My jaw dropped when I saw this fact a while ago. Did you know that there is a drug that 85% of us use every single day? If you’re one of them, I have a little assignment for you. 🙂 No, I am not going to ask you to quit.
It’s caffeine … and we use it to get going in the morning, power through workouts or work, and keep us going through the mid-afternoon slump.
The upside of caffeine?
- It gives you energy
- It boosts your alertness and ability to concentrate
- It can come in beverages filled with antioxidants that have health benefits (ex: tea!)
That’s all well and good …But there are a few downsides.
- It can take up to 10 hours to clear your system – which means it can also get in the way of relaxing – and falling and staying asleep.
- You can build up a tolerance after your body gets used to it, which means you might need to drink more of it to get the same effects.
- It can raise your blood pressure.
- It can make you “wired-tired”: jittery, overstimulated, and tired at the same time.
- It’s linked with migraines.
- It doesn’t mix well with some medications and health issues.
- Suddenly quitting caffeine can give you headaches and leave you feeling tired, achy, and even nauseous.
This leads me to that little assignment I mentioned earlier. Today, take some time to ask yourself:
Are you using caffeine – or is it using you?
If you are feeling jittery and stressed, having a hard time sleeping, getting headaches, or finding that your tolerance for caffeine is increasing …Or maybe you feel like you NEED it to keep going through the day – it might be time to reevaluate your caffeine use.
Just something to think about!
REFERENCE:
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