Why I quit Coffee…again.

I never began drinking coffee until I moved to Utah. How ironic. My love affair with caffeine dates back to about 7 years ago during my morning show days. How could anyone survive a 3 a.m. alarm clock WITHOUT being highly caffeinated? The buzz was never enough – not in the early morning hours. Not only did the jitter fade just as quickly as it came but I managed to pack on a solid 15 pounds. And in TV – that is noticeable. Cue the pregnancy rumors. It would be years however before I quit coffee. By now I was off the morning shift and putting my adrenal glands into overdrive for no reason. Years after massive consumption, I began to notice the signs of adrenal fatigue: irritable, moody, down at times and anxious.

Every time I over drank (coffee) – the heart palpitations would consume my chest with a vengeance. It wasn’t until my husband (yes the health nut, go figure – by now you can tell he has a mass amount of influence over me, in a great way of course) read a book called, “Caffeine Blues” that he convinced me to join him in a 30 day challenge to quit coffee. I joined – kicking and screaming, proclaiming uncomfortably “do you have any idea how bad my head hurts?” I was hesitant. Reluctant about cutting caffeine out of my life. I lasted 30 days and quickly jumped back on the bandwagon – along with my husband.

It wouldn’t be until months later that my anxiousness came back to haunt me – too hyped from caffeine perhaps? I had to know. I simply had to quit cold turkey …again and maybe this time, once and for all.

I didn’t have the WHY quite figured out but now that it’s been more than three months – and now that I have introduced coffee back into my life (momentary relapse lasting 24 hours), I know the true benefits of not being highly caffeinated.

Calmer? Check. Although I could attribute that to the Yoga and some meditation.

Less Anxious? Absolutely.

Sustained energy? Yup. No longer did I feel the highs and lows, the crash and burn associated with being intoxicated by too many cups of Joe. My energy lasts from the moment I wake up …and long enough until I hit my pillow. Earlier than usual too.

This means I’m SLEEPING BETTER. Uninterrupted by a racing mind.

I’m not a doctor but I feel comfortable enough diagnosing myself …I was “Over Caffeinated”.

My goal with this blog isn’t to get you to stop drinking coffee. My husband still does, and I know there’s plenty of research and studies showcasing the good and bad. I’m simply sharing my personal experience with being overly caffeinated.

This doesn’t mean I will never have another cup of coffee again. I did on Sunday, which sparked this blog on why I quit coffee in the first place. The one cup was enough to remind me – a flush of feelings all flooding back to me. An unwanted reminder of why I stopped supporting the cocoa bean in the first place. Only for consumption of course…

Coffee scrubs? That’s an entirely different blog.

XOX, Nineveh