Do you coffee?

Everyone seems to walk around carrying a take away coffee. This is probably because there are literally thousands of coffee shops everywhere you go. You will find a lot of information about caffeine and the effects it can have on your body. Does it increase inflammation or does it make you more stressed by raising your heart rate. AND the list can go on (and on). ​

I have gone through the ban caffeine 100% from my diet but over time I have come to implement these rules for drinking coffee.

If I wake up tired in the morning, then definitely I do not drink caffeine after 2pm. In fact, I like to have 1 coffee in the morning for enjoyment and usually to catch up with someone. That satisfies my love of coffee without damaging my health. I also make sure I never drink coffee on an empty stomach as this can lead to exhaustion and feelings of false hunger later.
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Here are some other thoughts on the effect coffee can have on your body.

Your Sleep Habits and Coffee.

It is important to get a good night’s sleep, especially between 11 pm and 7 am. Good quality sleep helps your body heal as restful sleep activates your body’s own regenerative abilities. This is when your body repairs and restores itself. However, the caffeine in coffee can interfere with this process.
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A study measured sleep quality when people consumed 400 mg of caffeine (about the amount in a Venti Starbucks) at bedtime, 3 hours before bedtime and 6 hours before bedtime. All groups experienced a statistically significant reduction in sleep. Think about your afternoon pick me up as well as this may even interfere with your quality of sleep. Also, remember the importance of sleep when you have Crohn’s Disease. I have talked about this in detail here. 

Coffee & your Adrenal Health.

When drinking caffeine, neurons are triggered in your brain and your adrenal glands start producing adrenaline. This “fight or flight” response is perfect when you need to lift a car off an injured person, but not if you’re sitting at your desk working. When the adrenaline wears off, you’re left feeling wiped out, anxious and moody. Next stop? You guessed it! Off to dose up on more caffeine, sugar or other stimulants. It’s a vicious daily cycle. ( Admit it we've all done this)

This continuous roller coaster results in adrenal exhaustion. And when your adrenal glands are tired out, they can’t be as effective at doing their many jobs, which include: producing other essential hormones, boosting your immune system, regulating the health of your body tissues and balancing blood sugars.

To make matters worse  regular coffee drinkers need more and more caffeine over time to get the same adrenaline boost, which can lead to adrenal burnout. Signs of adrenal burnout include: relentless fatigue, constant low blood sugars, depression, allergies, joint and muscle pain and chronic infections. Things some of us already experience and obviously don't want more of these symptoms in our lives.

The good news is that adrenal exhaustion and burnout caused by too much caffeine can be remedied by eliminating excessive stimulants and stresses on the body. So, if you can keep your caffeine intake to one or two cups of caffeinated coffee a day, you probably won’t experience the roller coaster—and .you just might experience some benefits!

How Coffee Impacts Your Boobs.

Listen up ladies, this one’s for you. Women who are prone to breast cysts and lean women with osteoporosis running in their families, will probably want to stay away from too much coffee and other highly caffeinated drinks.

Caffeine tends to increase the lumpiness of breast tissue, making those lumps more tender, and making monthly self-exams more difficult to do. See your doctor if you ever feel even the slightest lump. And if it turns out to be a benign cyst, you may want to try reducing these lumps by taking evening primrose and vitamin E. (You could take about 1,000 mg of evening primrose and 400 to 800 IUs of vitamin E.) Of course, it’s always smart to talk to your doctor about new supplements, so run this by them for good measure.

How Coffee Impacts Your Bones.

As for bone health, high coffee consumption (more than 3 cups per day) may decrease bone density in women, therefore increasing the risk of osteoporosis. This could be in part due to the decrease in calcium absorption and increase in urinary calcium that happens with caffeine consumption. If this is the case for you, you may want to peel back on the number of cups you’re drinking per day.

Remember I have previously discussed the health of your bones and having Crohn’s Disease. AND this may be important for both sexes. 

If you have any more questions then please free to email me at [email protected] or visit my Facebook Page at My Crohn's Doctor. 
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Yours in Health and Wellness
Dr Michael

My Crohn's Doctor
www.mycrohnsdoctor.com
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER - This article (including links to any/all website pages, blog posts, blog comments, forum, videos, audio recordings, etc.) is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Information is provided for informational  purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have an urgent medical problem, promptly contact your professional healthcare provider. Any application of the recommendations in this blog post is at the reader's discretion. My Crohn's Doctor and Dr Michael are not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage resulting from use of this blog. Readers should consult their own physicians concerning the recommendations in this article.