Caffeine and recovery

Sometimes we just need to prove to ourselves we can do it, no?

When we've been doing the same thing repetitively for a prolonged period of time, we don't know any different, so it is hard to say what is helping or hurting us. If you haven't done so already, consider reading my other blog posts on sleep here. I bring this up because it's rare that we consider how our morning routine will set us up for night time, oftentimes we're thinking of it in the reverse.

But for the last 7 days I gave up caffeine in tandem to a liver detox/cleanse our clinic hosted with 15 other participants. Now don't get me wrong, I have been flirting with the idea of cutting back or eliminating the coffee altogether, but that AM ritual had me locked in, I couldn't even break it if I tried; so, the timing on this was rather fitting. I couldn't very well be hosting these other people who are looking to me for advice and yet here I am struggling to do it myself, but the accountability factor, let me tell you, that was a big motivator and influencer in my outcome.

Pro tip: looking to implement or quit something? Grab several friends and you will certainly get the job done knowing there are others doing the same and (seemingly) not struggling, naturally, you can, too.

 I woke up on the 8th day (our detox was officially over at midnight) really dying for that coffee. It's more than the flavor, it’s the ritualistic component of grinding the beans, smelling the aromas and hearing the electric tea kettle go "pop" when the water is done being heated. It's a whole vibe.

I have a wearable device called Oura Ring that tracks my sleep, heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), activity levels, and body temperature. Much of those metrics help to discern my body's recovery index. What medicine defines as a normal HR is between 60-90BPM; that is certainly a wide margin, but pretty much anything above is tachycardia (a fancy word to mean elevated HR) and anything below is considered bradycardia (a fancy word meaning low HR). I typically float a daily HR closer to 90 while my night time HR fluctuates between 70-85; that's right, while I sleep I am having a HR of an active individual during day time waking hours.  

Lots of online health influencers often post their HRVs on their social media pages, boasting averages of 40-60 and I'm over here lucky to break the 20s. Granted, everybody's HRV is unique to them, but still, this was concerning to me.

Both of these values have moved (for the better) within the last 7 days. My HR has been consistently below 70 while I sleep and my HRV is moving its way into the 20s with consistency. My energy has been great and is very much correlated to my improved sleep.

My purpose in writing this piece is to educate you all that even somebody who appears healthy has room to optimize, so for those of you who carry particular diagnoses, consider micro changes like this one and see how it pans out.

I don't expect everybody to quit a seemingly lifetime routine habits overnight (hi, my name is Lyndsey and I did that with the worst headache for 4 days!) so instead, consider the following suggestions to taper with whatever end goal you have in mind: complete elimination, return to moderation, or switching to tea from coffee.

"The power is in the pivot," this doesn't just apply to tasks or careers, but to any change you make in your life in all of the ways. This is especially true when trying to alter habits, because, well, they're habits - its something you're accustomed to doing, you've been doing it, you might not even like doing it, but, nevertheless, you do it.

Now let’s… not do it!

Caffeine is tricky because of the potential withdrawal symptoms: headaches, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, etc. Here are some ways to help ease the discomfort:

Water - drink LOTS of water. Many withdrawal symptoms (caffeine or otherwise) are much to do with dehydration, so replenishing water is important, but the next step is actually the key (whereby the water is the lock)

MINERALS, electrolytes, etc - they're one in the same just packaged differently. So, while dehydration is a big part of those dreaded symptoms, it is also because many of our vices deplete our body of vital minerals, like magnesium! Since magnesium is involved in over 300 biological reactions inside of our body, ones that are also responsible for detoxification, is it a wonder why we feel so depleted while we're… detoxing?

Go slow. Consider tapering your caffeine consumption. Regardless of how many cups you drink per day, consider going "half-calf" for a few days, especially if you're somebody who enjoys the flavor.

Taper to caffeinated tea - green or black will still give you some caffeine, which can help to lessen the blow, so to speak.