National Caffeine Awareness Month FM Crowd
National Caffeine Awareness Month FM
Event Description:
1. When: Friday, March 31st, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. through 7:00 p.m. at the FM Event Site.
2. The National Caffeine Awareness Month FM will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will last until 7:00 p.m.
3. A group photo will be taken at 6:55 p.m. at the FM Event Site.
4. At 7:00 p.m. we will clean up the site and head back up to the trail head. Be sure to stay with the group on the way back to the car to enjoy the caching stories from the trail!
N.B. Care and attention will be a necessity in travel from parking to the Event site and especially with the potential of icy conditions along the way.
Caffeine and the Brain
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Note about National Caffeine Awareness Month
Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. That morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea that keeps us going seems like a necessity. It keeps our central nervous system stimulated with the most widely consumed psychoactive drug, caffeine. Everybody is different and people tolerate caffeine in many different ways. What is important is knowing how much caffeine works for your body and how much is too much.
March is National Caffeine Awareness Month, which is intended to raise awareness of how much caffeine you are consuming and maybe even help you cut that amount back. Caffeine is around us more now than ever. It’s not just in coffee and tea, it’s in energy drinks, smoothies, granola bars, even little shots at every checkout line. And the more caffeine we consume, the more immune we become to its effects, which lead us to need more of it to feel the effects. More is not always better when it comes to caffeine and the effects that it has on the body.
So how much is too much? The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that moderate coffee consumption (up to three to five 8-oz cups per day or up to 400 mg of caffeine per day) can be incorporated into healthy eating styles. It is important to note that every person should take into account how caffeine actually makes them feel and not just rely on the guidelines. If caffeine has a strong effect on your system, it is probably best to stick to a minimum. Trust your intuition and do not reach for another cup just because the suggested guidelines say that more is safe.
One of the most dangerous effects that caffeine has on the body is on the adrenal glands. These sit on top of the kidneys and release hormones into our bodies when we are confronted with stressors. They activate the fight or flight response and are designed to keep us alive in a time of danger. The problem with caffeine is that it stimulates those glands and releases adrenaline into the body. The more caffeine that is consumed, the more burned out the adrenal glands get. This can drastically effect sleep patterns because after consuming coffee and activating the adrenal glands, cortisol (the stress hormone) and does not allow the body to produce it naturally in the morning to keep us alert all day and asleep all night.
To change your caffeine habit, try these tips:
•Keep tabs. Start paying attention to how much caffeine you’re getting from foods and beverages, including energy drinks. Read labels carefully. But remember that your estimate may be a little low because some foods or drinks that contain caffeine don’t list it.
•Cut back gradually. For example, drink one fewer can of soda or drink a smaller cup of coffee each day. Or avoid drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day. This will help your body get used to the lower levels of caffeine and lessen potential withdrawal effects.
•Go decaf. Most decaffeinated beverages look and taste the same as their caffeinated counterparts.
•Shorten the brew time or go herbal. When making tea, brew it for less time. This cuts down on its caffeine content. Or choose herbal teas that don’t have caffeine.
•Check the bottle. Some over-the-counter pain relievers contain caffeine — as much as 130 mg of caffeine in one dose. Look for caffeine-free pain relievers instead.
* If you are feeling ill the day of the event, please stay home.
Come on out and enjoy the fun!