Coffee. Deep sigh. Yes, coffee. My addiction began in high school. Starbucks is everywhere now, but it wasn’t when I was younger. Starbucks wasn’t a child/parent afternoon ritual. Kids didn’t ask for Starbucks frappuccinos and iced coffee. In the 12th grade, I would study until 2am for AP classes and my mom would start my day with a cup of coffee. You know, instead of helping me build healthy sleep and study habits, she did what she knew best: the impact of caffeine.

By college, my habit was engrained. My coffee maker was my most trusted and loved companion, as was the Starbucks right outside my apartment. It was the unhealthy way I stayed focused and energized. My terrible sleep habits continued. I went to bed late and woke up early. Didn’t everyone? I’m surprised I didn’t have a mental breakdown, with the lack of REM sleep hormone regulation and my constant dose of caffeinated cortisol. 

I never realized sleeps significance on my health until my first child and my husband’s constant reminder of sleep deprivation being a form of torture. The impact of my caffeine consumption didn’t become a concern until I turned 39, when I started focusing on optimizing my health. My starting state was low energy, low iron and high glucose. The lack of energy made absolutely no sense to me. I did everything I was told. Wasn’t I healthy? I rarely drank alcohol (even giving it up for months at a time), ate healthy (more on this in a different post) and worked out 5 times a week. Yet, I felt like garbage. 

I needed to increase my energy, so I began a cortisol and sleep optimization mission. The rabbit hole I went down was deep, like to the core of the earth deep. I questioned the way I was living my life and began dissecting all the habits I had on daily repeat. One change was my relationship to coffee. A relationship I’ve maintained for over 20 years. Remember, the one constant, never changing, stable thing in my life. Turns out, my longest and most reliable partner was killing me. A bit dramatic? Maybe, but it could be the root cause of my poor health symptoms.

Many people drink coffee. In fact, 1 billion people are doing it. Why question it? It must be ok, if everyone around me is doing the same thing, right? Turns out caffeine raises cortisol levels, which increases glucose in your body. It also decreases the absorption of calcium and iron (very important for women, especially women with a period). The time of day you drink caffeine matters and if supplements are involved (i.e. calcium and iron), this timing becomes very important.

If you drink coffee first thing in the morning, you are increasing cortisol at its peak. You are also disrupting the reuptake of the neuromodulator adenosine, which allows your body to track the time you’ve been awake. This may not seem like a big deal, but it could lead to an afternoon slump as adenosine rushes into receptors once caffeine tapers. Caffeine has a 5 to 6 hour half life. I certainly experienced this. By 2 pm, I was struggling to stay awake after being wired all morning. Which, of course, led to another cup. Caffeine is in your system for 12 hours. I know, insane, right? This means, I spent most of my waking and none wakeful hours caffeinated. The removal hit me around 2am, with a jolt of wakefulness. Notice a trend? 2pm slump, 2am wakefulness. I was a mess. There were almost zero moments throughout the day without caffeine in my body and I was only drinking 3 cups (well within the recommended limits).

I’m not sure if this is the coffee addict in me speaking, but I really love the entire coffee experience. I’m not ready to give it up, so instead, I made a few changes, which have positively impacted my life.

1) I don’t drink coffee until 2 hours after waking. Cortisol levels are the highest when you first wake. Instead, this is a great time to workout or move your body. It is best to allow your cortisol to level out before you have that first cup.

2) I don’t drink coffee after 10:30am. Coffee has a 12 hour lifecycle and a 6 hour half life. Keep in mind, perimenopause and the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle can fluctuate your response to caffeine. The recommendation is to stop consuming caffeine at least 10 hours before your usual bedtime.

3) I only have 1 cup. I try to start this cup at 9am and finish by 10am.

This has not been easy for me. It is one of the hardest changes I’ve ever had to make. Even harder than giving up simple carbs and alcohol. I’m not yet at 30 days. I constantly remind myself of the benefits. My mind still tells me I need it. While good sleep, no afternoon crash and constant energy are allowing me to overcome my addiction and reinforced the behavior.

Now is your turn. What is your relationship with caffeine? Has it been your constant, trustworthy, reliable partner as it was for me? In an interview, Mike Pollen mentions, “you must give something up to better understand the impact it has on your life.” Unfortunately, our negative habits become ingrained in us and require a lot of work to rebuild healthier ones. Here is a starting point:

1) Track how often you drink caffeine. The daily recommendation is 400mg. Do you meet that recommendation? If not, maybe start there. Buy a cheap calendar and log how you feel each day (i.e. headaches, low/high energy, irritability). This step made me more mindful of my coffee addiction. I could no longer mindlessly drink an entire pot, even when my brain was telling me to go for it.

2) After you’ve done #1, experiment with “when” you consume caffeine. If you have the willpower, I recommend drinking caffeine at least an hour after waking. If that works for you, push it back even further to 2 hours. Keep in mind, you may feel terrible at first. I sure did. It was awful. Don’t give up. Stick with it for at least 7 days and see if you notice any differences. I kept telling myself, “this is only 1 week of my entire life. I can do this.”

3) After trying #1 and #2, cut out any afternoon caffeine. If you have a sleep tracker, track your REM and deep sleep to identify any improvements. You need a baseline, so track your sleep before you make this change. Go back to your calendar and log how you feel (i.e. headaches, low/high energy, irritability). Track your daily REM/deep sleep and energy.

It takes 30 days to reinforce a habit. You will not feel fantastic on day 1. Eventually, you will begin to notice a shift. For me, the shift was on day 8. In the beginning, I experienced headaches and irritability. By day 5 it got easier and by day 8 I felt incredible. On days I didn’t sleep well (i.e. kids), I stayed strong even though every cell of my being was telling me to have more caffeine.

If you are struggling, read my next posts on Coffee. I’m here to coach you through it.