Nutritionist: The Downer of Coffee
Trust me, I am drinking a quad shot Americano with two pumps of gingerbread, an inch and a half of steamed soy, + whip cream as I write this blog. In fact I had coffee first thing when I arose this morning at 5:30 AM.....so it isn't even my first drink. I also tried my new tea which I am testing out as a replacement for my "morning coffee" and it tasted very rooty. Whats a girl to do? I need to stop. That is clear. I will be quitting coffee starting on the first of March. I will be carrying out a 21 day cleanse which will be planned, charted, and documented on this site. I will be letting you know my thoughts and my nutritional information behind each part of the cleanse in the next thirteen days. So today we start with coffee...or caffeine.....well both. Although coffee does contain some very acidic ingredients which are isolated to coffee. Lets look at the facts. What is the downer about coffee?
Coffee raises cortisol levels. Cortisol is defined as the major stress hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex when a person is under stress. Cortisol is proven to affect the metabolism of glucose, proteins and fats. Because caffeine raises cortisol levels coffee has been proven to cause headaches, digestive problems, peptic ulcers, diarrhea, irritation of the stomach and bladder, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Honestly, after this morning's cup of coffee I felt a heightened sense of irritability, and right now after that quad shot espresso, I am already feeling sleepy. How is this possible? In addition to caffeine raising stress hormone levels, it inhibits enzyme systems that are responsible for cleansing the body, and sensitizes nerve receptor sites. Caffeine extends cortisol secretion. The way coffee affects the nervous system and brain is through nor epinephrine levels. Epinephrine increases your heart rate, raises your blood pressure, and stimulates your "flight or fight" instinct.
Coffee and Sleep - Sleep and cortisol are entwined. Chronically high cortisol levels disturb sleep. Cortisol levels are found to be much higher in studies of people with insomnia. Interestingly, cortisol levels are much higher in suicidal patients as well.
Alright, maybe I stop drinking coffee tomorrow. Second thought....lets start the 21 day cleanse tomorrow.
