Cut Down On Caffeine And Feel Better
According to Drugswise, the UK drinks on average nearly 123 million cups of tea per day. While moderate caffeine consumption is classified as safe, it’s important to know that relying on caffeine too much can have devastating effects on the body, ranging from increased blood pressures to sleep disturbances.
We’ve spoken to the team at Delamere who have given some tips on how to curb your caffeine addiction and not be too reliant on your usual Starbucks pick me ups.
1 Decrease your consumption gradually
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To avoid major withdrawal symptoms, the best thing you can do is to cut down on your caffeine consumption gradually. Instead of filling your morning cup of coffee to the top, perhaps try filling it a third of the way up and see how you feel for the rest of the day. Similarly, instead of ordering your usual large cup of coffee, order a small. Gradually reducing your consumption will help lessen symptoms such as headaches, irritability and nausea.
2 Know what products have caffeine
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We live in a world of scrumptious desserts and coffee machines and it can be easy to simply forget you are consuming caffeine at times. That said, mindlessly consuming products will only fuel your caffeine addiction and it’s, therefore, important to know the ingredients of the food and drinks you are consuming.
As well as your normal cup of coffee, be aware that sodas, energy drinks, chocolate and even chewing gum have caffeine in them. While you may not want to cut these out of your diet completely, simply knowing these products contain caffeine are one of the first steps to curbing your addiction.
3 Try alternatives
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You may just want to try alternative products to curb your caffeine addiction. For instance, switch your morning cup of coffee to a cup of green tea. Not only does green tea contain half the amount of caffeine as brewed coffee, but this drink also contains many health benefits, such as improved brain function and increased prevention of Type 2 diabetes. If you’re feeling brave, you may want to try switching your morning cup to water or juice.
4 Switch to decaf
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If you drink caffeine for the taste, try switching to decaf. From decaf teas, coffees and sodas, there are so many alternatives that will make you forget that you are not drinking caffeine. This may even create a placebo effect where your body feels just as awake and alert. If you’re not ready to fully make the switch, try using the tea shortcut where you brew your usual cup of tea for a shorter amount of time to reduce the amount of caffeine in it.
5 Drink more water
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When it comes to water intake, health experts generally recommend you need to drink about 2 litres of water a day. If you find you are not consuming this much, this may be a sign that you need to cut down on your caffeine intake. If this is the case, make it a goal to drink more water. A top tip is to get a transparent water bottle that has time markings on it – this will give you a realistic idea of how much water you should drink within a set period of time.
Moira Chisholm
I'm the Health Editor on My Weekly and am always interested to hear what's new in this fascinating field. I also deal with the gardening, shopping pages, general features, our website content and the Ask Helen problem page. I have a special interest in Christmas content because I'm on the team for Your Best Ever Christmas Magazine, too!
