I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was addicted to coffee. It was my go-to every single morning and my savior every single night. That was until my doctor mentioned that my coffee addiction may be playing a role in my insomnia. She explained that, in moderation, drinking coffee was acceptable, but my late-night caffeine desires were not benefiting my health. After further research and lots of debating with myself, I decided to give up coffee for a while and see if that would solve some of my problems. I believe that this has caused my life to turn around for the better.
The first morning of my coffee cleanse was brutal. I basically half consciously dragged myself from class to class and felt like I wasn’t able to absorb any of the information from lecture. I was already ready to give up but ultimately decided to stick with it. As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and I couldn’t possibly get over my coffee habits that quickly.
By the end of the week, things were starting to get easier. I found myself heading to bed sooner than I normally would, since I felt that I had to compensate for not being able to have coffee the following morning. I turned to healthier options as well, like green tea, for an energy boost when I needed it some mornings and found that I felt more hydrated and my body had a much easier time with digestion.
The ultimate test was trying to not drink any coffee leading up to my big exam. I had a tendency to drink a couple iced coffees the morning of big tests and I found myself being extremely jittery and anxious leading up to it. However, that morning, I restrained myself and settled for a single cup of green tea. I found myself much calmer and relaxed prior to my exam. I also spent more time reading the questions and working through them instead of rushing, as I normally would, out of fear of running out of time.
My body is also very prone to heartburn and drinking coffee, especially on an empty stomach in the mornings, caused it to flare up. My doctor had mentioned that coffee may have been the culprit and I soon realized that my heartburn symptoms disappeared through the coffee detox lifestyle that I had been implementing.
Overall, I still absolutely love the taste of coffee, but I’ve gradually learned to stop relying on it. My life has really changed and I’ve developed better sleep habits as a result. My body is also more hydrated and I have experienced lesser heartburn episodes. It was definitely quite a transition, but I couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome.