Moderation

Let me get the complaining out of the way right away and be done with it.
Caffeine withdrawal is not fun. - Yesterday I cut down to 4 cups throughout the day to manage the whopper headache I was having from not having my usual pot and a half of coffee. There - I'm done!

Why am I doing this coffee reduction? First of all, common sense tells me that no one needs that much coffee every day. I've also been having some trouble sleeping so it seemed like a logical place to start. This morning I've had 1-1/2 cups so far - I'll see how today goes - headache is much less today! My goal is "Everthing in Moderation" and there are a lot of "everythings" I need to moderate - I decided to start with coffee.

10 Reasons to limit caffeine: (according to "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body"**)
1. Restricts blood flow to the brain( leads to premature aging)
2. Dehydrates the brain (slower thinking)
3. Interferes with sleep
4. Addictive in high amounts(withdrawal=headache,fatigue,irritability)
5. Can accelerate heart rate and raise blood pressure.
6. Can make you jittery and nervous.
7. Increases muscle tension.
8. Can cause upset stomach.
9. Elevates markers for inflamation and heart disease(just 2 cups)
10. Interferes with fertility

Pretty sure all apply to me accept #10 of course. There are some good things that caffeine can do for you too so I'm not eliminating it, just takin' it down a notch!

**Update on the new book I got: It's not a light read, that's for sure. It focuses on the physiology of the brain (not your mind -although they can't really be separated)and how certain chemicals and behaviors can hurt or enhance the physical functioning of your brain then in turn how that affects your body. Taking it a step further - how to change your behaviors that give you the body you have by changing the chemicals in your brain( through a variety of ways like food, exercise, stress reduction, etc.) I love this kind of stuff but it might not be everyones cup-o-cappuccino!