While I was in Virginia for Thanksgiving, I kept trying to figure out what it was about my mom's coffee that made it so much better than mine. I finally realized that she was making coffee in a good ol' coffeemaker. And grinding just enough beans for a day's worth of coffee.
Now I'm not too much of a coffee snob but it did convince me that while my Keurig is fun and convenient when I just want a single cup, it's really not as good as making a fresh pot of coffee. So even though Ryan bought me a Keurig two years ago for Christmas, he bought me a Cuisinart coffeemaker this Christmas.
What can I say? The man is good to me. And very patient with my ever changing mind and tastebuds.
So I've been enjoying some really good coffee lately, along with my latest favorite coffee find:
Yes. You read that right.
Abuelita Mexican Chocolate Creamer.
Cue the singing angels.
If you're not sure why this creamer makes me so happy, then obviously you're not aware of my mad love for Mexican hot chocolate.
Any-hoo, I've got kind of an odd question for you today.
I've never really been affected by the "caffeinated coffee at night = no sleep" thing.
But I am 45 years old now and lots of things that never really bothered me before seem to be causing me a little trouble.
I'm looking at you, "progressive lenses", the apparently new fancy term for bifocals.
And I guess "looking at you" and "bifocals" in the same sentence is kind of ironic, is it not?
But here's the question -
If I drink coffee with caffeine during the day, I do not notice that it affects me in any way. I am not one of those people who gets up in the morning and must have coffee to feel awake. In fact, most mornings, I wait until after I've taken the Bird to school so I can drink my coffee in peace. I don't feel any more awake during the day and if I drink coffee at 2 PM to avoid my usual early afternoon slump when I feel like I could just go on to bed and sleep til the next morning, it doesn't work. I don't feel more energized.
But, if I drink coffee after supper, I have an incredibly hard time falling asleep. I have the most restless sleep, tossing and turning for what feels like the whole night. I get incredibly frustrated and I wake up tired and cranky.
So if I really want a cup of coffee at night, I've resorted to decaffeinated, which I don't mind at all.
But this is my question -
Why does caffeinated coffee keep me awake at night but doesn't do the same during the day? If I feel energized when I drink it before bed, why doesn't it energize me at 2 PM? Or when I have my first cup in the morning?
These are the things that make me go hmmmmm.....
Can anyone help me out here?
I think it disturbs the amount of REM sleep and non REM sleep then you wake up more. If you are restless, are you more tired the next day or feel the same? By the way, I use a refillable k-cup for my Ruta Maya coffee and it tastes much better than the k cups. I guess the one thing nice about a keurig is that I don't waste too much coffee since I'm really the one that drinks it.
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about the re-fillable k-cup, Shauna! I'll try that when I don't want to make a whole pot. I feel like making less than 4 cups is more trouble than it's worth but I'm the only one who drinks it, too and 4 cups is just too much.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have restless sleep, I'm definitely more tired the next day. The REM disruption is a good bet.
And also - do you think Ruta Maya is the best? I need to find a good, non-blend, no flavor coffee.
Yes, I think Ruta Maya is one of the best ones! I also see a big difference between organic and non-organic coffee. Costco sells it for a great price! I usually get heartburn with non-organic coffee.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to give it a try! Thanks!
DeleteUm, yeah, I'm tired alllllll day long. I found out my Vit D was nearly non-existent. So I'm on megadoses. I'm not noticing a big difference 3 weeks in. :/ But I know I cannot drink coffee after 5 if I want to sleep well. I won't even order coffee at restaurants with dessert bc sometimes they ignore the "DECAF please!" And I find out at bedtime. :( I recently have tried Keurig & the coffee tastes weird to me. I use to be a French press gal and not liking the fact that Mr Coffee is made of plastic & some of my bodum had plastic I switched to the Chemex & when I had guests over for dinner & they asked for full-leaded coffee at dessert time (crazy!!) I almost fell off my chair when a coffee-lover said "this is the best cup of coffee I've ever had." And then she went & got a chemex too. And like your mom, the secret is grounding right before brewing. She done good. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm taking Vitamin D, too. My doctor said it's the curse of being so pale-skinned and told to stay out of the sun my whole entire life. :) I was really hoping to notice a difference in my energy level but I'm like you - doesn't seem to be making a big difference. And y'all are taking me into the Chemex French Press but I think I'll just keep that to myself for a little bit longer - Ryan is going to think I'm nuts!
DeleteLana, I have the same, exact experience with caffeinated coffee. I usually just drink decaf period, but when I do occasionally have the real stuff in the morning - nothing. No difference. I have never understood people who need that "morning jolt" to get going. I've never felt it; however, if I accidently drink the real stuff after 2:00 in the afternoon, forget it. I will lay awake for hours. I would never drink the real stuff on purpose except the morning hours. I can't solve your mystery, but I sure can relate. Just keep enjoying what you do drink. lgm
ReplyDeleteI'm leaning towards just giving up caffeine altogether for a while and see how I feel. I drink my fair share of diet cokes, too so I am fully expecting the first few days of "coming off" caffeine to be miserable. But I'm curious as to how I'll feel a month later. I guess we'll see....
DeleteI'm afraid I can't help you with your coffee question, being the dedicated tea drinker that I am! I love my tea first ting in the morning but would really love to experience that morning jolt..... The thing is .... I really hate coffee ..... *runs away and hides* !!
ReplyDeleteI think it's perfectly fine to hate coffee. I didn't start drinking it until I was about 35 or so and discovered the mocha, which was my "gateway drug" to the real thing. And I still love a good mocha - especially peppermint! But I'll take a good cup of tea, too. And a book.... and a blanket. :)
Delete1. This creamer is my spirit animal.
ReplyDelete2. I haven't seen any of the Rushes in forever and it's making me a little twitchy. And a lot sad. Please let me know if y'all are ever around!!