Coffee Jitters: Any Cure?

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Now let’s talk about the acidity of coffee. The body tries its best to maintain a balance between acidity and alkalinity. When you consume coffee (or any acidic food or drink), it lowers your body’s pH level, meaning it becomes more acidic. When this happens, your body tries to balance this acidity by releasing molecules, which are more alkaline. However, it does this by taking magnesium and calcium from your muscles and bones. Both of these elements play a role in regulating muscle contraction. Since these are being leeched into your bloodstream, however, your body can become deficient. This deficiency can produce the “jittery” feeling you experience.

So What’s the Solution?

The most obvious step to take here is to simply drink less coffee. You should wean yourself down to a lower amount each day, perhaps even taking a break altogether. There is also the issue of timing. It’s best to wait until you’ve already been awake for one hour before drinking your first cup, as this will slow your body’s absorption of the caffeine and give you a more enjoyable and longer lasting boost in energy. (That way, you also won’t have to drink as much.)

Step number two is to drink more water. Hydration is so important for overall health, and since we’ve already said that the dehydration caused by excessive coffee consumption contributes to the jitters, the solution is obvious: Stay hydrated. Drink water consistently throughout the day. One way to quickly rehydrate after a major caffeine binge is to drink 32 ounces of water within a period of five to 10 minutes.

Eating more foods rich in vitamins and minerals is another no brainer. You probably know that you should be doing this anyway, and now you have another reason. Good options include vegetables with calcium like cruciferous (leafy green) ones such as kale, spinach, lettuce, and collards. Citrus fruits are another good option, as are bananas and apples.

Finally, make sure you’re getting enough sleep and take what steps you can to reduce stress. If you are not sleeping enough, and you are stressed all the time, this consistent strain on your body will also contribute to the onset of the jitters.

Try these simple, easy steps to say goodbye to jitters and start enjoying coffee again!

References:

www.mayoclinic.org

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov