Is your body dependent on caffeine?
If you drink a caffeine source every day and often get symptoms like headaches without it, then the answer is likely yes.
Caffeine is a stimulant drug, which means many people experience dizziness, anxiety, increased heart rate, dehydration and more when they drink or eat a caffeine source regularly. Some of us are willing to overlook these negative symptoms to get a temporary boost of energy, but the long-term impacts of caffeine can have negative consequences.
Keep reading to learn more about why caffeine can be harmful to your body and some benefits that you’ll discover when quitting caffeine.
Nine Reasons You Should Consider Quitting Caffeine
Coffee and other caffeine sources are a big part of our culture. However, most of us don’t need the energy source, but we like the routine of getting up and having a coffee or tea every morning.
But caffeine might be doing more harm to your body than good, especially if you suffer from severe medical conditions like anxiety or high blood pressure. If you’re still not convinced that ditching caffeine is right for you, here are nine benefits you’ll start feeling right away:
1. Start Breaking Your Addiction
No one wants to be entirely dependent on caffeine to function normally during the day. But for some people, caffeine can quickly become addictive. Once you’re addicted to caffeine, your body will experience withdrawal symptoms without it.
You might get a headache or start to feel extremely sluggish throughout the day. The symptoms are different from person to person, and eventually, your body will need more caffeine to achieve your desired energy levels.
But you can break this addiction cycle by slowing working caffeine out of your daily routine.
2. Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
Do you ever feel your heart racing after you drink a cup of coffee? Like we mentioned earlier, caffeine is a stimulant, so it raises your blood pressure.
High blood pressure is hazardous for your overall health. So, excess caffeine consumption is especially dangerous for people who already have high blood pressure. Taking caffeine out of your diet will help lower your blood pressure naturally and make your heart do less work during the day.
3. Get Better Sleep
Your body needs quality sleep at night. Unfortunately, caffeine consumption during the day sometimes prevents you from falling or staying asleep.
We’ve all the mistake of drinking a cup of coffee too late in the day, only to be unable to fall asleep at night. If this lack of sleep becomes a habit, you’ll have to deal with the side effects of insomnia.
Quitting caffeine completely will help you get better sleep and night and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning. Getting quality sleep will also help you manage your weight, feel less stressed, get sick less often and think more clearly during the day.
4. A Better-Looking Smile
Common caffeine sources like coffee and tea aren’t good for your teeth, so cutting these out of your diet can lead to a bigger, brighter smile. Both coffee and tea are very acidic, which erodes tooth enamel.
Enamel is a critical part of your teeth. As the enamel wears away, your teeth will look dull and become weaker, which could lead to a lot of oral health problems in the future.
5. Less Anxiety
If you already suffer from anxiety disorders, caffeine is likely making your symptoms worse. Again, caffeine is a stimulant, and it stimulates our adrenal glands, which can increase stress and anxiety.
When you notice that you’re feeling extra stressed or anxious about the day, try and take some time off of your caffeine habit.
6. Less Risk of Cardiac Problems
Consuming a lot of caffeine makes your heart work overtime. When your heart is stimulated and beating faster, you’re at a higher risk of suffering from a severe cardiac event, such as a heart attack.
Give your heart a break by taking caffeine out of your daily routine.
7. Weight Loss
Some people consume caffeine in the form of black coffee or tea. But for most people, a morning cup of coffee comes with milk, cream, sugar or other flavors that add a lot of empty calories to your diet.
Cutting this out of your daily routine will help you save fat and calories and eventually lead to weight loss. Less sugar is also good for your overall health, as it lowers your risk of diabetes.
8. Take Fewer Trips to The Bathroom
Caffeine isn’t kind to your stomach, so quitting it all together will help you make fewer trips to the bathroom during the day and especially in the mornings after your cup of coffee.
Fewer bathroom trips will be beneficial when you’re stuck in traffic, in a meeting or somewhere that you can’t make it to the bathroom right away.
9. Save Money
The benefits of quitting caffeine aren’t just for your body. Your wallet will appreciate it when you save money on your daily coffee or tea. Buying coffee from a cafe adds up quickly.
Millennials, in particular, are spending more on coffee than they are on their retirement plans. So take a break from caffeine, start saving a little money and your future self will thank you.
You don’t have to quit caffeine altogether. Make your transition to a caffeine-free life easier with lower-caffeine drinks or a source of clean caffeine. With these items, you can slowly begin to detox your body, so it requires less and less. Once you don’t have any withdrawal symptoms, you can stop consuming caffeine.
Learn More About Making the Switch to Healthy Habits
Making the switch to healthier habits, such as quitting caffeine, isn’t always easy, but your body will thank you in the long term. Once you’re no longer dependent on caffeine, you might find that you have even more energy and feel less stressed and anxious throughout the day.
But ditching caffeine is only one of many healthy switches you can make to live a longer, happier life. To learn more, make sure you check out the rest of our website. We have plenty of resources that will help you educate yourself on healthier lifestyles and build good habits that work for you.