I Went Back to Drinking Coffee...and I SO regret it!

     Back in June, I gave up coffee. I should stress coffee REGULARLY, I'd still have the odd one, and lattes etc, but my go to became tea. In an earlier blog I talked about using tea for medicinal purposes. The truth is I actually have a tea cupboard, and have several different teas.

     Why did I change to tea? I could give you the hippy answer and tell you all the health benefits of tea VS coffee....but I think we've heard them all. I wanted to get off coffee because of how many I was consuming in a day, because there are health risks if you consume too much (I've seen it no one can tell me otherwise). And I didn't like the side effects if I didn't get one when my body was used to getting one...you know the headaches for one? So I went off coffee, and turned to tea. In that time, I used food as an energy booster, I slept better, and a lot less cloudy. Then came winter. When we really started getting a beating from winter, I found myself getting sluggish and really not productive at all (which drives me nuts). Knowing the boost I would get I went back to coffee.... and have been back for close to a month...and I SO regret it! 

     To all those who were grinning as they sipped their coffee welcoming me back to the dark side, I may have just shocked you. I was getting sluggish, and coffee perked me up, for a little while anyway...but then the dreaded crash comes, and I'm more sluggish than I was when I was crying out for coffee in the first place, and then I need more. It really is a vicious cycle. And the worst part? I did it all without thinking.

     Here is what I've come up with, I was sleeping the same amount as I did in the warmer months, I wasn't eating the same (lets face it, cold months mean comfort food overload) and expected the same results? Lets start with the sleep... the days are grey and this time of year is about rest. Seriously, typically speaking the body responds better when the sleep cycle goes with the sun cycle. The nights are longer in the winter, so generally we need more sleep. Maybe not as much as I've been going for since facing this fact, but in the winter, we need more sleep, not to mention grey days are not helping. 

     Comfort food overload, ok so I wasn't eating the energizing, healthy foods I was choosing before. In the colder months, we want that hearty stick to your ribs kind of fare where the warm months has our appetite reducing. I'm not about to eat like I do in the warmer months... I'd be super hungry all the time, but I should adjust accordingly, and not cover it in gravy. 

     As I sit here wanting my 3rd coffee of the day and my eyes want to close in a major way, I realize the other way was working better. I'm kicking myself, because I've undone the good I did in a fit of desperation. My body is talking to me, and it's telling me to fix this. I'm mentally preparing myself for what's about to happen... headaches, sleeping late, and even LESS productivity to get back where I was. Wish me luck. 

    PS As I mentioned before I saw how unhealthy too much coffee (or caffeine) intake is. That being said I'm not condemning anyone for enjoying their coffee intake. This is a post about realization for  me personally, and knowing what is better for me.