Why did you suddenly dislike coffee? Problems with neurotransmitters, biologically active chemicals through which an electrical impulse is transmitted from a nerve cell

Each of us has probably heard that coffee is not exactly healthy drink, but about what kind of influence on human body exerts its excessive use, many of us can only guess. In this issue, we bring to your attention ten good reasons to stop drinking coffee as soon as possible.

Can you imagine your life without coffee? Can you even go without it in the morning? We all know about invigorating properties of this drink, but did you know that coffee can adversely affect your health? Well, let's find out exactly how he "spoils our lives." We hope this article will convince you to find more healthy alternative coffee "cheerfulness".

1. Coffee can cause fertility issues

If you want to have children, it is better to eliminate caffeine from your diet - this is good. known fact. But do you know why? And it's all about hormones. Coffee consumption provokes an increased release of cortisol, the stress hormone, by the adrenal glands. And an increase in its level can cause a hormonal imbalance, as a result of which a lack of progesterone, the main hormone of the ovarian corpus luteum, which contributes to the possibility of pregnancy and its further maintenance, will develop. If a woman drinks at least four cups of coffee a day during pregnancy, the risk of miscarriage is about 33%. Especially strong is the harm of coffee in pregnancy from 20 weeks.

2. Poor absorption of vitamins and minerals

Caffeine (more than three cups of coffee a day or constant intake of caffeine tablets) "kills" vitamins B, PP, reduces the content of iron, potassium, zinc, and calcium in the body. And one cup of 150 ml inhibits the absorption of calcium for as much as three hours. Moreover, caffeine leaches calcium from the body, and as a result of coffee abuse, the bones become brittle.

3. Caffeine makes you fat

We have already mentioned that caffeine increases the production of cortisol and affects the functioning of the adrenal glands. But you may not know that the adrenal glands work in conjunction with the thyroid gland, which takes care of the metabolism. So a malfunctioning thyroid gland can slow down your metabolism, resulting in weight gain. If you want to lose a couple of pounds or maintain a healthy body weight, but you are not succeeding, maybe you should give up coffee?

4. Insomnia

Many people use caffeine to keep them awake at night, but if you're having trouble falling asleep, don't caffeine, or better yet, don't drink it at all. Even if you can fall asleep at night, you should not drink more than three cups of coffee a day, otherwise you will not sleep well, because under the influence of caffeine, even in your sleep, your nervous system will be overexcited.

5. Problems with immunity

Caffeine is not the best best friend our immune system, again, because of the thyroid gland. The limited performance of the thyroid gland leads to a weakening of the immune system, which causes diseases. If you feel susceptible to various diseases, it is worth staying away from coffee, at least until you feel better.

6. Problems with neurotransmitters that are biologically active chemicals through which an electrical impulse is transmitted from a nerve cell

One of the most compelling reasons to quit coffee is the fact that it negatively impacts the neurotransmitters in your body that are needed to produce the happiness hormone, also known as serotonin. Although many believe that coffee makes a person happier, in fact, quite the contrary, so if you are depressed or not going through the best best time in life, do not drink coffee.

7. Caffeine is bad for overall energy levels.

For avid coffee lovers, this drink eventually ceases to help. It just "doesn't work". This is a very bad sign, because the thyroid gland stops responding to it due to the fact that coffee constantly puts pressure on it and “wears out” it. Coffee causes the body to produce adrenaline, and if you drink it constantly, then you need more and more caffeine each time for the body to respond to it with the same efficiency.

8. Caffeine damages the liver

Coffee is not digested in the best way. Your liver is working to produce the enzymes that break down coffee and metabolize it. So when enzymes are needed for other harmful chemicals, the liver can suddenly get lazy. Many people have coffee drinkers constantly, "lazy" liver.

9. Coffee is full of pesticides.

Today, plants that give coffee beans, sprayed with pesticides like never before. It is unlikely that on the shelves of your supermarket there is organic coffee grown without the use of chemical fertilizers. Research has found over a thousand chemicals in coffee, so if that doesn't make you quit coffee, it probably won't.

10. Without coffee, sex drive increases.

And again about the thyroid gland. This part of our body is responsible for the hormones that control our libido, such as testosterone. So once you stop pressuring your thyroid with caffeine, you will notice improvements in your sex life.

Caffeine, one of the most valuable "narcotic" constituents of the coffee bean, actually makes up only 1-2% of its content. The remaining components - chlorogenic acid, caffeol, polyphenols, phytoestrogens and diterpenes - today are only being studied for their effect on the human body and glucose metabolism as well. Therefore, it will be quite difficult to determine with accuracy whether the constant enjoyment of a fragrant drink will send you straight to the doors of the doctor's office or will lead you out with a diagnosis of "absolutely healthy." But you can not hope for the latter, if for the sake of work you exchange your dream for Espresso, and you draw energy for the day exclusively in Arabica. In this "situation" your body will sooner or later begin to appeal to the mind through - insignificant at first, but more and more significant over time - various signals, hinting at the need to reduce the rate of consumption of such a beloved delicacy.

