The other day I tripped when walking down the street and landed on my knees - very hard! After a weekend of constant pain and lack of sleep, I went to the doctor's (and as is typical in France) came away with a long prescription of various drugs to 'help' the pain and recovery.
To my interest one of the drugs proudly stated it was a mixture of paracetamol, opium and caffeine. (I'm presuming the caffeine is to counteract the opium.)
Normally when caffeine is present in medications, it is hidden away in small letters on the info sheet and you have to use a magnifying glass to find its listing! So to find it in large letters on the front of the bow was very unusual.
Now, I've not properly drunk caffeine for years (since I was about 18) as the doctor thought that my 6-cans-of-diet-cola a day habit might possibly be a cause of my insomnia, and there was I thinking I was being healthy because it was 'diet'.
Fortunately I did not really like coffee anyway, and the cola was surprisingly easy to give up. It was the tea that was difficult. I really love tea, still do in fact. If I'm up really early - maybe because I have a flight to catch, I may still sneak in a cup of tea but these are very rare occasions.
Nowadays I don't really think about caffeine. Sometimes the question will raise its head, such as when I moved to France, where it seems that everybody drinks coffee. Fortunately there are plenty of other options available. When I first gave it up there were only a few herbal teas available and decaff coffee, now there is a whole range of flavours and tastes to choose from Rooibus is one of my favourites, followed by fennel tea.
People ask me if I miss it, I do not really, and one lady spontaneously threw her arms round me and gave me a hug as she felt so sorry for me that I could not enjoy a morning cup of coffee.
So here's the rub - people need a morning fix of coffee because they are , heartburn addicted to it. Caffeine causes a little high immediately after consumption and then as its affect wears off it causes a slump, so reaching for another cup of caffeine restores the feeling of a high. If you were to completely come off caffeine your body would not need a morning 'fix' anymore.
Caffeine in moderate quantities has been shown to have positive health benefits such as protection from coronary disease, Parkinson's, diabetes and some cancers however an excess causes stress to the body such as osteoporosis, stress, heartburn and other stomach disorders. Caffeine's biggest downfall is that excessive consumption leads to insomnia which, in turn, leads to many other health problems such as diabetes, heart problems, weight gain etc. As well as triggering insomnia which in turn adds further stress.
The recommendation is that between 200 and 300mg a day is a safe level, over 500mgs can start causing health problems.
The problem with this statistic is that the amounts of caffeine in drinks and food varies widely, so you need to keep an eye on how much you drink. Remember that it is not just in tea and coffee but also in green teas, colas and some other soft drinks, chocolate and of course energy drinks.
So if you are having trouble sleeping, is caffeine dependency your problem? Like any drug, coming off caffeine can cause withdrawal symptoms including headaches, sleepiness, lethargy, flu-like symptoms, muscle aches and depression. Try reducing caffeine bit by bit, cutting out a cup or two of caffeine at each stage or swapping high caffeine drinks for ones lower in caffeine and, best of all, stop drinking it at least 6 hours before bedtime. If you suffer from withdrawal symptoms remind yourself that they are only temporary and will diminish.
If you would like to know how much you are drinking then check out this list.
Good luck and sweet dreams.
If you would like more help with achieving overcoming insomnia and other sleep problems then please contact me at charlotte@charlottewelply.com and we can set up a free introductory coaching session.
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