Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"You don't need coffee, you need sleep!"

Hello :) This post is about listening to your body, and is particularly about coffee. You see, I do love my coffee, but lately I haven't been liking the negative side effects of it- headaches, feeling hot and too jittery etc! So this week I made a conscious decision not to have any coffee and so far I feel great :) I enjoy coffee partly because when it's cold in the morning and I'm very tired it's a nice warming ritual, and wakes me up.

But coffee is not the real issue it would appear, it is a lack of sleep. So I've also been making an effort to go to bed early. I know I've discussed this previously, but with exams coming up it can be difficult. So when it's 9pm, and my eyes feel like they're about to shut I have decided the best thing is the listen to what my body is telling me and just sleep!

Ok so one part of why I liked coffee is solved (feeling tired), and the other part is having a nice, warm drink! Especially when it's cold. This is where my friend Mr. Tea helps ;) Each day I've been taking my keep cup to uni with two tea bags. Black tea for the morning and peppermint tea in the afternoon. There's a place where I can get hot water (for free), which is fabulous! I've actually stopped drinking black tea in the afternoon too because it still has caffeine and I want to be asleep as soon as possible.

Another reason I drink coffee is because it fills me up and becomes my morning tea. I know tea isn't very filling so I'm taking more food with me too. Such as those kale & oat raw fudge balls and lots of salad! Last night I cooked a cup of lentils and drained a large container of chickpeas to keep in the fridge which for this week have become my base grains for lunch. Fun times ahead!

I'm not saying I'm banning myself from coffee because I like the taste so I'll most likely treat myself to it on weekends. But with all the negative side affects (including the cost!), I think I shall take a break from it during the week, for now anyway. Today, already since going to bed early last night (9pm), I feel so much more alert and focused. It's great. And I've been studying more during the day so when I get home in the evening I can pretty much chill. Oh yeah.


Why do you drink/not drink coffee? Do  you feel negative side effects from it? Do you listen to your body? I'm curious!


Hannah x

9 comments:

  1. I have been bringing tea bags to uni since I was in first year too!! I refuse to pay $4 for a tea when I can get it practically free!!!

    You're brave for giving up coffee though! I definitely don't think I could manage it!

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  2. I dont drink coffee now, but i used too. I had a major caffeine addiction. I had to stop for similar reasons, no sleep being the biggest reason.

    Now, Im a tea drinker, but only one caffeinated drink for me a day. If I feel like coffee, I drink a decaf, I actually don't mind the taste and it gives me my coffee fix. :D

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  3. The word verification i had to type now was COMATEA!!!

    LOL Too funny :D

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  4. Ummm, are you inside my head?! I'm EXACTLY the same, I find I drink coffee out of habit because it's warm, it's filling, it's easy and it's addictive.

    A few weeks ago, I literally just went off it. I didn't have a single cup for two weeks and when I finally decided to try a cup, it made me feel sick. Really strange, but now I'm back on it in a big way! I make a rule that I only have one coffee a day and I don't drink it after lunch - I agree that it definitely affects sleep.

    I'm a huge fan of tea and drink heaps of it. I just love the ritual of making tea, but I can never justify buying tea at a cafe. I love your idea of bringing tea bags to uni. Will definitely be sussing out a good place to get free hot water! xxx

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  5. I only drink coffee on weekends - from a caffeine point of view but also from a money saving point of view. & to avoid becoming dependant. I love my weekend coffee & look forward to it so much, it's such a nice treat :) I drink a black tea every morning, occasionally two black teas (probably 50% of the time - yes this has basically the same caffeine as coffee then but I find I'm happy with this). Then for the rest of the day I drink rooibos, decaf green tea or peppermint. I think you'll find you end up saving money this way too, you've got a great routine going. & the extra coffee money you can put towards Europe hehe ;)
    Heidi xo

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  6. Michaela- yes!! Paying $3-4 for tea is one of my biggest peeves! It's just a cheap tea bag and water!! x

    Leah- Oh decaf coffee, I've never tried it. Maybe I should! hahaha nice word verification ;) x

    Jane- I too love the ritual of tea :) It is interesting how we can become so used to coffee, then go off it and not feel like it/feel sick!! I hope there's a place you can get free hot water on campus- would be awesome :) x

    Heidi- Nice to hear you only drink coffee on weekends :) Ooh rooibos, I think I'll have to get back into it- it's so delicious!! x

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  7. we (bf and i) used to buy coffee every morning at a cafe. then we decided wed save money by having a nespresso machine, so we got one. i kept drinking my morning coffee + extras because it was there. now i only have one in the morning when i have an early start and stick to tea or water for the rest of my drink needs. bf has quit coffee in the mornings and only has it in the afternoon. weird.
    i started drinking coffee at uni to cope with early mornings. i find that it can make me very very anxious though. one time i had a melt down about and assignment that wasn't even due for several weeks. when i calmed down i realised that i had drunk 6 coffees that day O.o
    so now i am much more mindful of coffee and try to keep it as a treat food.
    sorry for the essay.

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  8. Holly- thanks for being so insightful :) I agree about it making you anxious, it speeds up your nervous system so much! Good to hear you're more mindful now, I think I'm going to keep it as a 'treat' now too x

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  9. I LOVE coffee but I don't drink it anymore (only maybe once a month) because I used to get one on my way to class and when I got to class my hands would be shaking from the caffeine. No good.

    Also because I live in NZ the coffee tastes amazing here because of the quality of the milk. But now on the odd occasion that I do have coffee I feel sick and bloated after from the milk!

    Tea is so so much better :D

    http://avocadosundays.blogspot.com/

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