What’s your biggest morning weakness? Mine would have to be the four to five cups of coffee I pour into my system every morning, plus the “energy drink" before and during work. I feel that I cannot make it through the day if I don’t get that hit. Not very healthy is it, especially if you like your coffee strong, and sweet. If you add it up, it comes down to one huge amount of sugar every single morning of every day of the year. And the caffeine amount too is quite a scary thought too. But the funny thing about caffeine is that if you put too much into your system it can have the opposite effect you are trying to obtain by drinking a lot of drinks that contain it. Have too much and it seems to drain away all that energy you had before you pushed it one step too far. Then there are the sleeping problems that might arise from wiring yourself up nice and high. We all know what it’s like to be staring at the ceiling at 3am, twiddling your thumbs and whistling Dixie, instead of drooling on your pillow, and that is not a good thing.

Of course it’s not a problem you keep telling yourself you can lay off the stuff whenever you want, but do you? That’s right our little friend has quite an addictive personality and doesn’t like to go away that easy. That doesn’t mean like some addictions that you are going to go to severely drastic measures just to get a hit, but there are some side effects you do experience if you don’t get any caffeine. Let’s start with the shakes. A classic symptom of withdrawals for any substance. Then the headaches. Not nice either. Makes you wonder why we do this to ourselves.

Even though you might be thinking now that “caffeine is bad" and “never go near that stuff ever," in the correct quantities it still can be quite beneficial. It’s like everything else in this world, do it in moderation and you are doing it right. Just one cup in the morning isn’t going to kill you or do any damage; in fact it’s quite a nice way to start your day. But use and abuse it like some, and you are putting not only your life but also potentially other’s lives at risk. Some people like to use caffeine as a substitute for sleep, especially when driving long distance, and this really is a bad thing since studies have proven that your reaction times are way slower than that of a person who has had a good night’s sleep. Don’t say goodnight sleep tight and you could end up sleeping very tight for an extended period of about hmmmm, lets say forever.

We know that it’s not just the caffeine in these drinks that make you wire up, it’s the sugar too. Combined and you have a chemical cocktail of jittery goodness that also goes straight to your hips. Thankfully there actually are alternative ways to give your self a little boost without touching caffeine. Go for Mother Nature’s goodness like an apple or pear. The naturally occurring sugars in fruit are good for you and a part of a healthy diet. Alternatively, fruit juice is a good option. The only thing you need to look out for though is if there is any added sugar to the product, as this can ruin the benefits of drinking it. The more pure it is, the better it is. If you can get the chance, a nap could also be helpful in regaining energy. But the main thing is to have a good healthy diet and plenty of sleep, as these two things are our natural source of energy.

Think back to the times before such things as coffee and cola drinks. Everybody survived their days just fine without the need for caffeine, as do many people do today. But remember that caffeine is not a substitute for sleep. It will never make you leap tall buildings in a single gulp. No matter what you try to do to stay awake, it’s never going to compare to sleep so don’t push yourself. If you feel there are never enough hours in the day to get what you need done, then maybe what you really need to do is stop and reassess your lifestyle, and make some changes so you don’t need to go to extraordinary amounts of caffeine just to stay awake and fit everything in.