Caffeine Sensitivity

[pollycupcake]

I've been regularly consuming caffeine since my mid-teens, and since then my consumption has ranged from mild (2-3 cups per day) through to heavy
(6-7+ cups per day, and energy drink binges during university exam season). Anyway, recently I'm starting to think that I may be sensitive to caffiene.

I've gradually been drinking less and less caffeine, to the point where my consumption is usually one cup of coffee per day (in the morning) and the occasional Diet Coke when I'm socialising (obviously there are soe exceptions to this when I'm tired or very busy, but I've cut back in general).

Anyway, I'm starting to think it actually makes me feel worse. I wake up in the morning and think "Ugh, I'm a bit tired and foggy, I'll have a coffee, then I'll feel better." And so I have a coffee (black, no sugar - I don't like milk in coffee, as am sensitive to dairy). But I don't feel better. I generally feel worse (increased anxiety, head doesn't feel 'clear' etc), within 20-30 minutes. I would always find ways to attribute this to something else, telling myself "Oh, you're just worried about the report due today" or "You're just a bit tired from staying up last night" and go off to work. I then go off to work and tend to feel pretty rubbish until about mid-morning. I try not to drink any more caffeine in the day, but I usually have a black tea around 3pm. I then suffer TERRIBLE insomnia (only when I drink caffeine), and am sometimes awake till 1am (and so I wake up feeling tired and pour myself a coffee and the cycle continues...)

I'm thinking I should give up this last little bit of caffeine, but I do need something to get me going in the morning. I've found that I do a little better if I drink black tea, instead of coffee (although I realise that also has caffeine in it), but I still don't feel wonderful. What would be a suitable alternative to caffeine?

[raykilleen]

Originally Posted by pollycupcake

I'm thinking I should give up this last little bit of caffeine, but I do need something to get me going in the morning. I've found that I do a little better if I drink black tea, instead of coffee (although I realise that also has caffeine in it), but I still don't feel wonderful. What would be a suitable alternative to caffeine?

I’m sensitive to caffeine also, tea is the way to go even though it does have some caffeine, and I prefer green tea.

[GuyJeb]

Hi Pollycupcake,

Tea at 3pm? That would do it to me too. It's funny because "tea time" is considered to be a rich person's event from England (or at least so my friends and I think). Turns out, it's just a method of suppressing the stomach's hunger signals until dinner. They usually don't eat cookies or crumpets at that time either!

Back to your post though, I can't really say what would be a good alternative to Caffine. Honestly, like Steve says, the best thing to do would be to eliminate it, and use fruit in the morning to wake you up. if you are feeling tired/sleepy in the morning or throughout the day, you are not getting enough sleep. Otherwise, my ex-roommate would just do 20 pushups straight out of bed. That gets the blood flowing Everywhere, and you will be awake .

I used to take coffee or some kind of energy drink before weight lifting in the morning. directly after weight lifting I would take a shower and then eat a large meal. The result of this caused me to be pretty awake, as well as very very warm. Theres something about working out, hot shower, and eating protein that just makes me so hot that I can't wear my jacket int he morning.


Polly, you'll need to just find alternative methods of feeling awake and alive without needing pick me up's. For me, if I want to feel great the next day, I will eat a high animal fat meal (this is a sleeping pill) and drink nearly no water just before bed (so I dont have to wake up and use rest room), make sure I get at least 8 1/2 hours sleep. From this, I almost always wake up feeling great. If i want to not be sleepy after lunch, I make sure my lunch is a slow digesting carb or very very little carbs and dont over eat. If I over eat at lunch or eat very high carb meal, that knocks me out every time.

But thats just me

[Acting Like Godot]

How unfortunate that you are sensitive to coffee. Studies have shown that coffee, a 100% natural bean drink with plenty of antioxidants, can reduce your risk of:

- liver cancer
- oral cancer
- MRSA infection
- Alzheimer's disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- heart disease
- gallstones
- oral, esophageal and pharyngeal cancer
- liver cirrhosis
- dementia
- colon cancer
- depression

[firenexx]

Yes, how unfortunate. (Maybe we can convince her that she is not sensitive by extolling its benefits)

Anyways,
Drink a big smoothie in the morning.

Also, while studies may have shown that coffee can reduce your risk of pharyngeal cancer, other studies have shown that caffeine consumption after 9am can disrupt sleep patterns (especially with people that are sensitive to it).