Personal experience: why I gave up coffee and how it changed my life
Health / / December 19, 2019
Michael Easter, Men's Health editor, Professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
My first day, when I gave up caffeine, like a scene from the film Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting." I imagine a grown man who is lying on the couch all wet from sweat (although the yard was in November), with a splitting head. Weak headaches I went in for a whole week.
But then I began to sleep longer and stronger, and my health has generally improved, although the mornings are sometimes still drawn to a cup of coffee. I became less tired in the afternoon. I did not so irritable when something goes wrong, as I wanted to. I lose a few kilos.
Caffeine is generally a wonderful thing, but it can hurt you and.
How caffeine affects you, it depends on your biology, and on how much you drink, in fact, was poured into himself. Before I decided to stop all this, I drank more than three cups a day. But conversations with people smarter than me - biochemists, nutritionists, experts on sleep and neurology - led to I thought that I overdid it with coffee and now it hurts my health, sleep, mood and operability.
If you all my life sitting on caffeine, and you probably do not notice how it affects you. Start with a measurement of how much you drink a day, and then pay attention to their physical and mental condition. If you, like me, decide that caffeine dependence is time to do something about it - here are some tips.
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How much caffeine you consume
90% of adult Americans consume caffeine every day. recommendedHow much caffeine do you consume? allowable daily dose is 300 mg. coffee glass with grains of medium roast Starbucks comprisesPike Place Roast 310 mg of caffeine. A portion of lightly fried - already 475Blonde Roast mg. So if you drink several cups a day, in the evening Swallow already under 1000 mg of caffeine.
According toCaffeine: How much is too much? experts from the Mayo Clinic, the dose of caffeine in excess of 400 mg per day, can cause side effects such as headaches, insomnia, indigestion and anxiety. And at least 14% of the US population regularlyTrends in intake and sources of caffeine in the diets of US adults: 2001-2010 take this dose.
"The exact amount of caffeine, which is clearly harmful to health, is difficult to call," - says Maggie Sweeney, a researcher from the Institute of Medicine at Johns Hopkins. It all depends on lifestyle and your genes. In rare cases, it can increase the number of largeDoes an energy drink cause a transient ischemic attack? the risk of mini-strokes (also called transient ischemic attack), when the blood supply to the brain is stopped for a short time, says neuroscientist Chris Winter.
Chris WinterReally strange to see 21-year-old boy, who at his age already had several strokes. As a rule, these people are abusing energy drinks. So there is definitely an overdose of caffeine.
When I was doing the math, it consumed almost 1200 mg of caffeine throughout the day - every day, from 2001 to the present time. Its half-life periodSerum Caffeine Half-lives: Healthy Subjects vs. Patients Having Alcoholic Hepatic Disease It is about six hours. So if you take 300 mg at noon to 18:00 on your body will remain 150 mg, at midnight - about 75 mg, and so on. So my body, obviously, almost two decades constantly under the influence.
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What are the side effects
I realized that abusing caffeine, after a conversation with Trevor Kashi, a professional nutritionist with extensive practice and a doctorate in biochemistry. His patients early in treatment (as it takes and quite ordinary people and Olympic athletes) completely abandon coffee for two weeks: thus Kashi finds strength caffeine effect on disorder stomach, Sleep problems, bloating or lethargy. According to Kashi, and Sweeney, coffee - strong irritant of the gastrointestinal tract.
Maggie SweeneyCaffeine blocks the effects of adenosine - a chemical that is naturally produced in the brain and helps the body to sleep. In addition, he is also causes the release of cortisol - a hormone, exacerbating the stress response and disrupts normal patterns of sleep and wakefulness. So the rejection of caffeine leads to improvement.
numerous studiesEEG and ocular correlates of circadian melatonin phase and human performance decrements during sleep loss prove the benefit of sleep for both the spirit and the body. Trevor Kashi believes that the benefits outweigh all the benefits of coffee.
Chris Winter argues that improving the quality of sleep is not only useful in itself, but also has beneficial effects on eating habits. That is why, perhaps, I dropped a few kilos in a week after giving up coffee. StudyEffects of Experimental Sleep Restriction on Caloric Intake and Activity Energy ExpenditurePublished in 2013 by the American College of Physicians - specialists in diseases of the chest, It has shown that people who sleep poorly absorb almost 600 calories per day more than those who are normal getting enough sleep at night.
Chris WinterWhen you are tired because of the lack of sleep, levels of ghrelin, a hormone that causes hunger, jumps, and leptin, which signals satiety on the contrary reduced. Giving up coffee and other energy drinks, you kill two birds with one stone will be less likely to feel hungry and reduce your sugar intake.
Dr. Kashi and Sweeney often hear from patients that they have become more balanced, giving up coffee. According to Sweeney, that coffee causes anxiety, the researchers confirmedCaffeine abstention in the management of anxiety disorders already in the eighties. And the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized the abuse occurs when caffeine anxiety disorder.
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How to stop once and for all
Trevor Kashi has a way to determine whether the patient is ready to give up caffeine. "Just invite someone to part with good coffee and a look on his face," - says the doctor. You'll see a flash of existential dread. And Maggie Sweeney points to the well-known signs of withdrawal symptoms - headaches, fatigue and irritability to show patients that they have acquired dependence and convince them to spend Finally detox.
The good news is that failure should not be a downright hellish heavy. Sweeney offers a way to gradually wean themselves from coffee. Just start to mix their usual drink with decaffeinated coffee. "If you are an avid coffee lover, you may need a few weeks to abandon this invigorating substances", - she says. During detox It may also help to drink plenty of water or herbal tea.
Chris Winter considered it my method - just pick up and abruptly stop drinking coffee - "too painful". But to me it seemed more efficient. Trevor Kashi, on the other hand, agreed with me: "you will spend one weekend with herbal tea and aspirin, but then will be clean," - he said. I'm glad I finally gave up coffee. And now I see my life without him getting much better.
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