I know there’s a lot of discussion on whether coffee or caffeine is healthy. Just like everything, there are good and bad sides in my opinion. Again, I’m not here to say definitively what’s right or wrong, I’m just stating how it affects me.
The First Taste Of Coffee
I didn’t drink coffee until my last year in college. Once I started, I was hooked. I would wake up and head to the student union to start studying. After a few sips, I couldn’t believe how clear my head was and how I plowed through homework. Before I drank coffee, studying tended to be a grind. Even though I enjoyed some of my subjects, I really had to force myself to do the work. After drinking coffee, I became so efficient, it was to the point where I was getting most of my homework done by the afternoon and I was searching for other things to do in the evening. Drinking coffee had such a positive impact that my grades went up at least a half a point.
This positive reaction carried on to my first job in Chicago. I would start my day with a cup of coffee and would breeze through the morning workload. I was also more focused and passionate about the project I was working on. I was so efficient, I didn’t need to drink any in the afternoon because the caffeine rush lasted throughout the day.
The Downside To Coffee
Well, after a few years, the coffee and caffeine started to have less and less of an effect. While before I was feeling like Superman during the day, I was now wondering where my extra burst had gone. What was worse, I found out I was grinding my teeth at night and suffering from TMJ. My dentist told me it was most likely the result of having too much coffee. The only way to alleviate my problem was to reduce or stop my intake of caffeine. Obviously, this was pretty disappointing because I had grown accustomed to drinking it. As much as I wanted to continue, I knew I had to stop immediately because my teeth grinding would cause long-term harm.
I then started the process of life without coffee and all caffeinated products. This was a hard transition since I was so used to being productive during the day. Once my grinding went away, I thought about introducing caffeine slowly back into my life by drinking alternatives like tea. After about six months to a year of trying it, I came to the realization that I wasn’t a tea person. On top of this, my work production was no better with the small amount of caffeine that it did provide.
I then decided to drink coffee again but do it moderately at first by mixing half of my usually amount with decaffeinated. Even though it was a smaller level of caffeine than when I first started, my clarity and energy level returned. I was back to feeling energized throughout the day and I was able to enjoy the drink that I once loved.
The question now is whether caffeine is good for you. I’ve explained my history but in my next post I’ll explain the benefits and downsides. I’ll also tell you ways to increase the effectiveness of caffeine in case you’re not getting the same energy boost from coffee or if you’re dragging in the afternoon.