Here on the busy streets of New York its the norm. to see everyone walking the streets of Manhattan or riding the metro with a hot cup of coffee in their hands. The morning rush hour leaves long lines out of the doors to almost all of our favorite coffee shops .
If you’re lucky , you might have a job that has one of the glorious Keurig machines or expensive expresso makers within the work place—
in which case Caffeine on tap!
Its 2018 and we are all becoming self aware and health conscious. With that being said the golden question now becomes Is caffeine truly good for you or only good for easing long work days and shaky hands? I did some research, as a fellow health advocate and coffee drinker myself and here are some Pros and cons:
Pro: It Gives You Energy
Caffeine is a stimulant – this means it affects the central nervous system by giving you energy! ThUS Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claims on average, people consume 300mg of caffeine per day, which is approximately 2-4 cups of coffee.
Pro: Increases Metabolism
Caffeine has the ability to boost your metabolism. It does this through a process called thermogenesis increases the body’s ability to generate energy from digesting food. This process helps you burn more calories while you’re resting. Caffeine is also known to be an appetite suppressant.
Con: Causes Caffeine keeps you awake and alert – which is why it can cause insomnia if you consume it too late in the day. It gets absorbed into your body fast and is also processed and leaves the body quickly too. it should take approximately 5-7 hours for your body to get rid of half of it. So try not to drink before bedtime.
Pro and Con: Can Prevent/Cause Headaches
Caffeine is a common ingredient in painkillers. If you take medications such as Tylenol Ultra, Midol or Excedrin Migraine, you’ll notice that caffeine is an active ingredient in all the medications. Caffeine helps reduce inflammation which causes headaches and migraines.
However on the flip side ,what allows caffeine to relieve headache pain may also cause headaches. Caffeine narrows the blood vessels surrounding our brains – but when we stop taking or consuming it, they thicken again. This is one of the reasons why headaches are often caused from caffeine withdrawals. Yikes!
The list goes on and on and back and forth. So all in all its up to you to decide what side effects are tolerable and beneficial to your health.
I personally decided to give up coffee due to how dependent my body has become on it, however, there are much lighter alternatives to drinking caffeine that are not as strong and intense as coffee.
"Some people’s bodies process coffee differently than others," says Martha Gulati, MD, head of cardiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix. "Meanwhile, a preference for tea over coffee might reflect other healthier behaviors," she says.
Each and every one of our bodies has its own special wiring , so its our jobs to do our research, speak to our doctors and listen to our bodies when it gives us signs. My warning signs whilst drinking coffee was the massive headaches, racing heart , and shaky hands. I decided tea worked for me.. Comment below, what works for you ?
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