Caffeine is STEALING your energy!
Many people believe that caffeine gives them energy, but this is wrong because it doesn't actually increase our energy levels.
Caffeine does not increase your energy instead it uses it all in a short period. This is why we often feel tired after the effects wear off, and then we feel like we need another caffeine boost. This leads us to develop a dependency on caffeine.
It is normal to hear
"I need my coffee to wake up in the morning" "I am not me without my morning coffee" "Sorry, I am a bit out of it I haven't had my morning coffee yet"
Or similar phrases...
These statements are all saying the same thing, that we cannot function without coffee or caffeine. This is simply untrue, but many of us have convinced ourselves it is true, and have depleted our energy to the point that we are exhausted. So we rely on caffeine to wake us up and provide a feeling of being alert.
If coffee doesn't provide us energy then why do we feel alert when we consume it?
Caffeine increases the cortisol levels in our bodies. This leads to our flight or fight response systems activating, giving us the feeling of being alert, and high energy. When flight or fight activates the blood in our body and brain move into our arms and legs so we can stand our ground (fight), or we can get away (flight).
There have been MRI scans on the brain before and after caffeine consumption and they have found that on average there is a 30-40% reduction in blood flow to the brain. So when you are consuming coffee you are literally altering your brain state.
The part of your brain left active and most dominant is the primal brain. This part of your brain is in charge of making quick decisions that are needed when in a flight or fight situation. The problem is this often limits us from thinking long-term, as this part of the brain thinks short-term and how things affect us in the now.
This is important because short-term thinking often leads to self-sabotage. Many people believe that drinking caffeine is completely safe and has no harmful side effects but unfortunately this is untrue. The majority of studies showing caffeine in good light are bought and paid for science.
What I mean by this is that the studies have been cherry-picked, and the results have been manipulated to show that caffeine is healthy for us.
Why would this happen you may ask?
Take a look at who funds the majority of research into caffeine... It is the companies Pepsi, and Coca-Cola. Do you think these major corporations that rely on the sale of caffeine products would pay for studies that show their product is harmful?
The best book I have found that talks about how caffeine affects the body and how the majority of studies are paid for is Caffeine Blues by Stephen Cherniske M.D. Throughout the book, Stephen explains the science behind what caffeine is doing to the body in an easy-to-understand way. He also uses studies and data to back up his claim that caffeine is a dangerous drug.
I highly recommend reading this book as it was a huge eye-opener for me, and I found it to be a very interesting and easy read. If you refuse to read you can stop consuming it for at least a month and see how you feel. I am positive you will notice a huge difference in your brain state, energy levels, and possibly mood.
Although I do warn you, if you quit cold turkey you will likely experience some nasty withdrawals as your body has become addicted to the caffeine and needs to reset itself. If you want to avoid withdrawals, the book Caffeine Blues has a great method of slowly weaning off of coffee. Or I am sure you can find the information online.
Whatever you do please realize there is a reason you feel low energy. It is not normal or healthy to go through life with low energy and a heavy reliance on caffeine. Break yourself free from the negative energy cycle that caffeine creates, and walk into a better life!