Coffee and Mood

Good Morning Lovely Readers and a warm welcome to new follower, Miss U

Part of our huge clear-out has included looking at what we eat or drink. A member of my close family has bi-polar and for this reason we have been looking very carefully at what we eat and how this affects mood. Many people that I know suffer from depression and I feel that this cannot be the state we were intended to live in. I know that some of my readers also suffer from depression/low mood, so maybe this blog might help - I hope so.

The first casualty of the food/drink clear-out has been coffee. Why? Like many of you I adored my daily latte and didn't see the harm I was doing to my body. As a sufferer of Meniere's I have to avoid three things which can trigger attacks; caffeine, salt and alcohol. More importantly perhaps, I was aware that a family member's extreme mood swings were in no small part linked to their consumption of coffee.  Interested? Please read on .............

Most people don't realise that their morning cup(s) of coffee sets their bodies up for a rollercoaster day of highs and lows. Just a few hours after consumption, when the artificial high dies down, many people may reach for more coffee or something sugary to get another lift, leading to daily fluctuations in energy and alertness, and possibly to eventual chronic adrenal exhaustion.

Just one caffeinated drink – whether it's a soft drink, caffeinated tea or coffee – will put your body on the caffeine rollercoaster. When you consume caffeine, the drug begins its effects by initiating uncontrolled neuron firing in your brain, according to Stephen Cherniske in his book, Caffeine Blues. This excess neuron activity triggers your pituitary gland to secrete a hormone that tells your adrenal glands to produce adrenalin.


Adrenalin is what gives athletes that winning burst of energy and Good Samaritans the ability to rescue people by lifting cars. Adrenalin is also the source of our "fight-or-flight" response, which enabled our prehistoric ancestors to escape from saber-toothed tigers and other predators. By stimulating your adrenal glands to produce adrenalin, caffeine puts your body in this "fight-or-flight" state, which is useless while you're just sitting at your desk. When this adrenal high wears off later, you feel the drop in terms of tiredness, irritability, headache or confusion.


At this point, you may reach for another "hit" of caffeine, followed by another, and another and maybe even one more. If you constantly keep your body on a caffeine high, you're constantly keeping your body in "flight-or-flight" mode.


Cherniske explains your body's "perspective" of this constant state: "Imagine you lived in a country that was always under threat of attack. No matter where you went, there was a perpetual state of alert. Not only that, but your defenses were constantly being depleted and weakened. Does that sound stressful? Caffeine produces the same effect on your body, like fighting a war on multiple fronts at the same time." Cherniske calls your body's constant state of alert "caffeinism," which is characterized by fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance, irritability and depression.


After prolonged "caffeinism," your body enters a state of adrenal exhaustion. Your caffeine consumption has simply pushed your adrenal glands so much that they've burned out. Ralph T. Golan, ND, describes this unfortunate state in his book,Herbal Defense: "Caffeine forces your glands to secrete when they don't have much left to give, and they have to keep digging deeper and deeper, making you more and more tired over time. And over the years, it takes more and more coffee to get the same result. Some people reach the point of drinking half a dozen or more cups of coffee to get the same result and it's barely keeping them awake. That's severe adrenal depletion."

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html#ixzz1sNB3acxH and 

http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html 

This, on the other hand, will give you energy and refresh you on a cellular level and effect your mood in a positive way.

If you suffer from anxiety, nerves or depression, then passiflora tea can really help.

 


I order mine from Rob at http://www.funkyraw.com/shop/

This is what Rob says about passiflora tea.....

"Passion flower leaves are an anti-depressant and natural mood lifter. Steep 1 teaspoon in hot water, maximum 3 to 4 cups per day.

It works well used along with St Johns Wort to make "happy tea".

Passion flower leaves contain an analogue to pinoline which works as a MAOI inhibitor which increases neurotransmitter levels in the brain.

Please note that this product is not suitable for pregnant women because it may stimulate uterine contractions."

Now wouldn't you rather have that than a cup of coffee?

Feed your body - feed your mind!

Enjoy your day

Love Mrs Thrifty

xxx