I have been an avid coffee drinking since I was a teen. It started with iced caps and other drinks pumped with sugar and slowly as I realized how bad those are for you, I converted to stronger coffee with a splash of milk vs 10 creams and 5 sugars.
Throughout 4 years of college my coffee dependance only grew stronger. At times I was mindlessly consuming nearly 5 cups daily and wondering why my hands wouldn’t stop shaking and my heart was pumping 1,000 miles a minute.
I not only needed coffee to stay awake and alert during lectures, study times and commutes. I needed coffee as a constant security blanket. Coffee gave me more than just a buzz, it gave me a reason so socialize, a distraction and something warm to fill the consumerist void.
It wasn’t until last year, after drinking coffee religiously for over 10 years, that I noticed a dramatic difference in the way it affected my body and mind. I started having more frequent panic attacks in 2016. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the transition of being a student to a professional, or if it was something else. It took me nearly a year of continuing to consume copious amounts of coffee to realize that coffee was the leading cause of my panic attacks and relentless anxiety.
I have been almost coffee free for 1 month now. I started experimenting with exactly how much coffee my body could handle before the anxiety set in. My magic coffee number is 1 cup of half caf. coffee per day and 1 additional decaf coffee before 2:00 p.m.
SO- Here’s what happened to my body and mind when I stopped drinking so much coffee:
- My night time panic attacks stopped. I used to wake up in the middle of the night in a full blown panic attack. I haven’t experienced this since I stopped drinking so much caffeine.
- I no longer have constantly shaky hands
- My mind feels less cloudy and my thoughts aren’t racing as frequently
- I haven’t resorting to using Ativan to combat panic attacks
- My heart no longer races
- Less stomach pain
- I crave less carbs. (I think I craved them to soak up the large amounts of coffee I was consuming.)
If those aren’t good reasons to quit/limit coffee, I don’t know what are. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a good ol’ cup a joe. Just be mindful of the effects it can have on you.
Great post! Very much liked your analysis of the reasons you kept drinking coffee, and the benefits of cutting back. Pat
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Thanks Pat! I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
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