Energy Deprived

Recently I drastically cut back on my coffee intake. My daily caffeinated drink input now consists of a large cup of tea in the morning, at most. I did suffer the withdrawal headaches, and felt tired for a while. But now I’ve found that even though I do feel tired, I also have an easier time pulling through it and not yawning and being on the verge of falling asleep all the time. It seems, while tired, I have more energy.

It got me thinking about the “5 Hour Energy” shot drinks (which I think generally taste rather unpleasant). They are mostly caffeine and B vitamins, so they supposedly give the boost of energy drinks without all the volume and sugar. Nice, small, low calorie thing. The advertisements like to use the slogan “What is your 2:30 feeling like?” I guess that’s when most people must crash, though I think I cash more around “Right after lunch.” One actors responds “My whole day is a 2:30 feeling.”

Now, I know that sleep can be hard to get. I have been wanting to get more sleep for a long time now, and it has not happened. And some jobs and lifestyles, like being on call at a hospital, certainly make even the best of plans fall apart. But more, or better, sleep certainly goes a long way towards giving me more energy. So does exercise. And I don’t feel jittery or buzzed or caffeinated or suffer headaches if I get off the schedule. But hey, that takes work! Why work when you can pound energy shots?

I found The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, a great new fantasy novel. And I have started reading it to Luta at night. This will be a long endeavor, but it has also gotten us to bed earlier. After all, waiting until 11pm to read a book just wouldn’t work well, as we’d be too ready to pass out. So we’ve been getting to bed earlier, and actually unwinding a bit before attempting to meet with sleep. This has shown us both how tired and sleep deprived we actually are, but we have also felt more energized during the day. Works much better than a blast of chemical energy, I think.