Sidestep The Side Effects of Caffeine
Oh, caffeine, how we’ve come to rely on you. It’s really become a collective societal habit of ours to make getting coffee an essential part of our day, or even our very existence. We stumble out of bed to make coffee, or, if we’re feeling spoiled, we buy a latte or a mocha at some artisan coffee shop down the block. We meet up with friends and loved ones over cups of coffee. Even our dating lives are dictated with a simple “let’s get coffee.” Not tea, not juice…it’s all about the coffee, folks. So really, it makes it that much more difficult if you end up having some sort of negative reaction to the stuff.
I know that, on days when coffee decides it doesn’t want to be my friend, it ends up making me feel anxious and lightheaded, and it sometimes throws in some stomach cramps to boot. When I came across some articles by Live Strong and even Psych Central that both focus on the side effects of too much caffeine, I knew I needed to share my tips on how to overcome the negative aspects of coffee, since it clearly is a problem that many of us do deal with.
While it’s true that caffeine can be found in other sources such as dark chocolate and green tea, it’s generally agreed to by nutritionists, doctors, and most people that the caffeine found in coffee is some of the most potentially aggravating types of caffeine out there. Many people experience the catch 22 of wanting the boost of energy and antioxidants that come with caffeinated coffee, without the side effects that often occur. These negative side effects include nervousness, heartburn, abdominal pain, trouble sleeping, and even mood swings.
So how can you go about balancing the positives and the negative? First, if you can, try to limit your coffee consumption to just one cup a day. It may just be that you are consuming more than your body needs. Regardless of how many cups you do have, you’ll also want to drink plenty of water in conjunction with you coffee. Four to six glassesof water is considered the minimum amount you should be having each day. I would say that for every cup of coffee you drink, you should chase it with two glasses of water. After all, coffee is a diuretic, and can make you dehydrated that much more quickly. You can wind down your days by drinking a cup of herbal, caffeine-free peppermint tea as well. This will calm your stomach and relax your mind.