Ever think about how & when you started to like something? I remember when I was a little kid, I was visiting one of my aunt & uncles and they let me have a cup of coffee. I was so excited! I filled up a mug half way with milk then added a whole lot of sugar (were talking over 40 years ago). What ever room was left I filled with coffee. Yeah . . . I was having an adult drink. Mmmm . . . Mmmm . . . Other than the coffee part I really liked it. Now I have a similar story for alcohol but I see no reason to share that here. I just thought it was fun to think back to when I first tasted both. Anyway, enough of me, this post is about caffeine and alcohol. And guess what, neither are any good for you! I'm not just talking about drinking & driving or acting like an idiot when drunk. I'm referring to what happens to your body when you drink either of these . . . ok here it comes . . . POISONS. Yeah I said it. Now that it's out in the open, here are some points to ponder.
Both are very acidic in nature. Nothing like throwing your whole metabolism out of whack which can cause major digestive issues. Not to mention it can also cause inflammation. Ever start feeling like your stomach has a hole burning through it? Yup, could be the coffee. Of course what do we do? Add more milk/cream/creamers. Which of course usually are flavored with either bad chemicals or lots of sugars.
Coffee also messes with 3 stress hormones: cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. These give you that "fight or flight" reaction and is why you get a nice zippy buzz when you have a strong cup of coffee. Unfortunately this reaction is the cause of an elevated heart rate, increase of blood pressure and a decrease of blood flow to your digestive system. (You don't need your stomach now, you're running for your life!) So after feeling like you are fighting for your life for a few hours, which probably is a normal morning for many of us, your body is bound to hit a wall. So do you crash for the day? Nope, just have another cup of coffee, or 2 or 3 . . . continuing throughout the day and when night comes, you are a total mess. This will cause a disruptive sleep pattern only to be fixed by more coffee the next morning. And so on and so on . . . Might not be a picture of everyone out there who drinks a caffinated drink, but more likely than not enough of you end up using caffeine as a crutch instead of a nice refreshing beverage.
Alcohol also has it's place on the Oh Oh I Better Not Drink list. By now we all should know how drinking can affect a whole lot of mental and bodily functions. But did you know it also affects our sleep patterns? Ever wonder why your dead tired after a night of drinking? Well other than staying out late, drinking alcohol also makes it difficult to get into REM sleep. We all need REM sleep for our bodies to heal and recover. It also (over time) can deplete our needed levels of serotonin, which leads to depression and moodiness.
Will this keep me from drinking coffee or having a glass of wine. Not really. But it does explain why certain things seem to happen when I have a bit too much caffeine a few days in a row. (Luck for me after a half a glass of wine I'm falling asleep so no problem with that one . . .) So there are times I do need to back down from my caffeine for a couple of days and let me body balance back out. Definitely a not-so-good habit I need to work on.
And there you have it. So next time you find yourself in close proximity to a grumpy, moody tired looking person, don't offer them a caffeine or alcohol "fix". Tell them to take a break!!
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