So, let's first define exactly the reasons why you should give up the pleasure of coffee.

Why give up coffee?

If you are passionately interested in the topic of this article, then most likely you have already encountered such problems as general malaise, irritation over trifles, hormonal imbalance, overwork, stress, obesity, depression and poisoning. We dare to say in this case: coffee is not included in the recipe for your cure. Why?

1. Caffeine raises your blood levels of catecholamine, the stress hormone. The latter, in turn, provokes the production of cortisone and increases the content of insulin, as a result of which a person becomes extremely irritable and feels even more disgusting because of this.
2. Caffeine addiction lowers insulin sensitivity, so blood cells cannot respond to sugar appropriately. High content This sweetness in the blood leads to damage to the arteries and increases the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.
3. Whole coffee beans are the richest the most useful antioxidants, which, nevertheless, getting into all your systems, are able to form the most ardent diterpenes in them (organic compounds that provoke the growth and development of all kinds of tumors and neoplasms).
4. Useful chlorogenic acid that slows down the absorption of glucose by the walls intestinal tract, also increases the levels of content to a level that leads to the appearance of cardiovascular diseases and diabetting.
5. The acidity of coffee can cause discomfort in digestive tract, indigestion, arrhythmia, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and dysbiosis.
6. Addiction and addiction is a common problem for coffee drinkers, which entails an atrophy of the ability to rely on and believe in the sufficiency of one's own body's energy reserves. Ask any coffee lover what it's like to give up coffee for at least a day, and you will hear the story of a downright ordinary drug addiction.
7. Often a passion develops for products associated with an invigorating drink - sugar, dry cream and other tempting additives. There is no doubt: the coffee business has created armies of people who can no longer do without sweet, rich flavors caffeine delight. The modern morning latte is the perfect example of not even a drink, but a solid meal without food and with a lot of energy.
8. 5-HIA, an organic acid and a component of the chemical transmitter serotonin ("happiness reagent"), is found in the urine of coffee drinkers in comparatively higher amounts than those who drink pure water or green tea. Consequently, the brain of coffee drinkers suffers from a lack of this element, which leads to lack of sleep, indigestion, bad mood and a drop in energy. Thus, people suffering from depression, overwork and excessive irritability and trying to get rid of all this with the help of a fragrant and gradually addicted caffeine "rescue" simply fall into a vicious circle from which it is not so easy to get out.
9. Also in the urinary feces of coffee drinkers there is increased content calcium, magnesium and potassium, which indicates the likelihood of serious complications in the functioning of the body.
10. The constituent components of the coffee bean can adversely affect the metabolism and detoxifying processes in the liver, disrupt the degree of absorption of certain medications.

So, if you think that you cannot completely cleanse your life of such an unsafe drink, do not think so low of yourself! Many people who fell into the same addiction found the strength to get rid of it. Below we present most useful tips from real ex-coffee lovers, which can significantly mitigate the period of weaning and cleansing the body of accumulated toxins.

How to stop drinking coffee?

In the fight against any addiction, the most important thing is to use all your willpower, and the most difficult thing is to survive the withdrawal symptoms (or "withdrawal" in the popular way), the duration of which depends on the level of toxic poisoning. Usually, as with nicotine addiction, the first three to four days are the most difficult to abstinence. So, what can help you successfully go through this period and continue your life already without caffeine "& Co"?

1. Drink a glass instead of coffee in the morning warm water with freshly squeezed lemon juice. And in general, make sure that you consume at least 7 glasses of clean drinking water per day.
2. The best water for drinking will be water that has passed through a filtration system (albeit inexpensive). The most effective is the reverse osmosis filter, which purifies water through the implementation step by step process that removes germs, pesticides, metals and other toxins. And drinking liquids in plastic bottles should be avoided because they contain phthalate (the ester or salt of phthalic acid), a poisonous petrochemical.
3. If you are suffering from headaches allegedly without a dose of caffeine, make sure that everything is in order with your intestines.
4. In order not to experience severe fatigue, allocate more time for sleep.
5. Take 1000 mg buffered vitamin C (500 mg each for breakfast and dinner).
6. Give your body enough physical activity every day (we mean sports) - this is more effective in the fight against obesity than coffee instead of food. If there is no time for training, give up unnecessary transport and walk more - after all, even a daily half-hour walk will help.
7. When hungry, eat food. During the day, be sure to stock up on protein: it will be enough to eat a handful of nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, boiled beans, or a piece of steamed or grilled fish.
8. To combat poor sleep, before going to bed, take a combination of 500 mg of calcium citrate and 250 mg of magnesium citrate.
9. Drink 1-3 cups of green tea per day. A small amount of such caffeine will only benefit, not to mention the antioxidants contained in this drink.
10. Better than any coffee, a sauna or a hot bath will invigorate.

