Coffee, A Delicious Drug Not a Beverage

If you guys are anything like me, coffee is amazing. It makes me happy. I wake up every single morning most days at 5:30 am or earlier to go to the gym and I am excited every single morning to drive to the gym while drinking my half-calf coffee. What is that you might wonder? Well, half calf is half regular and half decaf which equals TADA half calf. It’s nerdy, I know. Here is my new over-age 40 coffee routine for anyone interested: 5:30 AM, half calf and listen to a nutrition podcast (mostly Gary Brecka) on my way to the gym. I work out, come home and drink hot water with lemons while I get ready. Then it’s coffee # 2 (regular this time not half calf) on my way to work. Usually in the afternoon, I’ll do one more decaf. So technically, I feel like I’ve had three cups of coffee but really I’ve had one and a half each day. Why bother? You also may wonder?

Well, again as I’ve gotten older I’ve had strange sleep episodes where I’m exhausted and can’t fall asleep. It’s horrible because mind you, I’m the most non-functional tired person ever. I can’t think straight, I can’t regulate my emotions, I’m a total mess. So…my sleep is very very important to me. I was stuck in this horrible cycle that some of you may recognize. If I didn’t sleep well, I would drink more coffee during the day (especially cold brew during the summer which is DELICIOUS but has even more caffeine than regular coffee.) Then, I would be anxious about not sleeping well combined with increased caffeine throughout the day when I was tired and guess what, I wouldn’t sleep well again that next night. It took me years to figure out that even though I was not consuming an exorbitant amount of caffeine, it was still too much and it was impacting my sleep and making me anxious. The A word, I said it. Who is not anxious these days, seriously? Anxiety in our society is more and more rampant, especially among younger populations. Frankly, it’s expected at this point but it doesn’t have to be. Anxiety has many different contributing drivers but one important reason for anxiety is what people put in their bodies. If you are consuming too much caffeine either via coffee or energy drinks (which are HORRIBLE for you by the way) then you may be anxious in part because of those beverages.

I spent most of this summer (2023) listening to a mental health nutrition course that I have been wanting to do since 2020. It was fascinating. One of my favorite modules that I listened to had to do with coffee and Dr. Leslie Korn, the author of the course stated, “Coffee is a drug, not a beverage.” Hearing those words really hit home for me. These days there are so many foo foo coffee places out there and it’s socially acceptable to drink coffee all day; it really never occurred to me that it wasn’t just a drink. That is what triggered me to start looking at my caffeine levels to better understand how my own body was responding. Ever since I changed my routine, started drinking more half calf, decaf and soda water my anxiety levels are way down (ask my husband) and I sleep amazingly.

I know coffee is delicious, it really is but I would encourage you to take a look at how much caffeine you are consuming and how you feel each morning. Are you well rested, are you at peace or do you wake up anxious about your day? Are you exhausted after 11 am? Your body is very wise: God created us in such a way that the human body is a perfect machine if given the correct environment and ingredients. Rather than covering up symptoms that come through, listen to what your body is telling you and evaluate if you also may feel better changing your perspective about coffee. If this blog resonated with you, do some more of your own research, tweak some habits to see if you gain positive results. Remember, coffee is a drug not a beverage and your health is worth it.