Cause and effect
Posted by episode81 on January 4, 2010
How much is too much?
I have always drunk a lot of tea – in a typical day, maybe 8 pints of black tea with fat-free milk. Yes, 8 pints. I really like tea.
Every year, at my annual physical, I get told to cut back. I have never paid any attention to such an outrageous request! I don’t like to drink water, never liked soda/fizzy drinks (Champagne excepted!) and will drink coffee when Typhoo is not available. Typhoo is expensive in the USA – if you can find it. My Mum sends me large tea parcels several times a year to keep me going. Thanks Mum! I have always firmly believed that caffeine has no effect on me. Oh, I get withdrawal headaches if I miss a cup here and there, but that’s about it … or so I thought.
I have been “at leisure” recently and, consequently, my tea consumption has dropped as I have no real routine. Routines are good, but there is something (well, quite a lot actually) to be said for waking up without an alarm clock and planning the day on the fly.
For as long as I can remember, it has taken me 2 hours to fall asleep at night. I never fall asleep in front of the TV. I am not a morning person. At times, I am not much of an afternoon person either.
Anywho, I digress …
Lisa is ...
With my consumption of tea way down, I have noticed something that most people would find rather obvious. If I drink tea or coffee after 3pm, then I can’t sleep. Then I also realized that I have been falling asleep in minutes rather than hours recently. In addition, I fall asleep in front of the TV.
The day before yesterday, it finally dawned on me. All that tea had been keeping me awake.
Good grief, I am slow sometimes! I have probably been drinking tea for 35+ years. That is really slow. Perhaps it was all the caffeine 🙂
Lisa
Anywho, I digress ... 
magick tea said
Love your post today! Isn’t it funny how it often takes us MUCH longer to recognize these things in ourselves?! Congratulations on the new discovery!
I wanted to reply because I too am a huge tea drinker (so much so that I’m starting my own tea company but they’ll be herbal teas) — anyway, when I had to cut back my caffeinated tea consumption, I switched to adding Herbasway green tea (non-caffeinated) drops to my water — it took a few glasses to get used to the taste but I absolutely love it now and think I am the person keeping these guys in business. 😉 Perhaps give it a try….
http://bit.ly/7Y9VO9
I swear I don’t work for them! ha 😀
Cheers! -Christine
episode81 said
Ah, you have hit one of my hot buttons 😉
Herbal infusions are not tea. Tea has actual tea in it – herbal infusions are made from the floor sweepings of the Potpourri factory.
Lisa.