Do You Drink Too Much Coffee?
By Sara Butler
There's nothing quite like that first sip of coffee in the morning. It's like sweet ambrosia as it passes your lips and wakes you up. Even though there are some proven health benefits to coffee, there is such a thing as too much. In fact, too much caffeine can be damaging to your health. Here are a few of the subtle signs that you might like your coffee just a little too much.
Anxiety
If you're feeling anxious about something big coming up on the horizon, one of your first reactions may be to grab a cup of coffee -- but that's exactly what you should avoid. If you have issues with anxiety, caffeine is the last thing you need. It can trigger your body's fight or flight response and make the effects of anxiety that much worse. Plus, caffeine can raise your blood pressure, increase the amount of stress hormones your body releases and make your stress levels actually go up. So have a glass of water when you're feeling stressed or anxious instead.
Problems Sleeping
Insomnia can be caused by too much coffee early in the day or too much coffee too late in the day. It's important to remember that the half-life of caffeine in coffee is five hours, so having some even in the early afternoon can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle and make it much more difficult to fall asleep, which tends to have a cascading effect on your ability to get a good night's rest and be ready to go the next morning without a bunch of coffee to help.
Headaches
For some people, headaches can be relieved with a little dose of caffeine, but for others, the caffeine may be at the heart of why you have a headache in the first place. Fatigue and headaches are common in people who have too much coffee when they don't meet their daily quota, which is why you should slowly work to decrease how much caffeine you have each day and look for other sources in your diet aside from coffee.
A little coffee each morning isn't something you have to give up, but it is something you have to watch to make sure it's not having a negative impact on your life. Pay close attention to the signs your body is sending and take steps to reduce how much caffeine you need to make it through the day.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Lake Forest, Calif.