Caffeine: is it really good for us?

I'll be the first to admit I love my caffeine. I mean I could make Lorelai Gilmore or Gibbs look like rookies. I've spent years as a cop and paramedic and have used caffeine to wake me up and to keep me up when on 24 hour plus shifts, or have been up all night on calls. It's been my best friend for a long time but recently I noticed it was starting to bother me.

I started have palpations, shakiness, moodiness, and if I didn't have any caffeine you didn't want to approach me. I had talked to several friends that had problems with caffeine and had to switch to decaffeinated or herbal teas. Switching to tea wasn't something I had a problem with, I actually prefer to tea to coffee, or did at one point in my life. As I write this article I am down to maybe a cup of coffee a day and try to switch to decaf tea or herbal tea after my morning pick me up. I am also 2 weeks into being soda free. Yes, at this point I think my body hates me and is wondering what I am doing.

With my journey into caffeine free I wanted to share with you a few of the drawbacks of caffeine on our bodies. There are plenty of articles and studies touting the goodness of caffeine, but as with anything, too much of anything is bad.

In an article written by Kara Wahlgren on everydayhealth.com the author discusses the problems caffeine can cause with fibromyalgia. Among these issues were sleep disturbances causing increased feelings of fatigue, and headaches if consumption is to low.

John Hopkins Medicine discussed the good and bad points of caffeine intake and among the bad points were, increased heart rate and blood pressure, anxiety and sleep issues. They also advised a maximum intake of caffeine is 400mg a day. I for one know I was drinking more than that a day between coffee and soda.

I had also talked to other women and the effects caffeine was having on them. Several people I knew had stopped drinking caffeine not only because of the jitters and increased anxiety but because it was effecting their hormone levels. How Alisa Vitti discussed the effects of caffeine in her article "Should Women Quit Caffeine? A hormone expert on why Coffee and Hormones Might not Mix", and she stated the cream and sugar in coffee could be causing blood sugar levels to spike, and effect the body's ability to fight inflammation. If you're dealing with RA or Fibromyalgia, or an disease that deals with inflammation I would suggest cutting back, or getting rid of caffeine. I have noticed as I have reduced my caffeine intake I have not been as sore on a daily basis.

While I continued my research into the effects of caffeine on the body and my transition away from large amounts of coffee I noticed the norms of withdrawal, headaches, fatigue and moodiness, but I also noticed after a few days it began to get better. I looked forward to my different herbal teas because of the variety of flavor they provide and the medicinal properties of the herbs.

Magdalena Wszelaki pointed out in her article, "11 Ways Coffee Impacts you Hormones and how to Substitute it", advised us that high amounts of caffeine intake can cause problems with people that have thyroid issues and can impact the conversion of T4 to T3. Another issue I have is an adrenal disorder and Wszelaki points out caffeine can exhaust the adrenals by releasing cortisol because it is mimicking the fight or flight response. This can cause us to gain weight, have trouble sleeping and contribute to feeling depressed or anxious.

While some people have no problem with caffeine, some of us do. So, monitor your caffeine intake and your how you feel while consuming it. If you are like me and develop a sensitivity to caffeine, or you have a thyroid disorder or adrenal disorder make sure to carefully monitor your intake or stay away completely.

References:

1. Wahlgren, K. (2020). Fibromyalgia: Foods that help; foods that hurt. everydayhealth.com

2. John Hopkins Medicine. 9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee is Good for You. hopkinsmedicine.org

3. Vitti, Alisa. Should Women Quit Caffiene? A Hormone Expert on Why Caffeine & Hormones Might not Mix. mindbodygreen.com

4. Women's Health. (2007). How Caffeine Effects Your Body. womenshealthmag.com

5. Wszelaki, Magdalena. (2020). 11 Ways Coffee Impacts Your Hormones and How to Substitute it. hormonesbalance.com