Lots of people love it, a cup of coffee to start their day, a soda with lunch and tea or coffee for an afternoon pick me up. Although caffeine can give you the burst of energy you need to get through a tough day or stimulate the mind when you’re feeling low – it’s also definitely one of the lesser-evils when it comes to additions – caffeine isn’t all good.
Most people probably couldn’t imagine living a life without caffeine, but the truth is cutting it out can have several benefits from giving you more energy to helping you sleep better at night. I’ve tried to live a life without caffeine and as you may remember, the experiment wasn’t too successful. However, the more information I read about being caffeine free the more I want to give it another try.
Here are 3 reasons you should live a life without caffeine:
It can harm your unborn child
HealthLine.com says that caffeine can harm an unborn child. Just as women who are pregnant or are trying to become pregnant shouldn’t eat a lot of fish they should also live a life without caffeine.
Steer clear of the stimulant and opt for decaf coffee and tea. If you want to stay away from caffeine you should also avoid soft drinks such as coke, root beer and diet coke. It’s also important to know that chocolate products such as hot chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate milk and ice cream also have caffeine in them which can be harmful to your unborn child and overall health.
Too much can be harmful to your heart
HealthLine.com also recommends that healthy adults can consume between 400 to 600 milligrams of caffeine per day. Any more than that can cause harmful physical symptoms such as increased blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat.
Just to give you an idea of how much caffeine we actually put into our bodies every day, a Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks has 150 milligrams of caffeine. That’s almost half the daily recommended maximum – in just one drink. If you want to lower your caffeine intake, be very mindful of the ingredients in all your food and drinks.
Life without caffeine can improve your overall health
Many of us take in caffeine throughout the day and although it comes with some benefits such as increased energy and stimulation, overall too much caffeine is not very good for our health. Some specialists even say it’s more harmful than good.
Everyone’s body reacts to caffeine in a different way, so even though the maximum consumption should be no more than 600 milligrams, less than that can also cause side effects such as confusion and muscle aches. Caffeine dries out your muscles causing them to tense up, so if you love caffeine you should also drink an equal or greater amount of water every day.
According to Dietitians.ca caffeine also causes nervousness, irritability, anxiety and can be a source of trouble when falling asleep – probably because it’s a stimulant.
How to find a balance
If you want to live a life without caffeine, my suggestion is to wean yourself off gradually. Trust me I know from personal experience that cutting out something your body relies on too quickly can also cause unpleasant side effects.
When I tried to give up caffeine I was tired, lazy and unmotivated. I definitely didn’t have the energy to get through the day. I also had increased headaches and sweating. Some experts say quitting caffeine cold turkey can also cause nausea, but thankfully I never experienced that symptom.
If caffeine is in food and drinks you enjoy, try to find substitutes such as organic chocolate and caffeine free coffee or tea. That way you don’t need to give up your favorite things and you can also increase your health by living a life without caffeine.
