Is coffee good or bad for you? A a Coffee drinker, that’s one of the most important things I’d like to know.
It’s one of the most popular drinks on the planet and it’s primary ingredient. Caffeine is a stimulant and a drug that has an effect on our brain and central nervous system. Even though we find caffeine in coffee, soda and other drinks and products, it has to be the most consumed (Psychoactive) drug in the world, being legal of course in every country.
For most of us, Coffee has become a normal and vital part of our daily lives and routine. Some of us just can’t imagine getting through the day without it – right up there with drinking water. Even though there are many benefits from a stimulant that can help us, there may be drawback if we over do it and have too much of a good thing.
Caffeine as a stimulant
As a stimulant, the first thing that you’ll notice is that you’re more alert once the caffeine hits your brain.
That first thing that you notice when drinking coffee, is that you quickly become more alert. That’s because coffee contains that special ingredient Caffeine, which is a natural stimulant. In fact, Caffeine is perhaps the most legalized and popular stimulant consumed around the world. It can be found in most of our common drinks. This can be coffee, tea, chocolate and other soft drinks.
Thanks to Caffeine, coffee can dramatically increase cognitive functions and alertness. However, having too much coffee may actually lead to more anxiety and stress in your body. This is why you shouldn’t over do it when it comes to drinking coffee.
In my early years of drinking coffee, one of the first things that I noticed is the effect coffee can have on my sleeping patterns. I noticed how it can keep me awake, especially when I had caffeine for the first time. And one of the last things I want to do is drink coffee right before going to bed. I read that it can take coffee up to as long as six hours to get out of my system. So I’m one who definitely plans my day around that last cup of coffee.
I can remember the norm in the different workplaces that I’ve been, where that sluggish feeling hits everyone right after lunch and between 2:00 pm when you just feel like sneaking off somewhere for a quick power nap. That’s probably the best time to get that last cup of coffee in for the day, assuming you plan on going to be after 8 pm that night.
Coffee in the morning
Since coffee contains Caffeine and helps us to become more alert, its only natural for me to reach for it first thing in the morning. Reaching for that first cup always helps us to jump start our day and focus first thing in the morning. For me, it’s even stronger than that. Just smelling that coffee brewing in the morning at times would get me going, moments before taking that first sip of coffee.
However, having coffee FIRST thing in the morning when you wake up may not be the best thing to do. Your body is just waking up, with your hormones being naturally released, including cortisol. When we drink coffee while the cortisol production is going on, we may actually hinder the process. It may cause our bodies to start producing less cortisol over time. And our bodies really rely on cortisol as a way for dealing with stress, and this is something that we naturally don’t want to mess with.
Even though I really look forward to having the first cup to wake me up, instead of chugging down that cup of black coffee minutes after awakening, I can always delay it for a while – at least an hour. Take a shower, shave, get dressed and allow my bodies natural process for cortisol to take place before reaching for the first cup of coffee.
Coffee and diseases
Having coffee as a part of your diet can actually be beneficial in protecting you from certain diseases too – such as diabetes, Alzheimer and Parkinson’s, just to name a few. This is considering that you’re drinking a moderate amount of coffee on a regular basis – somewhere between 4 to 6 cups of coffee daily.
Coffee and Dehydration
One thing you want to be careful of is not to drink too much coffee. According to studies, drinking coffee will actually cause you to increase the number of times you urinate, and even increase the urge to urinate if you drink too much coffee.
You would think that if coffee is making me want to run to the restroom more frequently, that this would dehydrate me – but it’s the exact opposite. Drinking a moderate amount of coffee – a little more than 5 cups – actually has a minor effect hydration. And for me personally, I usually remember to take sip of water throughout the day as a part of my diet to make sure I’m staying hydrated.
Coffee and Weight Gain
I’m one who enjoys sipping a good cup of coffee when doing things. I could be reading a book, working on my laptop, my hobby or chatting with someone. But in every case, I noticed a common trend. I usually find myself wanting something sweet to eat with it! A doughnut, cookie, danish, slice of cake – it doesn’t matter. It just makes the coffee more enjoyable. You ever notice how you just can’t walk into a cafe or coffee house and order just coffee anymore? Notice how there’s display case with donuts, danish, croissants, muffins and scones? Even the gas stations are guilty of stocking the sweets right up next to the brewing stations!
For most healthy and young adults, caffeine doesn’t have a significant effect on their blood sugar levels. But it can still spike it just enough for that craving to eat sweets along with our coffee. This may have a possible effect on our waist lines and weight gain if we’re not too careful.
Conclusion
Personally, caffeine has had a positive effect in my lifestyle, without any side effects. Now I do keep the amount of coffee that I drink to around 5-6 cups(8 ounces) on most days and wouldn’t consider myself an extreme coffee drinker or someone who’s completely dependent on coffee. But this is just my personal experience. I understand we’re all different when it comes to our diets, habits, and lifestyles. What’s your experience with caffeine? Do you drink a lot of coffee, energy drinks, or soda throughout the day? Do you find yourself having withdrawals if you skip a day from getting your caffeine fix?
