Nearly everyone knows what it's like to be drunk.
Unfortunately nearly everyone also knows what it's like to
have a hangover.
And different people react differently to the up feeling
followed by the down feeling that comes with alcohol.
Now for some, the feeling of being roaring, stinking drunk
more than out weighs the effects of a hangover. In fact I've
known many bankers and stock traders who spend their whole
weekend drinking. They moan continuously about their
hangover but it never stops them from drinking when Friday
night rolls around.
Others don't have a problem with a hangover - they say it
doesn't stop them doing anything. I have a friend who's run
countless marathons (he's even run more than 20 ultra
marathons). He's admitted to running a few of them with a
massive hangover - one he only stopped drinking a couple of
hours before the race started.
Personally, I've got no problem with alcohol... so long as
you're willing to take the natural down-side that your body
gives, and do what you need to restore it to full working
order. What I'm talking about is accepting the need after
drinking to go through a detox, to do exercise, to eat good
food, to get an excess of sleep at the right times...
Like I say, alcohol and its hangover is pretty well known.
But if you're like most people you don't realise that coffee
is exactly the same.
The caffeine hangover
After drinking coffee you'll get a caffeine hangover. The
same goes for every caffeine substitute like an "energy" bar
with guarana, or a Red Bull with taurine or so called
natural remedies like Kola nuts.
Caffeine has lots of nasty effects and there's only one time
when I will advocate drinking coffee. That time is when you
need to deliberately put yourself under stress AND where you
are willing to go through the detox of cleaning out the
stress hormones it stimulates - cortisol, epinephrine, and
norepinephrine - and also the caffeine you used to induce
these stress levels.
When you drink coffee, you get agitated. Your perception is
sharper and you seem to think clearer because you're under
stress.
You can see the reason why it looks like you get an energy
boost from being under stress. When you get a fright or when
you drink caffeine your body is taking away processing from
your digestive system, from your immune system, from
cellular regrowth and waste cleanup.
What that means is that when you are stressed or when you
drink coffee, you are no longer fighting disease, viruses
and bacteria. You're no longer digesting your food properly
so you're missing out on the nutrients you need to stay
healthy and sharp. You're no longer removing the waste
products from all your different cells or allowing them to
rebuild and regrow...
... all because your body thinks you're in a life and death
scenario like fighting a sabre tooth tiger.
Yet all you've done is drink some coffee. When you look at
it like that, you've got to ask, "How stupid is that?"
How to use caffeine and stress
deliberately If you want to put yourself under stress
deliberately then do so consciously. One reason I can think
of is if your are very tired, yet you have to drive that
night. Falling asleep at the wheel is a life and death
situation, and so long as you take it slowly then it would
be ok to drink some coffee.
However after drinking the coffee, unless you want to go to
an early grave (or look prematurely like you've just been
dug up from one) you need to do the following things:
- You must exercise. Nothing in the body happens
without the movement of fluids. Cells only grow
because you move food and growth hormones past them.
Their cellular waste is toxic to them if it builds
up in one area. But moving your internal fluids
washes the toxins away to your liver and kidneys
where they can be removed from the body. That's why
you have to get your bodily fluids moving. And the
best way to do that is with exercise and deep
breathing.
- You must give your body the nutrients to process
the waste - to mop up the stress hormones. Kelp
contains lots of these, as do celery and lettuce.
- Green tea has a compound which helps neutralise
caffeine. Camomile tea helps to produce serotonin, a
natural brain chemical which helps you get to sleep.
Good quality green tea is not bitter and therefore
can be mixed with camomile and even with the kelp to
make a coffee neutraliser drink. Drinking this after
drinking coffee is recommended.
- Lastly you need to let your body catch up on the
immune system repair work that it had to stop while
you were stressed from the coffee. That means
anti-oxidants, omega 3 and rest.
If you want to stay healthy or if you want to
keep looking vibrant, attractive and glowing, this
is what you have to do after EVERY cup of coffee (or
every time you fight a sabre tooth tiger). If you
don't do any one of these after-stress actions
you'll have bad sleep, you'll be sluggish the next
day, your body will be tired and your skin will look
drawn and pasty. Plus you may even be more
susceptible to infection and disease.
So is it worth being stressed? Occasionally.
Is it worth drinking coffee every day if all you're
trying to do is not fall asleep in front of a
computer screen at work?
It's your body - I'll let you choose.
Matthew White is the creator of the DVD home study
program Instant Calmness. The "caffeine gives
energy" idea is a common myth yet there are 6 other
nutritional myths that he debunks in the Instant
Calmness program. You can find out more
here.
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