
I've given up all caffeine except morning coffee, I tried to give that up too but the world likes me better slightly caffeinated.
Jenifriend – I'm weaning myself off using tea, right now. I'm going to gradually replace that with herbal/decaf tea. So I'm not really feeling any withdrawal.
Scale Junkie – I don't blame you. Some of us just aren't morning people and we need a little kick. I'm giving myself the option of having one cup on mornings when I really need it. I'm doing well so far with green tea instead of coffee and this week I might try switching to herbal tea.
Thanks for the comments ladies!