Coffee! A wonderful drink. But not for all.

I'm a big fan of coffee. But for many during midlife this morning friend can cause havoc.

The Science Bit…Coffee is a stimulant. For women during peri to pause coffee can have a strong effect on the nervous system which also has an impact on hormone balance. As a stimulant, coffee can make one feel wound up.

From a physiological view coffee pushes the adrenals to make more cortisol. We all know a good cup of coffee gets us going mentally and physiologically in the morning but it’s a short lived high which depletes adrenal energy to a place where there’s no battery power left. (esp. by middle age) If your constantly tired avoiding coffee might be a good plan. Low adrenal reserves leads to chronic exhaustion, increased risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar (diabetes type 2) and low immune response.

How does this all work?

If you tend to feel hot and irritable try withdrawing slowly and leave coffee behind. (I can hear you swearing). Stimulants are awful for you. It’s most likely coffee is providing a false sense of energy and adrenal/ Kidney energy is plummeting.

If you tend to feel cold you need some warmth as your Yang (heat) isn’t really turned on resulting in a slow metabolism and tiredness. Coffee isn’t too bad when consumed in moderation. This means a cup before 11 am. But if your super tired you may need to reconsider this beverage.

If you tend to have up & down energy. You might be relying on coffee to move your bowels intermittently. Coffee consumed in moderation before 11 am is okay. But you may need to be more consistent with activity and eating well to strike an energetic balance.

If you are just exhausted. Coffee really isn’t going to help at all! You have exhausted your resources. Coffee or any caffeine will literally rob you of all the hard work your doing to regain energy and balance. 

How to withdraw from the liquid of the Gods…

No one says this is going to be an easy task. It’s not. Likely symptoms such as brain fog, lack of focus, mild headache and higher levels of irritability could be experienced. You may consider replacing it with green tea. De caff coffee might also sound great but only purchase Swiss Water Decaf as many de caff products are loaded with chemicals which strip out the caffeine.

Water, water and more water is the key to reducing symptoms.

I love coffee culture, so leaving it behind is a big ask I get it. I think in the past 15 years it’s become the norm to have lovely coffee and therefore our appetite for high quality and strength of the brews has shifted. Great coffee has become very accessible as well as fantastic home machines to channel our inner barista. I just want to leave you with a thought, coffee should almost be considered a treat not something we have 3 cups of each day. Be the Queen of your own moderation and stop and smell the flowers (coffee in this case) on special occasions.