Tea Time
I thought I'd be immune to it this evening, but I was wrong. Partaking in tea with dessert seemed like a good idea at the time. One problem, is was black tea.
Sometimes I forget the effects of black tea.
I periodically have herbal cleanses. What I mean is I only drink herbal teas. I typically do this when I start feeling like my moods are becoming more unpredictable and I also get more easily frustrated with things in general. The reason my mood fluctuates is because caffeine controls it by the amount of black tea I am consuming. Caffeine is the culprit. Although it is considered a safe and effective substance for certain conditions, caffeine is mostly found in seeds, leaves and fruit, and when drunk in regular to high doses, it can be very dehydrating and addictive amongst other things. Caffeine is a stimulant to the Central Nervous System (CNS) and can easily produce feelings of alertness, which is great for those who especially like a little "kick start" in the morning. This may or may not be the best way to determine whether or not you are getting enough sleep however, but for some it's simply about the scent or the comfort value of a nice cup of something hot to drink in the morning.
Unfortunately, the kick you get from black tea only comes some time after you've had it since its composition is much more concentrated in a tiny little dry leaf (and they do pack quite a few of those in one tea bag). A coffee bean on the other hand is not dehydrated and then compressed, it is simply ground to a fine powder like substance, so what you see is what you get. With tea, the leaf was once bigger, holding x amount of white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and psychoactive stimulant before it was dried and shrunk. Steeping tea longer also makes the amount of potent stuff even stronger. It's a little different with coffee, once the boiling water has filtered through, it's done. Therefore chances are good you won't be getting a stronger coffee than yesterdays cup.
The point of this exercise comes from the fact that it is after midnight and I am wide awake. I had tea about three hours ago, and regardless of my dismissal earlier to what could happen (which it is), I still decided to have not only one cup, but two.
It goes without saying that, yes, I do love my black tea, with a bit of milk of course. But as a lesson, and a wee test, I will begin my day (whenever it starts in the morning) with an herbal tea. I will continue this for one week. A new cleanse begins. The test will be to see if 1) my mood improves, 2) my morning alertness is any different, and 3) if I sleep better at night.
My guess already is yes to all three counts.
1) The caffeine will not be fooling my system into thinking that I'm "on" and it will allow me to function at a normal pace and the "rush" will be off. It is possible that my body experiences slight withdrawal symptoms, like irritability for a day or two, as it may have become dependent on caffeine for higher serotonin levels.
2) If sleep is better (3) which it most likely will, then it is sure that my morning alertness will be at a good operating rate. I won't be feeling tired (like I might be tomorrow morning) and I will wake up feeling refreshed and able to tackle the tasks of the day.
However, it takes about one week (or five days) for all caffeine to be gone from your blood stream and system, therefore I suppose a two week caffeine-free-trial should be in order.
Wish me luck. I think I'll go sleep on that before I make my decision.
Sometimes I forget the effects of black tea.
I periodically have herbal cleanses. What I mean is I only drink herbal teas. I typically do this when I start feeling like my moods are becoming more unpredictable and I also get more easily frustrated with things in general. The reason my mood fluctuates is because caffeine controls it by the amount of black tea I am consuming. Caffeine is the culprit. Although it is considered a safe and effective substance for certain conditions, caffeine is mostly found in seeds, leaves and fruit, and when drunk in regular to high doses, it can be very dehydrating and addictive amongst other things. Caffeine is a stimulant to the Central Nervous System (CNS) and can easily produce feelings of alertness, which is great for those who especially like a little "kick start" in the morning. This may or may not be the best way to determine whether or not you are getting enough sleep however, but for some it's simply about the scent or the comfort value of a nice cup of something hot to drink in the morning.
Unfortunately, the kick you get from black tea only comes some time after you've had it since its composition is much more concentrated in a tiny little dry leaf (and they do pack quite a few of those in one tea bag). A coffee bean on the other hand is not dehydrated and then compressed, it is simply ground to a fine powder like substance, so what you see is what you get. With tea, the leaf was once bigger, holding x amount of white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and psychoactive stimulant before it was dried and shrunk. Steeping tea longer also makes the amount of potent stuff even stronger. It's a little different with coffee, once the boiling water has filtered through, it's done. Therefore chances are good you won't be getting a stronger coffee than yesterdays cup.
The point of this exercise comes from the fact that it is after midnight and I am wide awake. I had tea about three hours ago, and regardless of my dismissal earlier to what could happen (which it is), I still decided to have not only one cup, but two.
It goes without saying that, yes, I do love my black tea, with a bit of milk of course. But as a lesson, and a wee test, I will begin my day (whenever it starts in the morning) with an herbal tea. I will continue this for one week. A new cleanse begins. The test will be to see if 1) my mood improves, 2) my morning alertness is any different, and 3) if I sleep better at night.
My guess already is yes to all three counts.
1) The caffeine will not be fooling my system into thinking that I'm "on" and it will allow me to function at a normal pace and the "rush" will be off. It is possible that my body experiences slight withdrawal symptoms, like irritability for a day or two, as it may have become dependent on caffeine for higher serotonin levels.
2) If sleep is better (3) which it most likely will, then it is sure that my morning alertness will be at a good operating rate. I won't be feeling tired (like I might be tomorrow morning) and I will wake up feeling refreshed and able to tackle the tasks of the day.
However, it takes about one week (or five days) for all caffeine to be gone from your blood stream and system, therefore I suppose a two week caffeine-free-trial should be in order.
Wish me luck. I think I'll go sleep on that before I make my decision.
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