Why I Don’t Recommend Coffee
By Riley Romazko
Have you had your morning cup of coffee yet? Many people can’t seem to function without a few cups of coffee every single day or a trip to Starbucks. While there are some benefits to coffee, I’m going to discuss some of the negative effects of coffee- specifically in regards to stress. While it may seem that I’m bashing coffee, I am not. I am simply discussing the relationship between caffeine and stress. There are some positives to drinking caffeine moderately, but many people overdo it.
I’ll just say it. If you’re a person who is already prone to being overly stressed like me, you should not be drinking coffee or other caffeine-containing beverages very often- if at all. You may actually consider taking adaptogens. Adaptogens are plants that aid our nervous & endocrine systems adapt to stress responses. Some energizing adaptogens you may have heard of are Ginseng and Maca. (Keep in mind that there are also balancing & calming adaptogens, but I’ll be focusing on energizing adaptogens.) Most of the world relies on caffeine, not adaptogens. There are no adaptogens that contain caffeine. Caffeine plants do not balance stress hormones like adaptogens plants do and they actually end up increasing the stress response. Caffeine increases stress and mood-related neurotransmitters and hormones such as adrenaline & cortisol while decreasing the effects of balancing ones such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Caffeine plants certainly boost your energy levels, but can actually end up overworking the adrenal glands over time and decreasing your average energy as a result. So, you may have energy temporarily, but you definitely won’t permanently. On top of that, your reliance on caffeine and withdrawal symptoms will only get worse over time. Adaptogens are non-addictive and do not present withdrawal symptoms.
Enough of the caffeine bashing. There are always alternatives and ways to promote moderation and enjoyment in life, right? Well, lower caffeine drinks such as white & green tea and also chocolate have a much lower caffeine content than coffee, especially from coffee shops like Starbucks. Some drinks from coffee chains have up to 300mg or more of caffeine, which is ten times the amount as in green tea. Excessive caffeine can wreak havoc on your heart, nerves, mood, brain function, and muscles. People who are highly “wound-up” as it is can experience increased anxiety, higher blood pressure, increased pulse rate & breathing, and shakiness. Someone like me who is already stress-prone does not do well with caffeine and has to go with lower or no caffeine options such as tea or chocolate. Teas and chocolate also have other positive benefits such as anti-inflammatory, mood, antioxidant, and sugar balancing effects. If you do decide that you can’t cut out caffeine completely, perhaps you can find an alternative. You have to enjoy life too! If caffeine makes you happy, then make sure you enjoy it in moderation and substitute once in a while with other great tasting, energizing options.
