Coffee and I Broke Up and This is What Happened
Yes it’s true I broke up with coffee recently. It wasn’t really planned or thought out but I did it.
I can’t really remember when I started drinking coffee. It must have been in college. I graduated from college 20 years ago so yes I’ve been loving coffee for a long time. I was never a latte kind of girl, I didn’t even put milk or sugar in it. I have been drinking black coffee every morning NOT for the taste of it but for the purpose of it. The caffeine in coffee was the jump start I needed. I’m one of those “don’t talk to me till I have my cup of coffee.” I wake up slowly, and that warm cup of coffee has helped me start my day for a long time. It has become a ritual I treasure. Unfortunately the caffeine in it is a psychoactive drug that I became completely addicted to with out ever realizing or thinking twice about it because everyone loves coffee!
“Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day making the United States the leading consumer of coffee in the world.” (http://www.e-importz.com/coffee-statistics.php)
There is plenty of research that claims coffee is even good for you. And maybe it is. My goal is not to trash coffee. But I do want to share my story so you know.
I was doing some research and read somewhere that jump starting my body with coffee maybe isn’t that good for me. Starting my day with a cortisol peak from coffee may be negatively impacting my liver and overall health. If my personal health goal is to have tons of energy to do the things I love with the people I love then maybe this coffee love wasn’t really helping me. There are some studies that suggest avoiding caffeine will lead to better sleep, healthier skin and when coupled with good nutrition and excercise a more consistent higher energy can be attained. So I thought it is worth a try. I will just try taking a coffee break, it doesn’t have to be this big dramatic break up. I will just put away the coffee machine for a couple days or a week and see how I feel.
I had no idea that I would feel like I was hit by a truck. I woke up in the middle of the night with body aches. I had horrible head aches. I thought there might be something seriously wrong with me until I realized I was detoxing from caffeine. I had no idea how dependent my body was on caffeine, how addicted I was to caffeine until I was days into my break up and realized why I felt like HELL. I’ve since learned it is much better to slowly reduce your caffeine intake then the cold turkey stunt I pulled.
I have also learned that Young Living Bergamot essential oil can ease the pain. Caffeine detox is a real thing have Bergamot ready to apply to your temples. Drink lots of water and be ready for your body to react. Everybody reacts differently. Now that I am on the other side I don’t want to go back. I am sleeping better. I am feeling more consistent good energy instead of the highs and lows.
I don’t want to be addicted to anything. I want to control and choose what goes in my body everyday. I want to feel my best.
Yes it’s true coffee and I are done. And don’t tell coffee but I’ve replaced them with new loves and I feel really good.
