The Coffee Addiction is REAL…
It’s time I came clean about my relationship with caffeine. In particular, my relationship with coffee. First and foremost, I love coffee. The sheer amount of joy it brings to my life is next level, but I’ll be the first to admit that I’m totally addicted to it. There. I said it.
BUT before you start hounding me, let me plead my case and explain to you where my passionate love affair with coffee comes from. It’s not unfounded! So why have I fallen head over heels for this controversial (yet delicious) drink?
Well, I’m glad you asked. I love the mood and energy boost that comes hand in hand with having a coffee. And I adore the social element of it. It’s the whole experience – walking to my local coffee shop and having a chat with the baristas, or sitting down with my friends over a steaming hot mug. I just love it.
It’s also one of my favourite parts of my morning routine. I’m actually not someone who needs coffee to wake up. In fact, I rarely feel like I ‘need’ it. I just thoroughly enjoy it. But I guess that’s what all addicts say! Let me tell you about my morning routine. I usually wake up and exercise first thing. After my training session, I take a shower and make myself a coffee, or go grab one from my local. Then I sit down with my coffee and my breakfast, and I plan my day whilst taking slow, loving sips. It’s a nice routine, and one of the highlights of my day.
I do, however, know that there are always negative side effects of having ANYTHING in excess. Too much abundance of a certain thing is bound to cause a tipping of the scales. And in the past, I have definitely noticed that caffeine can have a negative effect on me. It can cause me to be tired and sluggish, especially in the afternoons, and I know that it has a direct (and negative) correlation to iron absorption. Studies show that drinking caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee inhibits the amount of iron that your body is able to absorb. As someone who needs iron transfusions on the semi-reg, this is a hugely important factor for me.
Because of these ‘downsides’, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time playing around and experimenting with how it feels to go for periods of time without drinking coffee! Earlier this year I completed an entire month with no caffeine (a mega feat in itself), and I felt absolutely amazing for it. Recently, I did another 2.5-week stint with no caffeine, and although I was feeling great, when we went into lockdown I decided to hop back on the coffee train.
I love these experiments, and they give me so much clarity about my relationship with coffee. If you haven’t done one before, I highly encourage you to give it a crack. It can be very enlightening! Let me share with you a bit more about my coffee fasting experiences.
In the first few days, I initially feel headachy and tired. It’s to be expected, after all. Yet once that wears off, I feel SO much better overall; my quality of sleep is improved and my energy is sustained throughout the day – no more of those afternoon slumps and lows. Those are the main 2 things I notice when I’m off caffeine; I wake up feeling energized and continue to feel really refreshed. That’s a bloody good feeling!
So if I feel like this, why have I gone back onto coffee? Several reasons, really. During this time, it has created another reason for me to leave the house. I love my local café, and I think it’s really important tosupport local businesses during this time. Plus, in all fairness, the jury really is out on whether moderate amounts of caffeine is beneficial for your health. Don’t believe me? Check out So You Think You Know What’s Good for You by Dr Norman Swan – the studies he references say that up to 4 shots of caffeine a day are actually beneficial for us!
All in all, I’m feeling really positive about having coffee again. I’m feeling healthy, and I definitely don’t feel like it’s affecting my sleep again (yet). I have also been incorporating decaf coffee into my life, and I have been really enjoying that in the afternoons. To conclude – I love coffee! But I also love experimenting with coffee detoxes. Don’t believe me? Go on, try one yourself!
D x