Why caffeine isn't the quick "energy fix" you may think it is...

Posted on 07/25/2016

Dear Reader,

There's been more
and more research lately about the benefits of coffee. But according to one new
study, there's one surprising thing coffee isn't particularly good for.
As it turns out, coffee isn't the best or most effective way to boost your
energy levels. At least, not day in and day out.
This recent study, which appeared in the journal Sleep, was a
double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of nearly 50 healthy subjects.
Researchers restricted their sleep to just five hours for five nights.
Subjects received either 200 mg of caffeine or a placebo twice daily every day.
(That's the equivalent of two cups of coffee in the morning and afternoon.)
Researchers evaluated the subjects' cognitive performance throughout each day.
And results showed that while caffeine significantly boosted function in the
first two days, after a third night of sleep deprivation, its returns
diminished dramatically.
In fact, by the third day, caffeine did nothing to improve energy.
But I can tell you what it probably did do. It likely stressed the
subjects' already overworked adrenal glands even further. Which, in turn, would
lead to even more sleep disturbances.
The moral of this story is two-fold: First and foremost, if you want to
function at your best -- much less stay healthy for the long haul -- get seven
to eight hours of quality sleep every single night.
But if you do struggle with sleep problems, don't reach for caffeine as a quick
energy fix. It's just a band-aid that doesn't work for long. In fact, it will
ultimately make your fatigue worse.
The good news is, there are quite a few all-natural, caffeine-free energy
solutions that do work... and that will support deeper sleep every night,
too.