The Coffee Substitute Sleep Solution?
If you suffer from insomnia you may want to consider cutting your coffee consumption. I know, easier said than done, but to see and feel a change you have to make a change.
How can coffee lead to insomnia?
Whether you?re stressed or not, cortisol, your stress hormone, is released after consuming coffee. This plays with the natural rhythm of your cortisol levels. For example, in the morning, cortisol should naturally be high to help you wake up and get ready for the day ahead. But, if you?re consuming coffee the inverse can happen where cortisol levels are low, causing you to reach for that cup of coffee to get you going.
At night cortisol levels should be low, allowing you to enter the deepest and most restful level of sleep, stage four. But, if you?re consuming coffee, cortisol levels may be high at night, which can lead to your insomnia and prevent you from reaching stage four sleep.
So, how do you kick that coffee habit? Start with subbing out your coffee for one of these beverages below. Don?t worry, there?s options that will still give you that caffeine kick but without the negative consequences associated with a straight cup of Joe!
1. Halfcaf or Decaf: Switching to halfcaf or decaf is a good way to help transition into one of the tea alternatives I?ve listed below. This way you can still have that coffee taste you crave with enough caffeine to take the edge off. I want to emphasize that this is a great starting place, but after a few days to a week I would suggest switching to a non- coffee alternative to really see a difference with your insomnia.
2. Matcha or Green Tea: These are both great options!
3. Licorice tea: If you?re ready to cut the caffeine out all together, licorice tea is a great alternative for you! Licorice tea is herbal and supports overburdened adrenals and naturally increases energy. Licorice tea has loads of other benefits, such as soothing an upset stomach or sore throat.
If you?re a true coffee addict you may have some withdrawal symptoms – but if you?re at this stage than you have all the more reason to consider quitting!
Matcha is a finely ground powder of specially grown green tea. Matcha is made from high quality tea, and the whole leaves are ingested, not just steeped. This makes it a more potent source of nutrients than regular green tea. Like green tea, matcha still contains caffeine, but the caffeine acts very differently in your body than the caffeine in coffee. Unlike the buzz we get from coffee, matcha and green tea cause more of an ?alert calm?, due to the natural substance, l-theanine, which creates calmness without drowsiness, so it does not over stimulate like the caffeine in coffee.
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Aly is a Certified Nutrition Practitioner (CNP) who specializes in weight loss. Aly graduated top of her class from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition and holds a BA from Western University. Aly’s warm and approachable demeanor empowers her clients to take control of their health. Aly believes that eating healthy isn’t about being perfect, it’s about having a plan you can stick to that gives you energy while allowing you to eat the foods you love. Aly believes that with the right tools and guidance you can make positive lifestyle changes to enjoy a happier and healthier life!
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