WHO LOVES COFFEE? ☕🍵
Should we have coffee?
My answer is, if you like it and if it is an important part of your day, then yes, 2 cups of coffee (max!) would suffice. But if so - please try to reduce the added sugars and creams you add.
Caffeine has been ‘good-guy, bad-guy’ for years. If you have a high intake of caffeine during your day (over 3-4 caffeinated drinks are too high in peri/menopause), either as coffee, tea or caffeinated pop, then I want you to prioritize modifying this habit, especially if you lead a busy, stressful life.
Caffeine has a stimulatory effect on your ageing nervous system, and this negatively impacts on your cortisol levels, sleep quality and weight management. Because our nervous system is losing the effect of estrogen too, it becomes more 'excitable'.
--> This is why we sometimes experience a racing heart ❤️ rate, or we feel anxious. With this in mind, we must be careful about our caffeine intake and the accumulation of stress - the accumulation of both factors may cause increased palpitations, a racing heart rate and increased anxiety.
This can then disrupt your sleep, leading to increased cortisol levels overnight, which negatively impacts weight loss.
Caffeine is not the culprit in small doses (I still have my morning coffees but have switched unsweetened coffee with a splash of lactose free milk and stevia if I need it “sweet”).
If your caffeine intake has been high, then plan to cut back until you are down to a maximum of two caffeinated drinks per day and as a BONUS: none on at least one day a week.
One of the first things that may happen when you reduce caffeine intake is you’ll become much more aware of how much you’d been having it and why.
For me – YES – I love the taste (!) and was having a few cups a day. But now, I only have 1-2 coffees and only in the morning. If I want some later in the day, I’ll switch to decaf OR herbal tea.
As mid-life women, we may adore our coffee but for many of us it’s contributing to our over stimulated adrenal glands, raising our heart rate, and possibly also contributing to high blood pressure and higher temperatures in peri/menopause.
If you’re a die-hard coffee lover, have it in the morning - too much in the afternoon and evening can also impact and affect sleep quality.
As I’ve said many times, SLEEP IS THE SECRET SAUCE in perimenopause… and recent research suggests that caffeine affects our ability to get into deep sleep, so try to back off all caffeine at least 6-7 hours before bedtime as it stays in our system for this length of time.
Enjoy your Java but do so in a hormone supporting way!
Julie xo