Koffein. That is German for caffeine, something many of us don't seem to be able to get along without. We buy super sized drinks in a coffee shop to fuel our day. We pour ourselves cups at home and either drink them black or add sugar and creamer or milk. We gulp down energy drinks or caffeinated soda. Teas and some herbal supplements carry caffeine as well.
Caffeine is most commonly used to
improve mental alertness. That's why so many of us consume it. It's a
legal stimulant and many of us are addicted to it. Withdrawals can be
painful headaches, the jitters, and an intense desire to hurt someone
if we don't get it “right now”. (Okay, I made up the last one. At
least I hope I did.)
Caffeine can be used in combination
with other things to deal with headaches, especially migraines.
People with ADHD use it as a depressant instead of a stimulant. It
helps them stay focused and wind down instead of being hyper all the
time.
But too much can cause problems. It can
cause a racing heart, a bad side effect if you already have heart
problems. It can lead to the jitters or hyperactivity in those who
are particularly sensitive to it. It can cause sleep problems,
including insomnia, if taken before bedtime. It can cause or increase
anxiety.
As with anything in this world, using
it in moderation is key. I have an energy drink and I nurse it all
day. I've found that it gives me the right amount of stimulation
without giving me the racing heart and nausea that I get downing the
whole thing in a short amount of time. I don't get jittery. I don't
get light headed. I can also down a liter of Mountain Dew in a day,
though again like the energy drink I nurse it all day.
I know people who can suck down two or
three energy drinks in a day and feel nothing. Their bodies have
built up such a tolerance to the caffeine that it doesn't phase them.
That can prove to be dangerous to them because they still get the
physical side effects and so much caffeine is not good for them.
I'm not saying don't ingest caffeine. I
tried to stop. The headaches were horrendous and even after a few
days didn't go away. A single can of Mountain Dew and the headaches
stopped. I'm just saying ingest it in moderation. A single cup of
coffee or tea instead of a pot full. A single can of soda. If at all
possible, don't do energy drinks.
Be safe and be aware of what can happen
if you overdose on anything, including caffeine.
I used to drink a pot of coffee a day. Now I drink decaf, but I came to that through a weaning process. First I went down to 50/50. Then I mixed that with the straight decaf so that I was drinking 25%, and so on. It took a few months, but by tapering off--slowly-- I avoided the headache process, and I did that because I'm a coward. I admit it – don't like pain. Now I drink decaf and only a couple cups a day. Once in a while, probably once a month, I have a cup of real coffee with real cream in it as a treat. :-)
ReplyDeleteDeb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
I don't do coffee. I do drink chai tea from time to time. I've trained myself that if I have a cup of tea I don't have anything else caffeinated during the day. Except maybe a piece of chocolate or two. :)
DeleteI made the mistake of drinking an entire 16oz can of energy drink at once when they first came out - and was deathly sick. Once in a while I have one now, but like you I nurse it through the day. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere are some good flavors out there. But you still have to drink them in moderation.
DeleteI've cut way back on my caffeine intake too, but still enjoy a cup of coffee on the way into work :)
ReplyDeleteI still love my Mountain Dew. Cutting back has been one of the best things I've done though. Coffee in the morning, according to my husband, is good.
DeleteRandom caffeine facts for you- the recommended healthy limit for adults is something like 300 or 400 mgs of caffeine a day- I forget exactly because I'm trying to rest my goal to get beyond it and Shaman's not drinking 2 liters of Mountain Dew as much. Speaking of, MD has one of the highest caffeine contents at 115 mg (last I looked) per 12 ounces of soda. In Canada, all MD is caffeine free because it's against the food laws there to put caffeine in any non-dark soda.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting about the MD. I looked it up and it's 200-300 mg of caffeine each day. The fact that MD has that much caffeine is surprising.
DeleteI used to drink so much soda that I was growing immune to caffeine, too. I guess it's a good thing that I stopped drinking it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, caffeine has no effect on me any more unless I down an energy drink fast. That's why I'm cutting back. I'd like my body to get down to a reasonable level of caffeine resistance.
DeleteI only limit myself to one Mountain Dew/MelloYello a day. I have cheat days, but I try to keep those far and few inbetween and they tend to be on days I'm feeling stressed and I want something tasty.
ReplyDeleteI've given myself a cheat day once in a while. But my cheat days end up being a one litre of Mountain Dew. Those days are usually really bad headaches and bad depression combined. I haven't had one in the last month, which is probably a good thing.
DeleteThose energy drinks scare me. I've never had one. I do enjoy my morning cup of coffee - especially butter toffee flavor.
ReplyDeleteYeah, don't get into the habit of drinking energy drinks. They're actually horrible for you and have way too much caffeine. I'm not fond of coffee but give me a caramel frappucino from Starbucks and I'll drink that down. That's one of my rare treats. One every 2-3 months or so.
DeleteMe and coffee are pretty tight, if I tried breaking up with it, I would most likely end up on the news:)
ReplyDeleteWriterlySam
Echoes of Olympus
A to Z #TeamDamyanti
I think that sums it up for a lot of people. Honestly, if I had to completely give up my Mountain Dew I'd probably strangle someone. Just that bit of sweetness with the caffeine is enough to calm my nerves, especially when I'm stressed.
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