Do You NEED Caffeine?

How much are you relying on Caffeine for “energy”?

Is it when you are already stressed – whether that be physical, mental, emotional stress?

When we rely on caffeine for energy, that morning cup we have on the rush in to work sends a message to the pituitary gland telling your adrenal glands to make stress hormones cortisol and/or adrenalin.

When these hormones are released your blood sugars spike. Providing you with “energy”. Adrenalin is communicating with your body telling it its in danger, of course you are going to feel pumped! Cortisol lets your body know 'hey I don’t think we are getting food anytime soon'. All other body systems shut down or go haywire!

The production of these hormones can be perceived and promoted by REAL stress,

However, if you are already depleted, tired, wired, anxious, stressed, unrested –this production of hormones can be brought on by caffeine, activating the fight or flight response causing you to feel uneasy, reactive and initiate a see saw of a day.

Back to Biochemical basics for a minute. If you are in fight or flight mode – your body needs its fuel from glucose (sugar). Wondering why you later crave it? Or experience a slump at 3pm when the caffeine starts wearing off and you reach for that sugary snack? Your craving it to refuel that artificial tank you’ve created!

Additional glucose in the blood raises insulin –  the hormone that stores fat. Whatever glucose is not used turns to glycogen to be stored in muscles and what is left over stores as fat – it’s a vicious cycle and a scary one that most people don’t understand.

“If I have a coffee on an empty stomach I will loose weight won’t i?” a common question I am asked!

I’m not saying its not ok to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee but let’s get honest about how and why you are consuming it!

• Are you sitting down calmly enjoying it or wanting it in your veins to pump you?

• Are you having it on the run?

• Are you 100% needing a caffeine hit in the morning to get you going?

• What happened to whole food for that?

• Is it dulling your appetite?

• Making you unstable for the rest of the day where you need to have coffee again for the perk or crave sweets in the afternoon?

• Does it loosen your bowels?

• The only way you can “go” in the morning?

• Do you go for it more when you are sleep deprived or stressed?(no good!)Is your sleep effected?

The way in which caffeine effects you can simply be related to the pace in which you run at in your day to day life. If you are darting everywhere running on the to do list, in and out of meetings, feeling stressed about your phone going off, that meeting you have to be at, that colleague you don’t want to deal with – but slowly noticing differences in your body, feeling jittery, anxious, wired but tired…. Time you got real with yourself about what caffeine is or could be doing to you!

Feeling stressed or like this is you?

Feel free to get in touch!

https://www.sarahfehlberg.com.au/book-online