Conclusion: I really want coffee - prepare hot green tea or drink 300 grams of water, and also follow the above tips. This is indeed a difficult goal, but rest assured that if successful, your body and mind will be extremely grateful to you. Having cleared all your organic systems of unsafe “delicacy” components, you will be extremely surprised to find in them myriad reserves of natural fuel that can energize you and have no side effects. Wise decisions for you, stubborn willpower and all the best!

Mental disorders is a very important question. No less important is the problem described in

Hello.

And again we return to the topic of coffee - a popular drink all over the world with unique aroma and invigorating effect on the body.

I have already talked about the negative effects on health and the beneficial properties of the drink. He paid special attention to the problem of caffeine overdose. In this article, I will introduce you to the concept of coffee addiction and share the secrets of how to stop drinking coffee, but feel alert and active throughout the day. If you are a coffee lover or a big drinker flavored drink, for you this information is informative and necessary.

Is it bad to drink coffee

In fairness, I’ll immediately note that drinking coffee is really pleasant and very tasty. No wonder it is so popular in many countries of our vast planet. About half of the world's population regularly drink coffee, and a third of the inhabitants begin to enjoy it every morning. In most cases, this ritual does not negative impact to the work of the body. As in other matters, measure and a reasonable approach are important here. According to doctors, a person should not consume more than 1-2 cups of coffee per day, so as not to get addicted. One serving contains about 100 mg of caffeine - the main component, which is an alkaloid of plant origin.

Let me remind you the main effects of coffee on the body:

• excitation of the central nervous system- causes a surge of physical strength, activates mental activity, prevents or eliminates drowsiness, excessive fatigue, depressive states, normalizes the emotional background (promotes inspiration, joy, forms a positive outlook on life);
• excitation of cardio-vascular system- leads to an increase in vascular tone, increased heart rate, a slight increase blood pressure which prepares the body as a whole for vigorous activity and increases endurance to physical or mental stress;
• normalization of functional activity digestive system- this helps to increase the synthesis and release of digestive juices, enhance intestinal motility and absorption of nutrients.

With moderate coffee consumption, which does not threaten the formation of dependence, all of the above effects benefit the body. However, there is one significant nuance. When a person drinks coffee, the body's internal energy reserves are released, which have a stimulating effect on functional systems.

The duration of the influence of coffee on the body is no more than a few hours, after which the energy reserves are depleted and require replenishment. And if we take energy from reserve sources, then we will have to pay for it in the future. For example, we slept a little, but to cheer up, we do not rest, but drink coffee. With an increase daily dose caffeine a person experiences an irresistible desire to drink even more invigorating drink. Otherwise, the general condition worsens and efficiency decreases. So people become coffee addicts - they drink coffee constantly (they exceed the dosage of caffeine by more than 1000 mg / day). What happens if you give up coffee? "Withdrawal", as in a person addicted to alcohol or drugs. Incredible, but still indisputable fact. Addiction is not in vain for health.

Coffee addiction symptoms

The composition of the aromatic drink includes caffeine, which can be attributed to light narcotic substances. natural origin. Let me remind you that drugs are considered medicinal substances that cause physical as well as mental dependence, which leads to the need for constant use and a gradual increase in daily dosage. Otherwise, the person experiences psychological depression and deterioration. physical condition. Withdrawal syndrome is often called “withdrawal” - a state of the body that occurs when there is insufficient intake or complete rejection of a narcotic substance against the background of addiction. "Breaking" develops in alcoholics, drug addicts and coffee addicts, including. Lovers of a fragrant drink, think about it and do not allow addiction.

What is the manifestation of caffeine addiction and what are the withdrawal symptoms? If a few hours after drinking a fragrant drink there is an irresistible desire to drink another cup or even two - this is a dangerous sign that you have acquired addiction. Coffee drinkers constantly drink coffee not to enjoy the ceremony, but to bring their body back to normal. Refusal of a dose of a fragrant drink is fraught with the development of "withdrawal", which negatively affects the general condition and daily activity.

Withdrawal and addiction symptoms:

• causeless aggression and irritability;
• chronic headaches;
• a feeling of fatigue, lethargy, apathy that appear immediately after waking up and persist throughout the day;
• impaired mental activity (impaired memory, ability to concentrate, decreased motivation);
• anxiety and depressive syndromes;
• tendency to increase blood pressure and tachycardia;
• recurrent feeling of nausea, heaviness in the stomach and intestines.

If the above symptoms of addiction occur, you need to sound the alarm - your body is in danger, which means it's time to take necessary measures to save health.

How to get rid of caffeine addiction and stop drinking coffee

How to give up coffee, you ask, especially if you have already become addicted? I will give a few recommendations that will help you painlessly reduce the dosage of caffeine and allow you to stop drinking a fragrant drink, cross it out of the category of favorite and necessary. It will take willpower and a great desire, faith in a positive result and taking care of your health. Feeling good without stimulants is the key to success in business and Everyday life, which is a huge incentive.

