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Let's talk about the big C when it comes to hormones – Caffeine.
I recently posted about this on my Instagram page but I feel like this is a topic that isn’t talked about / common knowledge but is so so important when it comes to all thing's hormones, mood, energy and even fertility!
To me, coffee is the most important meal of the day (side note – I know coffee is NOT a meal, but you get my point 😛). I LOVE it so much, from milky lattes to espresso bars, the whole ritual of it is comforting and it tastes so good...to the point where I was having a double espresso first thing every morning followed by about 3 cups a day. It was my saving grace when I was under-rested, over-worked and poorly fed, coffee became the crutch I used to get me through another busy day, but the truth was, I was addicted and I didn’t even realise the effect it was having on my health.
As you can imagine, this amount of caffeine sent my cortisol levels crazy, and because I was already hypersensitive with a dis-functioning HPA axis. It left me feeling foggy-headed, I couldn’t focus, and it was only making my anxiety worse.
I switched to decaf (because going cold turkey just wasn’t an option!) and began researching caffeine and its effect on hormones. I quickly learnt that Coffee is absolutely terrible when it comes to the female hormonal ecosystem – especially If you’re struggling with your period, fibroids, cysts of any kind in the breast or ovary, endometriosis, infertility, low sex drive, moodiness, low energy, and weight issues – coffee is making all of these problems much worse!
WAYS CAFFEINE AFFECTS YOUR HORMONES
#1: IT’S IN YOUR GENES
Firstly, everyone reacts differently to caffeine. Have you ever noticed that someone you know is totally chill after their double espresso late-night aperitif, and you are still staring at your ceiling at 3 am feeling completely wired?
That’s down to your genes. Without going too deep into the sciency bit, when caffeine enters your bloodstream, it circulates your body and joins up with several “receptors,” most of which are in your brain. Each person’s receptors are different due to genetics, and caffeine might not bind well with them. This is stage one of genetics. Stage two is when caffeine travels to your liver to be metabolized. A gene called CYP1A2, which controls an enzyme that breaks down the caffeine in the liver is produced in different amounts by each person. If you produce a lot of this enzyme, you will be able to metabolise caffeine easier than if you produce a lower amount. Over half the population produces a low amount of this hormone! What does this have to do with your cycle you might be thinking? Well, this hormone is also responsible for metabolising estrogen. So, if you’re a slow caffeine metaboliser, you are likely a slow estrogen and your liver will be working overtime to try and eliminate caffeine after your coffee that it might not have the micronutrient reserves to flush excess estrogen out of your system.
Feel like I'm speaking directly to you?
Sometimes, the change that we resist the most is the change we need the most ...
#2 INCREASES CORTISOL LEVELS
Caffeine is a stimulant to your nervous system, it triggers your flight-or-fight response by increasing the body’s level of cortisol. This may give you that temporary boost you need, but it can leave you feeling fatigued and depleted, later on, making you grab that second cup of coffee, a vicious cycle?
What you may not realise, is that tired adrenals are often the cause of unexplained weight gain, sleeping problems, feeling emotionally fragile, depression and fatigue – and if you already have a sensitive system or high levels of cortisol in the body, caffeine is simply adding fuel to the fire.
Learn more about cortisol in this post
#3 WORSENS PMS & BREAST/OVARIAN CYSTS
Although there is no direct research connecting caffeine with the development of breast/ovarian cysts, there are established studies that show coffee contributes to estrogen dominance, meaning you can have either too much estrogen in relation to progesterone, or you have an imbalance in estrogen metabolites.
Symptoms of estrogen dominance include fluid retention and bloating, sore/swollen breasts, cysts in the breasts, irregular and missed periods, large clots in period blood, period cramps, PMS and fatigue. So not only can coffee contribute to adrenal fatigue, which results in estrogen dominance, but estrogen dominance can also be the trigger of adrenal fatigue because hormone imbalance can be a huge stressor on the body. Whichever came first, they end up aggravating each other and creating a downward spiral of ill health.
#4 CAN CAUSE INFERTILITY
This one is for the men as well! Some studies link Caffeine to increased infertility rates for both men and women who drink 2 or more cups of coffee a day.
According to Jeffrey Roberts, an OB-GYN and co-director of the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Burnaby, BC, while it is known that excessive amounts of caffeine can lead to lower birth weight and reduced blood flow through the placenta during pregnancy, less is understood about the effects of caffeine on fertility. “Caffeine can stimulate the nervous system, open up airways and constrict blood vessels,” he says, but there’s no evidence that this affects your chances of getting pregnant.
That being said, Coffee disrupts ovulation by increasing cortisol levels and stressing the adrenals so cutting back on the black stuff. As you begin trying to conceive, it’s worthwhile to take an inventory of your daily diet and make any changes necessary to ensure that you’re consuming a safe amount of caffeine. It is recommended to keep the limit below 200 milligrams a day (remember this includes soda’s, tea’s, coffee’s etc) so consider limiting your caffeine intake to one cups of coffee/tea a day.
#5 DEPLEATS VITAL NUTRIENTS
Here’s a little fact for you, caffeine stays in women’s bodies longer than men’s and it depletes women of essential hormone-balancing nutrients and minerals, the most important being magnesium, and B vitamins! Also, the acidity of coffee can disrupt your gut flora, making it more difficult to absorb all the nutrients from your diet and result in hormonal imbalances from an overworking endocrine system.
SO, WHAT CAN I DRINK NOW?
This post isn't to scare you away from caffeine, but if you are someone who struggles with estrogen dominance, or you feel as though it's time to wean yourself off from your excessive coffee habit, then these below tips will help you do so!
But firstly, it’s good to understand why you are drinking coffee, is it because you just like the taste? Or do you NEED that caffeine kick to get you going in the morning, then again at 11 am, and 3 pm....?
If it’s the latter, then it is MOST important to look at reducing your intake, as you might well be suffering from adrenal fatigue. Rather than jacking up your energy levels artificially, you need to think about healing your adrenal glands.
The best way to break your reliance (possibly slight addiction?) to coffee is:
Eat a fuelling, balanced meal for breakfast including protein, healthy fats and slow-release carbohydrates and fibre within 1 hour of waking. This will get your metabolism burning, and prevent blood sugar crashes and the 3 pm slump that has you reaching for a caffeinated drink.
Get up and shake it out! Literally! I find moving my body, dancing, stretching or genuinely just jumping around once I get out of bed wakes me up and makes me feel alive! It gets the blood pumping and flushes out any sleepiness from your system.
Support your adrenals by eating every 2-3 hours. The medical medium has a lot of information about adrenal support here.
Start by cutting your intake of coffee down by half, or swapping for a matcha/green tea or hot cacao. It can be difficult to go cold turkey and not to mention, unpleasant for you and those around you *cough cough, mood swings* so gently weaning yourself off in my option is the easiest and healthiest way.
Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water throughout the day!
Nap if you need to! If you are quite reliant on caffeine to get you through the day, you might find it becomes more difficult to stay awake without it. That's ok, totally normal and it's only temporary. Your body is detoxing from what is essentially a drug that it has been reliant on for so long. So let your body rest, take an afternoon power nap if you can - you'll feel less groggy for it afterwards!
If it is just the taste of coffee you love, and you aren't reliant on it to get you through the day but want to cut down on the caffeine intake, switch to mushroom coffee... yes you read that right, MUSHROOM COFFEE! Read more about my tasty hormone nourishing mushroom coffee elixir here.
Lots of love,
Charlotte x