How to Counteract Caffeine: Getting Sleep and Avoiding a Crash
It is a common practice to reach for a cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage to start the day or when we’re feeling that mid-afternoon slump. Caffeine is a large part of our culture, and many of us rely on energy and coffee drinks to get us through the day.
While caffeine can certainly provide a boost and make it possible to concentrate or stay awake just a little bit longer, it can also come with uncomfortable or frustrating side effects, like headaches, difficulty sleeping, and an upset stomach.
One of the most common effects of drinking too much caffeine is that caffeine crash, which occurs after the caffeine boost has worn off and your body resumes natural function. There are a few easy and accessible ways to avoid the caffeine crash in your daily life, so you can focus on productivity, creativity, and overall health and wellness with intention and joy.
Here at Tenzo tea, we’re dedicated to helping you find the healthy ingredients that boost energy and offer that same feeling of being refreshed and excited, without the side effects often associated with too much caffeine. We want to make it easy to get the information and ingredients you need to care for yourself and engage with work, school, or play in healthy and long-term ways.
What is a Caffeine Crash?
Caffeine is incredibly effective at providing energy, one of the many reasons nearly 80% of American adults enjoy some form of caffeine nearly every day. Caffeine works by applying stimulation to your central nervous system and essentially delaying fatigue, but those effects are temporary, and the delayed fatigue or tiredness is often felt more strongly after the caffeine boost has worn off.
That’s where the caffeine crash comes in. When your body is no longer experiencing increased stimulation or blocking the receptors that feel fatigued, you can find yourself more tired or unable to focus than you were before. Caffeine crashes can be frustrating and difficult to combat—especially without indulging in more caffeine—so it’s a good idea to look at your consumption and explore options to help avoid and mitigate the effects of caffeine crashes.
Why You’ll Want to Avoid Caffeine Crashes
If you have ever experienced a caffeine crash, you’ll already know you probably don’t want another. Caffeine crashes can have physical and emotional effects that can set you back in productivity, make it challenging to focus on your art or creative passion, and cause feelings of physical discomfort.
The most common effect of a caffeine crash is the sudden and overwhelming feeling of fatigue or tiredness. Essentially, all of the sleepiness or exhaustion you have been keeping at bay thanks to your cup of coffee or energy drink will hit you all at once, making it incredibly difficult to stay awake or stay on task. Along with tiredness, caffeine crashes can contribute to difficulty focusing or paying attention, as well as a sense of irritability or frustration. Caffeine crashes are also known to cause digestive complications, contributing to nausea or discomfort.
Why it’s Important to Get Enough Sleep
When it comes to avoiding caffeine crashes, the very best thing you can do for yourself is to get enough sleep. Proper rest and relaxation are absolutely essential to giving your body the time to reset and refresh, and when you enjoy a night of uninterrupted deep sleep, you’re far less likely to reach for that second or third energy drink of the day. Even if you are still enjoying a cup of coffee or caffeinated tea, you’re less likely to experience the effects of caffeine crashes if you had enough sleep the night before.
Not only will proper sleep make it easy to avoid those caffeine crash headaches and mid-afternoon slumps, but it also has many other health and wellness benefits you can trust. With proper rest, your immune system is stronger and more effective, and the ability to focus and concentrate throughout the day may be improved. Sleeping enough can also help to relieve feelings of stress or overwhelm, which are often exacerbated by too much caffeine, so it can be incredibly beneficial for mental health, as well.
How to Avoid a Caffeine Crash
In addition to getting enough sleep every night, there are some helpful and reliable ways to reduce your caffeine intake and avoid that dreaded caffeine crash. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to your overall health and wellness, and what you’ll need for safe, low-impact energy boosts that come with fewer side effects.
Replace Your Caffeinated Beverages
There are many different types of caffeinated beverages, and you may find that you have a much better response to some than others.
For instance, black coffee is a bold and intense caffeinated drink that can lead to stomach upset and headaches for some drinkers and energy drinks are often filled with extra sugars. You may want to try replacing your current caffeinated drink with a less impactful one. Consider trading coffee in for matcha tea to enjoy unique and versatile flavors that can help to reduce your sugar cravings while still providing a boost of energy and excitement.
You have many lower impact caffeinated beverages to try, like low-caffeine teas, so explore the best option to fit your daily needs and favorite flavors.
Avoid Caffeine Too Late
This can be kind of tricky since many caffeine drinkers have no problem drinking coffee late in the day. That said, even if you can fall asleep easily, drinking caffeine late in the day can still affect the quality of sleep you get. For many of us, it can lead to those frustrating crashes that make it hard to finish out the workday or to enjoy the next late-night event or activity.
It’s important to allow your body to adjust to lower caffeine levels before you go to sleep at night, to ensure it’s the kind of restful and useful sleep that reduces your need for caffeine and provides that natural energy boost. Listen to your body’s needs and try to avoid or reduce the amount of coffee you drink late in the day.
Drink Water
There are many reasons to add more water to your daily diet, especially where caffeine is concerned. One of the reasons you often feel a headache or sense of discomfort after drinking too much caffeine is that it can be very dehydrating. Drinking water alongside caffeine throughout the course of the day can help to reduce those effects and make it easy to focus and concentrate even after the caffeine has worn off.
Water is also helpful for refreshing and boosting your energy levels when you’re feeling low, so consider reaching for a glass, rather than a coffee or tea.
Eat Healthy
When we feel those tell-tale effects of a caffeine crash coming, we often crave sugary treats. While it may be instinct to reach for a candy bar, adding more sugar to our diet can merely prolong the effects of the caffeine crash or sometimes make it worse. Too much sugar can add to a sense of fatigue and contribute to headaches and stomachaches.
Instead, try to build a healthier diet with the goal of relieving some of the effects of a caffeine crash. Fruits and vegetables can reduce dehydration and provide energy and wellness boosting nutrients that provide a sense of natural focus and excitement—all without the crash.
Reduce Your Caffeine Intake Slowly
It can be tempting to cut caffeine intake all at once, especially if you’ve been experiencing more of the side effects like crashes and headaches. Unfortunately, if you have a regular caffeine habit, taking caffeine out all at once can lead to more uncomfortable side effects and will likely have you returning to your regular intake.
Instead, try to reduce the amount of caffeine you drink slowly, by limiting the number of cups you have or replacing your caffeinated beverages with less caffeinated ones. Eventually, you may cut out caffeine completely, or you may find a comfortable middle ground where you can enjoy a cup without dependence or side effects.
Conclusion
Caffeine is part of our daily lives and there are many physical and emotional benefits to enjoying a caffeinated beverage on occasion. When it comes to avoiding some of the effects of drinking too much caffeine, however, there a few simple steps you can take that will help to improve overall health and wellness and make you feel inspired and excited for what the day might bring.
Tenzo tea is here to help you every step of the way. We carry ingredients like organic matcha tea, which has less caffeine than other drinks, while still offering many natural benefits, and we provide the information and recipes that make it easy to find the right products and ingredients for your needs. Explore our library and begin enjoying healthy, natural energy-boosting options today.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-crash#What-is-a-caffeine-crash?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-late-should-you-be-drinking-your-daily-coffee_b_11394648