1. Gradually reduce your caffeine dosage. Skip one cup (serving) of coffee every 2-3 days. Best of all, if on this day you can stay at home, reduce physical exercise and emotional stress. Withdrawal will cause worsening general condition so the body needs rest and more rest. You should not immediately stop drinking an invigorating drink. This is a lot of stress for your body and the risk of undermining your health.
2. Try to get enough sleep. will allow you to react less painfully to refusing to drink coffee in the morning. During the night, the body replenishes its internal energy reserves, which contributes to their rational use to maintain mental and physical activity(no additional stimulants!). Let me remind you that the normal duration of sleep for healthy person– an average of 8 hours (7-9 hours).
3. Learn to wake up without coffee. Get in the habit of following a daily routine. This means that you need to wake up, eat, drink water and other drinks, work, play sports or go for walks at the same time (if possible, but the regimen should be observed as much as possible!). For example, getting up at 7 am every day, including weekends, will allow you to skip the alarm. Getting up on a call is stressful for the body. But a properly tuned biological clock will allow you to live without vigor stimulants. Do morning exercises, simple exercises for 15-20 minutes are enough.
4. Switch to green tea or non-addictive teas. If it is difficult to refuse invigorating coffee, it can be replaced green tea. Green teas also contain caffeine, but at a much lower concentration. In addition, the drink is rich in beneficial substances that enhance health. The measure is also important here, you should not forget about it. The most optimal healthy drink that can and should replace coffee is chicory. Read about the healing effect on the body in my previous publication. Drink chicory - it is very useful!
5. Use coffee in an emergency. Treat an invigorating drink like an ambulance. For example, you need to finish a project, but you feel sleepy, or you don't have enough energy to start the day after a restless night. Cup strong coffee will help change the situation for the better and will not have a negative impact on health. But know the measure. I have already said that in such cases you take energy from backup sources. Do as little as possible.

Now you know how to get rid of coffee addiction. It is not difficult, but it is extremely important for maintaining health and well-being. I'm not advising you to give up coffee completely. Moderate consumption of the drink (a cup 3-4 times a week) will bring the body some solid pluses and will not cause drug addiction. Drink an invigorating drink wisely, enjoy its taste and aroma, but do not let your life be subjugated to a bad habit.

Here is a video to help you:

And that's all. See you soon, friends.

By tradition, beautiful music for you:

The harm of coffee for the human psyche - does it exist? Which type of coffee is more harmful - ground or instant? What are the dangers of decaffeinated coffee? How is instant coffee made? Why does coffee affect different people? Addictive to coffee and what will happen if you abruptly stop drinking coffee?

The harm of coffee. What is the degree of danger?

Does coffee harm or benefit the person who consumes coffee? This issue has been discussed and continues to be discussed since those times (in Europe they came in the 17th, and in Russia - in the 18th century), as a fragrant drink - coffee - became common in the privileged strata of society, and then in all steel.

Like red wine, like many other food products - coffee causes a lot of controversy, different interpretations, is the basis for many studies - and all with one goal - to decide whether coffee as an invigorating, refreshing drink is still harmful or beneficial? Is it an antioxidant that protects against aging, or is it an exciting, energizing potion that harms the young, immature brains of young people and causes hypertensive crises in older people? In general, is coffee harmful or not?

In principle, there are no drinks that are absolutely harmful and useful, we can only determine the degree of harm and danger of using them in different categories of people and decide what - pluses or minuses - there are more in this application. We will try to identify the harm of coffee in general, but we will clarify, first of all, which type of coffee is more or less harmful, and for whom, specifically.

The harm of coffee. What harms more - instant or ground coffee?

In general, when scientists or ordinary people talk about coffee, we are talking all the same, about coffee ground and brewed - whether in a Turk, in a fashionable coffee machine. Instant coffee is not drunk by most of the world's coffee connoisseurs, and the bulk of this type of coffee is consumed by Russia and developing countries. Let's compare what harm coffee can cause more - from ground coffee or soluble.

It turns out that each type of coffee has its own harm. Instant coffee is prepared in such a way (no matter what they say in commercials about its naturalness!), That coffee itself, like caffeine, does not remain so much in it. This is good for those who are harmful to excessive excitement, who have heart problems, neuroses and other psycho-emotional disorders. But on the other hand, the harm of instant coffee for those suffering from diseases of the liver, stomach and other digestive organs is very great. It just so happened - the processes used in the processing of coffee beans, whether it be granulation or sublimation, add certain substances to the drink that irritate the gastric mucosa, liver cells, etc. So whether coffee harms your stomach or nervous system - the choice is yours!

By the way, decaffeinated coffee, which, logically, should be completely harmless - after all, the most dangerous and controversial substance is removed from it - in fact, no less harmful! The process of decaffeination (by the way, quite complicated, therefore, decaffeinated coffee is more expensive than usual) saturates the drink even more. big amount chemical components, and it is not possible to determine from what the harm of coffee is greater, from them or from the ill-fated caffeine.

The harm of coffee. How is caffeine broken down?

