coffee!, originally uploaded by susanrudat
When I was in college I felt awake, alert, and productive most of the time. It seems like I've lost a lot of energy since then. I started to wonder what had changed that should make it so. Of course six years ago I didn't have a wife, a baby, or a full-time job. Those things would make anyone sleepy, but they aren't things I can change (or want to!).
One more thing I wasn't doing back then: drinking a cup of coffee every morning. That's something I can quit. Coffee screws up your natural energy levels and makes you tired and cranky. At least that's what it did to me. I thought that maybe my morning cuppa was the culprit of my pep deficit.
So I gave up drinking coffee as an experiment. The first couple of days were rough, but now my body is taking control again. I wake up gradually but fully (it helps that I do yoga daily), and stay balanced throughout the day; no more spike in the morning followed by afternoon naptime. I still drink caffeine as a special treat, but I am no longer an addict!