Can Decaf Coffee Energize You More Than Regular Coffee?
Seems ridiculous, right? Isn’t caffeine supposed to energize you? Isn’t that the whole point of it?
That may be the case for regular normies who don’t have any sort of autoimmune condition.
I am the lucky owner of a lovely defective thyroid that doesn’t like caffeine. I’ve read up on it in several different places and the studies seem to conclude that when you have a thyroid condition, caffeine can wreak havoc on your thyroid.
Even if caffeine helps you in the moment, with a Thyroid issue, it seems to deplete your energy reserves later on.
When I first read this, I wasn’t sure I believed it. I mean, if I listened to everything I read on my condition, I would only have ice cubes left to eat.
So I decided to do a test. I love coffee. SO MUCH. So this was an excruciating idea. I already gave up so many things (gluten is long gone!). Now I have to give up my comforting cup o’ joe that gets me moving each morning? Ugh!
Caffeine and Your Thyroid Meds
Caffeine can affect the absorption of your thyroid medication. If you drink coffee close to the time that you take your thyroid meds, which is pretty common since most people are told to take it in the morning, you may have issues with absorption.
According to this article with the Huffington post, caffeine can have some serious effects on your hormones.
The Decaf Coffee Experiment
In order to keep myself sane, I decided to try the placebo effect. Drinking decaf. I didn’t think it was nearly as good as regular coffee, but I figured it would get the job done.
Day 1 of Drinking Only Decaf Coffee
Day 1 was rough. Walking into the office and smelling all the coffee in the air. Decaf has a bit of a different flavor than regular coffee. It’s good once you get used to it. When you find a brand that’s really tasty, it makes the process much easier.
I experienced a bit of withdrawal, but it wasn’t too bad and I could manage.
Day 2 & 3 of Drinking Only Decaf Coffee
Although day 1 wasn’t so bad, day 2 & 3 were BRUTAL. It felt like I had the flu. I was cranky, had a terrible headache, was achy all over, and generally felt just bad.
It was awful.
I had expected some type of withdrawal, but I didn’t expect it to last this long.
There was no way I was letting it get the best of me, I was determined to tough it out. I really wanted to know if what I was reading was total malarky or if it was the truth.
Day 4 – The Day Everything Changed
On the fourth day of this experiment, I woke up BEFORE my alarm. This has never happened to me. Usually, I’m hitting snooze 5 or 6 times and dragging myself out of bed.
I was in utter shock that giving up caffeine would give me this much energy. It was unbelievable. I just about jumped out of bed like one of those really annoying people who are happy in the morning.
It was life-changing. And along the way, I found a brand that makes DELICIOUS decaf coffee. Something I didn’t know was possible.
Kicking Horse Decaf is made with the best method of decaffeinating coffee beans. It’s named the Swiss Water Method.
What Happened Next Was So Cool
I thought for sure the morning would return to normal. Normal for me is dragging myself all over the place like I have a 400lb gorilla on my back.
Every day I woke up ready to face the day, in good spirits, with tons of energy.
With all this newfound energy, I decided to join a gym. I know!
My sister was already going in the morning and I decided to join her. I worked quite far from my home, so in order to get to the gym before work, I had to wake up at 5 am.
You read that right. FIVE AM!
Bet You’re Wondering if it Lasted
I kept waking up expecting that today would be the day that I woke up with no energy, but it just didn’t happen. Going to the gym early in the morning became my routine. I kept feeling great and getting stronger.
My energy was even better throughout the day. It was a tipping point for me.
Can Drinking Decaf Have Other Health Benefits?
My husband decided to give this a try after my success. Decaf was not his choice, but he switched to chai tea and herbal teas. He didn’t notice much of a difference in his energy levels, but he did notice some of the symptoms of his autoimmune condition subsided.
Will Drinking Decaf Help Everyone?
The simple answer is no. The only way to find out is to test it. If you can get through the withdrawal, you may notice some positive effects.
I didn’t give up coffee completely. I do tests for this site on the weekends, so it doesn’t interfere with my energy level for work.
The biggest problem I have now is that sometimes I push too hard because I have so much energy.
This is a fantastic problem to have.
Try this experiment for yourself and see what you come up with.
If you tried it, leave a comment below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you.
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