I love coffee, and I don’t mind admitting that.. In fact a lot of people love coffee and drink it on a regular basis! And that’s ok.. I will also admit that I have used coffee to help with fatigue or gain extra energy in training sessions. I think many of us have, and do on a regular basis.  Coffee is something that many people cannot start the day without.  Are we addicted to it? Yes, probably.

 

Coffee should be an experience, it’s a time for catching up with friends or just time out from our busy world.  But Its also comfort, especially when it is a cold winters day and we need something to perk us up or warm us up. People react differently to coffee – for some it can make them very wired, and for others it doesn’t have any affect at all. Consuming coffee occasionally is not a problem, however relying on it may be detrimental to your overall health.

 

What are the benefits of drinking coffee? Coffee contains anti-oxidants and polyphenols, which can help protect our cells from damage, however it is a stimulant, and can trigger the fight and flight response within the body.  This response is a reaction that occurs within our bodies in reaction to real or perceived stress.  From our sympathetic nervous system, this response involves a series of hormones being secreted providing a short term increase in energy. This response from the body is a normal response, however historically was used when there was a perceived threat or we were under famine and not many times a day.

 

Coffee or caffeine produces stress hormones resulting in an increase of energy, mood, and focus temporarily, however for many of us this often covers a problem of being tired and run down in our busy and stressful lives.

 

Caffeine is a diuretic which causes the body to loose water, leading to dehydration.  One of the symptoms of dehydration is fatigue – so it can be that we often misunderstand why we may be tired and drink coffee causing us to become more dehydrated resulting in a vicious cycle of fatigue.

 

Coffee can cause some to have trouble sleeping and affect our quality of sleep due to the caffeine staying within our blood stream.  Caffeine can also cause detrimental damage to our insulin actions and blood sugar.

 

If you are having problems with fatigue first try to replenish nutrients that your cells may be low on, improve your diet and lifestyle and see if that makes a change.

 

So, yes that cup of coffee does contain some great anti-oxidants but for some could also be detrimental to their health.  Before you drink the next cup, think about whether it is being used for an extra boost of energy, or if you are actually enjoying the drink.