It turned out that the breakdown of caffeine in the human body (and coffee has a lot of biologically active substances, but we are now considering only caffeine) is genetically determined. That is, someone's body breaks down caffeine slowly and gets excited, constricts its blood vessels - also slowly, but someone's quickly. Therefore, the impact of the same type, brand of coffee, equally brewed and the same amount on one person will produce the effect of psychomotor agitation, increased heart rate, increased pressure, etc., and the other after three cups of coffee will fall asleep peacefully. The trouble is that no one initially knows exactly how his genotype is arranged, this can only be verified by trial and error, and sometimes the price of such experiments is high. Realizing, finally, that coffee is causing significant harm to him, a person manages to earn neurosis, hypertension and heart rhythm disturbances. In addition, the type of higher nervous activity affects the perception of coffee. Namely, the predominance of a melancholic, sanguine, choleric or phlegmatic temperament, which no one really knows about himself either, and “pure” choleric or melancholic people rarely meet in life - something simply prevails. And how will it affect regular use cups of coffee on physical and mental health is also a secret with seven seals.

From my practice, I remember several cases when girls suffering from neurosis, well, for example, obsessive-compulsive disorders, panic attacks, got a sharp exacerbation of their condition when drinking just one (!) Cup of coffee with milk in a student canteen - and what a coffee strength there " served" - no need to explain. Even with such a low concentration of caffeine, the harm of coffee was very serious.

Even the level of atmospheric pressure, sharp wind, temperature changes, not to mention regular changes in the hormonal cycle, affect the perception of coffee. And if we are talking about its regular, often immoderate consumption, here we cannot even try to predict how to drink coffee today, and how our body, our higher nervous activity, our psyche will react the day after tomorrow. And what harm coffee as a result can be caused to us. If the “drug” is so unpredictable, it is difficult to call it useful. Maybe, for someone, at some time and in some quantities, it is useful, in any case, it is not harmful, but how to determine - to whom, when and in what quantities?

The harm of coffee. coffee addiction.

Caffeine is addictive, just like any other drug. It's proven. Of course, heroin or ecstasy cause harm much more powerful than the harm of coffee, and have a much more destructive effect on both the body and the psyche of an addicted person. But the fact remains - constant, long-term, regular and abundant (but not necessarily - regularity is enough) use of coffee leads to the fact that without it a person can no longer work fruitfully, actively think, create. And later - without coffee, a person cannot simply move, perform even monotonous work that does not require creativity, cannot do anything - until he pours an exciting potion into himself. The harm of coffee from such an addiction, of course, is on the face. And the dose of coffee, which has to bring oneself first into a creative, active, and then just into a working state, increases over time - this is a sign of a real drug addiction. In the absence of the opportunity (or the decision to stop drinking coffee), avid coffee lovers experience a breakdown, weakness, headaches, sometimes a sad, depressed mood - in general, a real drug "withdrawal"!

Physiologically, this is explained by the fact that in the human brain, the receptors that are affected by caffeine and the brain's own energy drink - adenosine - are the same, but adenosine relaxes the central nervous system, gives a feeling of peace and drowsiness. With the constant presence of caffeine, all receptors are occupied by it, and adenosine is simply not produced, as unnecessary. But the decision to immediately stop drinking coffee leads to a rapid release of receptors - there is nothing to occupy them, and then adenosine begins to be produced in large quantities - a person falls into drowsiness, weakness, "hibernation" and there is simply no other way to turn everything back. Thus, the harm of coffee in such a situation lies in turning you from a cheerful, cheerful person into a sleepy, lazy person. But if you want to get off coffee, you will definitely have to experience it until the balance is restored. For different people, this condition can last in different ways - for someone a few days, and for someone a few weeks.

The harm of coffee. Draw your own conclusions.

Here are some complex processes, as it turned out, occur in the brain of a person who regularly consumes seemingly banal coffee. Well, what do you call beneficial substance causing such serious changes in higher nervous activity?! It is obvious that the harm caused to the body by constant use of coffee is addictive, and, in addition to caffeine, in the case of instant coffee, and also fills you with different chemistry. And when you try to abruptly stop drinking coffee, you become sleepy and lazy for a while. There are also studies showing that coffee drinkers have more cravings and are more easily addicted to smoking, alcohol, and drugs. Draw your own conclusions!

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How to stop drinking coffee

In this article I will answer questions is it bad to drink coffee And how to stop drinking coffee. I haven't drank coffee in years Lately I drastically reduced my tea intake. In this decision, I see some solid pluses. About why I live better without caffeine, I will talk a little later in this post.

Coffee - ancient drink, its tonic and taste properties have been known to people for a long time. Drinking coffee has firmly entered into human life: for many people, not a single morning passes without a cup of hot coffee. Coffee is loved not only for its taste and smell, but also for its invigorating effect. It's hard to imagine how you can wake up and start doing things without taking your morning dose of caffeine.

This drink awakens our sleeping consciousness, relieves fatigue, gives motivation and a burst of energy. It may seem that one cannot live and work without coffee, and if we stop drinking it, we will forever nod off, and any work will be difficult. I assure you it is not. You can live without coffee. And why refuse it - will be discussed further.

First of all, remember that coffee contains caffeine, and caffeine is a drug that belongs to the class of stimulants of the central nervous system (for example, cocaine and amphetamines belong to the same class). The fact that some substances have acquired the status of legal drugs (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and a lot of drugs that are on your shelves) does not speak in favor of the absence of narcotic properties in these drugs. This applies more to the legal side of the case (what is banned and what is not), and not to the medical one. For a doctor, an alcohol addict is the same drug addict.

Of course, coffee cannot be attributed to hard drugs. Caffeine addiction does not proceed with such severe consequences as, for example, alcohol or heroin. But addiction to coffee is still a form of drug addiction and has its consequences. Caffeine is unhealthy, like most drugs.

The effect of coffee on fatigue

Caffeine improves performance, improves mood, and tones the body and mind. The energy that appears with a cup of coffee you drink does not arise from nowhere, is not taken from the space around you and is not contained in the cup of drink itself. This sudden energy the body, under the influence of caffeine, draws from your internal energy reserves.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to take this energy for free. If you used it, then later, you will lack it.

Let me explain this with an example. When I began to drink tea much less often, then, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, I noticed an increase in working capacity during the day. Previously, if I drank a mug of strong tea in the morning, then after dinner I felt very drowsy and, as a result, lack of efficiency. Any activity went with difficulty and without desire. I didn't associate it specifically with tea, I thought it was natural to feel sleepy after a heavy meal.

I used to compensate for this sleepiness with another dose of caffeine contained in tea. But this did not help me for long: after a while, I again began to feel tired. Then I stopped drinking tea every day. I noticed that this afternoon languor was not observed on those days when I went without an invigorating drink! Maybe in the morning I was a little less alert because I didn’t drink tea, but during the whole day I had more energy.

I could work quietly after lunch with good productivity. I began to do more, including, my articles began to appear faster. It may not be noticeable on this blog, but for several months I have been writing articles for two sites: this one and its English version - nperov.com.

Like every drug, caffeine has its own “waste” (it’s just not as noticeable, because coffee is not very hard drug). Following a sharp surge of energy comes the same sharp decline in strength. Imagine an athlete participating in a race that lasts several hours. After the starting shot was fired, this athlete did not calculate his strength and, with bulging eyes and sticking out his tongue, galloped forward at such a speed that the rest of the competitors began to choke on the dust from his heels, trailing behind.

Naturally, he will quickly run out of steam, feel severely tired and dehydrated, and, unable to continue running, will take a walk while those who were behind will overtake him at a moderate speed. And all because he pulled at once and spent all his energy at the very beginning of the competition.

The same thing happens when you drink coffee. The body takes on a lot of energy at once. But these forces will then have to be compensated.

Rejection daily use coffee contributes to a uniform energy expenditure throughout the day. The body itself calculates energy in such a way that it is enough for the whole day, and not just for the first half of it. Drinking coffee and using other stimulants is, in my opinion, a violation of the natural balance of your body.

“So how do you deal with morning sleepiness? I can’t do anything until I have coffee!” - you object.

caffeine addiction

The fact is that if the body gets used to maintaining activity through the use of stimulants, then it becomes difficult for it to cope with active work without them. An avid coffee lover drinks it in order to bring the body and head into a "working" state. The drink does not bring him such a sharp and intense burst of energy, which he can give to an inexperienced coffee consumer who has recently joined the drink. If an avid "connoisseur" drinks, he feels "normal", if he does not drink, he becomes ill.

What distinguishes him from a man without caffeine addiction? The fact that he needs coffee to feel normal, and a person without addiction does not. When the use of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, becomes chronic, the addict begins to take his drug only in order to feel normal.

If, at first, drinking brings pleasure and some unusual experience, then later, when this hobby develops into alcoholism, a person drinks so that his head does not hurt, so that his hands do not shake, so that depression does not torment ... And all the pleasure from using the substance comes down to the pleasure of satisfying a strong need.

All the symptoms that an avid coffee lover feels if he does not take a dose of his favorite drink: drowsiness, fatigue, apathy, lack of motivation, bad mood - all this is the result of an addiction! No one finds anything surprising in the fact that a smoker becomes ill without cigarettes! Why should we be surprised that an avid coffee drinker gets sick without coffee?

Caffeine addiction causes its own “withdrawal”, and this is not surprising. When the addiction passes - "withdrawal" disappears. Once you stop drinking coffee, after a while you will be fine without it and stop feeling sleepy and apathetic in the morning! Of course, this will only happen if you get enough sleep and are in a satisfactory physical condition. Many people forget about this because they do not attribute the status of a drug to coffee and think that these symptoms will always accompany them as soon as they give up caffeine. But it's not.

On my clock 10-25, I continued to write this article at 9-30, and I woke up today at 7-30, slept for about 7 hours. I haven't consumed a single milligram of caffeine yet I feel pretty energized. I'm already off caffeine and I don't need to take it to keep me motivated and strong. When you break the habit, you will also stop needing this dark drink.

