Shhhhh! I'm about to share a big secret with you.
It took me five years to discover this. I researched and tested it, and I learned that it was true.
I'm convinced of the benefits of this secret because it has made a huge difference in my life. When I was in college, I suffered from exhaustion and fatigue because of my coffee addiction. Since then, I've been on a mission to balance my love of java and my passion for health.
Guess what? Coffee contains caffeine, and caffeine eventually causes you to crash.
When you're dehydrated, you often experience low energy levels and fatigue. Your blood becomes thicker (due to its lower water content), causing your heart to work harder and use more energy.
Caffeine crash + dehydration = double crash!
This situation often causes us to reach for that 2nd (or 5th) cup of the day. Usually this happens late in the afternoon, and the coffee we drink at this time ends up disrupting our sleep cycles, causing even more fatigue.
Here's the secret: To avoid the afternoon slump and stay productive in whatever you do, be sure to hydrate when you caffeinate.
Next time you drink a cup of java, match it with a cup of water. (Bonus points if you drink two cups.)
Triple bonus round: drink spring water. You can find a local spring here.
Caution: it's surprisingly easy to forget to do this. Drinking a cup of java tends to make you feel full, which decreases your desire for water.
One trick that helps me with this is to always fill a cup with water at the same time I fill my mug or thermos with coffee.
Ironically, I wasn't heeding my own advice as I wrote this article. Here's where I went wrong and what I learned:
A good cup of java will put you a productive 'flow' state, where an hour might pass before you even realize that you've finished your mug. When you do notice that an hour has passed, you're still in the zone. You won't want to interrupt your productivity to get a glass of water just because some guy on the internet told you to.
The first time I travelled to Europe, I noticed a huge difference in the cafe culture compared to the United States. Every espresso, latte, etc. I ordered came with a glass of water (hold the ice). In Greece, I noticed that I felt better after drinking my 'kafe sketo' (translate: black coffee) with a side of water.
Having a cup of water already in front of you when you finish your coffee makes it a lot easier to hydrate when you caffeinate!
Try this: I say caffeinate, you say hydrate!
Ready, caffeinate!
... Hydrate!
Thank you for taking the time to read this and invest in your health. If you share this article with a friend who drinks coffee or water, they will be grateful for years to come.
Happy hydrating!
Have any other healthy coffee drinking tips? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below.