Feeling Wired but Tired?

We are coming into an age where Amazon will be dropping off parcels in your back garden with drones faster than next day delivery. The world is moving at a faster pace and caffeine is more readily available than ever before from coffee shops and petrol stations to vending machines everywhere we go! If you are too busy to rest, recover and sleep then don’t worry about it because energy drinks, coffee, caffeine pills can solve it. For anyone that hasn’t read one of my blogs before, that was a hint of sarcasm (or bad humour). At least the energy drink will solve your short-term tiredness and fatigue but we cannot overwrite the long term impact of rest, recovery and sleep on your personal health. Technology and machines are replacing the workforce and people therefore working demands are increasing and productivity is being stretched leading to longer working hours for many companies, directors, entrepreneur, business men and women. The demand for caffeine is full power!

Yes, We need 6 to 9 hours of sleep set by the NHS guidelines for a healthy adult. I would always encourage you to think about the quality of sleep also. This should be more 7-8 hours of undisturbed deep sleep for optimal rest, recovery and hormonal regulation.

Sleep is often overlooked and under-valued when aiming to achieve optimum health and to improve your body composition. Sleep is important.

I am not saying that a few late nights are bad for you, or having young children is bad for your health because you may experience broken sleep. In contrast, I want to make you aware of excessive caffeine intake and how you can manage your energy levels to better your body clock. Don’t panic I am not going to turn you into a caveman and wake up at sunrise and go back to sleep when the sunsets. However I would like to take a second and think about how waking up tends to be easier in the summer time whereas getting up in the winter is a slow start in the morning. The correlation between more hours of daylight and our energy levels throughout the day is pretty straight forward, and this outlines our body clock which has been installed for years.

Let’s keep this simple. Caffeine is a stimulant for our central nervous system and is naturally produced and commonly found in tea and coffee. Yes, this will elevate your heart rate, increase your alertness, and change the way your brain and body works. Some of these changes can be beneficial where as some can be dangerous. Caffeine is a handy tool to use when you’re setting your mind & body up for the perfect workout environment. Caffeine is linked with improved physical performance, muscular force production and neural drive. Yes, Coffee and tea has many great benefits for your health. We can have up to 400mg caffeine per day based on NHS guidelines for most healthy adults as a healthy recommendation.

Please see the table below we have put together for you at JWPT to help you quickly work out your caffeine intake for today and raise awareness of your caffeine relationship.

Here are some signs and symptoms to excessive caffeine intake that you may relate to such as: headaches, migraines, dehydration, or jitters. Long term impact could include poor sleeping habits and adrenal fatigue. You may believe you’ve become reliant on caffeine pumping drinks and products to get through a busy working day and stressful deadlines therefore do a simple self – assessment and look to reduce/limit your intake. Your sensitivity to caffeine will decrease the more reliant you become on caffeine which directly falls hand in hand with more and more caffeine intake you require. Do you feel wired but tired?

This blog is written to empower your knowledge and give you the basic self-assessment and understanding of caffeine to improve your health and lifestyle. Just remember caffeine as many benefits to your mental and physical performance but I am often seeing this being abused and overused.

Thanks for reading my blog. We are driven to be the best because “average” is not good enough.

Stay Strong! Thanks JWPT