We'll talk about how to stop drinking coffee a little later. Now I will continue to talk about the dangers of this drink.

Impact on concentration and prioritization

Coffee increases anxiety and disrupts concentration, especially in large doses. If you find it difficult to concentrate, you can't sit still and relax, and you suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, then there should be no question of drinking many cups of coffee a day. Coffee can aggravate the situation and develop your chronic anxiety and constant restlessness.

On one blog, I read about very interesting observations of its author, who also refused coffee. He writes that coffee enhances some aspects of thinking, but weakens others. The speed of thinking increases, but at the same time, there may be a lack in other areas of our mind.

Under the influence of caffeine, a person becomes more active, he can quickly complete some tasks, but he loses the ability to prioritize these tasks well. He can spend a lot of time doing some minor activities and not pay attention to the most important. Because under the influence of caffeine he bursts with energy and he can not wait to send it somewhere. He loses the patience to think about where this energy will find the most effective application.

In my opinion, this is a very accurate observation. I also observed this effect when I drank coffee or green tea. Chinese tea. I could wake up, have a drink strong tea and spend half a day setting up some plugin on my site, which was not really needed. If I had spent the same time writing an article, it would have been much more productive.

Also, the caffeine use affected the style of my articles, I think the most attentive readers can pay attention to this. When I drank a mug of pu-erh (strong green Chinese tea), sentences and words poured out of me like a bucket, but at the same time, the articles lost a lot of structure. There were many complex proposals with an abundance of turns. It was as if some sense of the whole text was lost in its entire length, and I was only puzzled by how to convey the thought that I have in my head now, without subordinating it to the general logic.

As a result, much had to be rewritten. Maybe, without tea, I began to write fewer words per minute of time, to think more about sentences, but on the other hand, I manage to write more in a day, as I distribute my energy more efficiently over the entire duration labor day. In my opinion, the quality of my articles has improved. Now I can stop at each word and think about how the article will develop further. I can fix something right away, and not redo it later. In addition, it became easier for me to concentrate, I became less distracted from the main task.

If your work involves clear and competent prioritization and concentration, then excessive coffee consumption will be redundant for you.

Coffee and Excessive Activity

Sometimes, it can be difficult to find an individual dose of caffeine. We ourselves may not notice how we drink several cups while talking or working, which brings us to the peak of excitement and activity. At such moments, there is much more energy than is needed to do the work.

Indeed, in order to wield a mouse at an office desk, you do not need a lot of energy. But on the crest of caffeine courage, a lot of strength burns out in vain.

Let us again draw an analogy with a runner who briskly rushed forward from the start, not calculating his strength. In this example, he also ran off the track and instead of running in a straight line, he began to follow an extended arc, which increased the distance he had to cover and, at the same time, began to juggle three dumbbells on the run, just in case.

He wastes a lot of energy that he needs for the race, doing completely meaningless, from the point of view of achieving the task, actions.

The same thing happens if you drink a lot of coffee: the body uses a lot of strength and these forces will not return later! Some people spend this excess energy on meaningless activities, like talking with their tongue or twisting in a chair, others find no way out for this energy. Both of them will feel tired afterwards. Why would you waste extra energy? For starters, just reduce your coffee intake, drink exactly as much as you need for work.

The effect of coffee on the nervous system

Drinking large amounts of coffee leads to nervousness, anxiety, increased nervous excitability and depletion of nerve cells. I would not recommend drinking a lot of coffee to those who suffer nervous diseases, irritability, panic attacks, etc.

Caffeine puts your body in a state of stress by stimulating the production of stress hormones: adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. Constant stimulation can adversely affect the state of the nervous system, blood pressure, heart and immune system.

Other harms of coffee for the body

Coffee can also be harmful because:

• Increases blood pressure and is harmful to those who suffer from hypertension.
• Harmful to the cardiovascular system. Overuse coffee causes heart disease.
• Leads to dehydration.
• Contraindicated in pregnancy.
• If taken on an empty stomach, it can lead to stomach ulcers.
• Washes vitamins out of the body.
• May cause chronic headaches.
• Promotes sleep disturbance

It would be unfair not to mention the benefits of coffee in this article. Of course, moderate consumption of this drink has a number of benefits, such as reducing the risk of many diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes type 2). Also, coffee contains antioxidants that prevent the destruction of cells in your body.

But, firstly, caffeine is a drug and moderate use always threatens to turn into immoderate. Secondly, many of the beneficial properties of coffee are not associated with caffeine (with which, basically, all the risks and harms are associated), but are manifested due to other chemical compounds that are present in the drink. Third, coffee is not far the only source antioxidants found in vegetables, fruits and many other foods. Coffee cannot replace other sources of antioxidants! And to reduce the risk of developing many diseases will help you healthy lifestyle life and balanced diet. Unlike coffee, these methods have no side effects.

