We CRAVE energy. Anyone up for a quick trip to Starbucks or Peet’s for a little caffeine? Sure, why not… we all want energy to be productive and do the things we love to do! And the things we DREAM about doing! We want energy to be productive at work, meet deadlines, start a new project, clean out the closets, go for a hike or bike ride, connect with our friends, hang out with our family, or take on a new challenge like learning how to cook, dance, or surf! We want energy to live out our dreams, like starting a new business or completing a marathon! So why are we still so tired with a Starbucks or Peet’s on virtually every street corner? Hmmm, could it be that too much caffeine is actually making us more tired?
Yes, caffeine can be extremely useful! If you had a bad night’s sleep and need to be alert at 8:00 in the morning for an important meeting, a cup of coffee or tea will save the day. Or if you need to get somewhere and have a long drive ahead, caffeine will help you from getting sleepy and nodding off. Pretty important when you are driving! But drinking excess caffeine everyday will eventually wear you down. What is the definition of a lot of caffeine, you might ask. For some people, one small cup of coffee or tea may be too much, especially if they happen to be slow metabolizers of caffeine. And how much coffee are we really drinking when we get a tall Starbucks coffee? A lot more than one cup!
Why does drinking caffeine over time take a toll on our energy? Drinking caffeine stimulates brain chemicals called the catecholamines, which include dopamine, norephinephrine, and you know this one: adrenaline. The catecholamines make us alert, motivated, and get our brain going! We temporarily feel mentally sharp and energized. We feel GOOD when we are producing a lot of the catecholamines! But the effect is short lived and we crash, unless we get more caffeine, sugar or other stimulant that demands more release of these chemicals.
Our little adrenal glands, which sit atop our kidneys, are responsible for secreting adrenaline and cortisol. We secrete adrenaline in time of fear, panic, and anger. This is a good thing! We want to be able to react to a potentially life threatening situation! After adrenaline is secreted, cortisol, our main stress hormone, kicks in to keep us strong and resilient in the face of stress. However, even chronic stress, like commute traffic or dealing with a difficult co-worker causes the adrenals to produce adrenaline and cortisol. And guess what? Drinking too much caffeine every day also over-stimulates the adrenals, and over time wears them out so that they are no longer producing enough cortisol and the catecholamines! And there we have it, our adrenals get tired, fatigue sets in, and alas, even caffeine is no longer keeping us perky and alert!
Wouldn’t you love to jump out of bed in the morning reeling refreshed, without having to gulp down a cup of coffee to wake up? And wouldn’t you love to have even energy all day, without the highs and the lows? It feels GOOD to have energy to work out, be productive at work, start a new project or hobby, get organized, re-connect with friends, and have fun! Can we get our natural energy back? Absolutely! It requires commitment, but is easier than most people think. Please check out my 21 Day Detoxification program to learn how you can get your natural energy back in … yes, you guessed it, 21 days! Having more sustained and natural energy is one of the star benefits that participants of the program report on a continual basis!
Check out Detox program options: http://www.nutritionwithbeth.com/programs/
A special note for you if you have been extremely stressed and exhausted for a long period of time. You might want to start with testing the function of your adrenals glands and ruling out low thyroid function first. Please apply for a complementary strategy session to assess if this would be beneficial for you! Apply by clicking here.