But if you drink more than two cups a day, you risk feeling it all. Negative consequences drinking coffee. Those who drink 10 cups a day should not justify their addiction useful properties coffee. After all, these people do not drink it because of the benefit. It's like a binge drinker would proudly talk about the antioxidants found in red wine that slow down the destruction of cells!

Even moderate doses of coffee provoke increased fatigue in the evening, if you drink coffee in the morning. In addition, there are problems with concentration and the ability to prioritize, which I wrote about above.

Unfortunately, you have to pay for everything. There are no completely harmless and, moreover, useful drugs. In my opinion, the benefits of coffee are not fundamental and are not indispensable, and the risks and potential harm not so small. Therefore, I think that it is better, after all, to give up daily use. this drink for your own health.

How to stop drinking coffee?

Coffee is not tobacco: you can quit gradually. Next, I will tell you how you can smoothly reduce the amount of caffeine consumed.

Switch to green or black tea: these drinks contain less caffeine than coffee and have great benefits. taste properties. Personally, I have always preferred green tea over any other type of tea. Now the market of imported Chinese (and Japanese) tea is developing very actively in our country. Try different tastes, there are very nice varieties!

Also, it can be ordered on the ebay online auction, it will be cheaper. True, at the time of writing this article (June 2013), the Russian postal service is very slow, and there is a risk of waiting for a package for several months before you can take a sip fragrant tea from the green plantations of China.

The best thing about green tea is its effect! In my opinion, it is better than the effect of coffee. Of course, the effect is subjective and depends on each person. But similar observations were made by other green tea drinkers. The fact is that green tea has a much more “pure” effect on me compared to coffee. When I drank coffee, the vigor from the drink was accompanied by an increase in pressure (for those who rarely drink coffee, the effect high blood pressure most noticeable), an acceleration of the heartbeat, some tension in the muscles. And it wasn't very pleasant.

Tea, in my opinion, acts much thinner and softer. The above side effects Almost invisible unless you drink a lot. It turns out some more “clean” cheerfulness, without unpleasant sensations in the body.

Plus, green tea has, on average, three times less caffeine than coffee. Green tea also contains antioxidants, vitamins and prevents the development of many diseases. Definitely a choice in favor of tea, if you choose between it and coffee.

Famous varieties of green tea:

• Oolong tea (not exactly green tea, but close to it)
• Tieguanyin
• Da Hong Pao

Reduce your caffeine intake

If you drink coffee on weekends, stop doing it. Why do you need coffee if you don't have to work on weekends? For starters, drink only at work. Reduce the number of mugs consumed per day. And then, when you're ready, reduce the number of working days when you drink caffeinated drinks (it's better to switch to tea). For example, drink no more than three cups a week. Yes, yes, it is a week, not a day. At first it seems difficult, but as you gradually wean, it will not be so hard to do.

Learn to wake up without coffee!

Morning work-out - great way wake up and wake up after sleep. It is a natural boost of energy for the body and, moreover, is good for health. Read on to find out how to force yourself to exercise.

Drink hot decaffeinated drinks

If you want hot and delicious drink, that is, a reason to try some varieties herbal tea. This is not exactly tea, in the strict sense of the word, but it does not contain caffeine. Try Rooibos, for example.

Use coffee in an emergency

Drink coffee if you need to drive a car at night, and you haven’t slept before and you need a boost of energy like air. Or, in the event that you spent too little time in bed, and you need to work.

Coffee is a stimulant, so drink it special situations Don't make it into a daily habit!

Get enough sleep

Get enough sleep. No need to work hard. No job is worth your nerves and health.

Conclusion - why do people drink coffee?

Different people drink coffee for different reasons. For some, it's just an awakening. For others, it's a way to beat boredom and keep their hands busy. For others, it's their favorite flavor.

It also happens that the passion for coffee is the result of dissatisfaction with one's work: work activities are boring and a complete routine, which is why many people find in coffee the motivation they lack to do what they do not like. After all, caffeine activates the reserve reserves of energy, which begins to look for a way out. And it becomes all the same how to spend it - just to spend it.

Caffeine addiction may have causes that are hidden inside your psyche. Maybe you need to change jobs to stop drinking coffee, or maybe you need to learn to perceive it differently or get rid of chronic anxiety.

But the coffee is delicious!

So what? A few years ago I used to drink 3-4 liters of beer every day. The taste of beer seemed divine and incomparable to me. How will I live without this wonderful taste, I thought then? But, time has passed, and now I do not drink alcohol at all, in any form. no taste alcoholic beverages, which I used to love so passionately, I calmly get around. It's all about habit. Don't worry, you won't be bored with the taste of coffee for a long time.

Now at 16-20 hours

And I wrote this article (and I continued to write it today at 9-00) and checked it for errors. If I had drunk coffee in the morning, I would have been tired by this time and could not do what requires the greatest mental effort from me, namely, write articles, because caffeine would drain the necessary supply of energy from me. I would leave it for tomorrow and spend all of tomorrow morning finishing this post and checking everything.

But without caffeine, my work became more productive. Therefore, tomorrow morning I will check this article again and start writing another one. Like this =).

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