Morning tea or coffee is what gets me out of bed, but I think it's important that we discuss how caffeine intake can negatively impact your pelvic floor.
Everyone’s caffeine sensitivity varies.
Some people (like me) can't tolerate any caffeine.
Others are fine with limited amounts and still others THINK they are unaffected, because have restless, interrupted sleep and reversed cortisol spikes (low cortisol in the morning, high in the evening).
But how can consuming caffeine impact your pelvic floor?
Three ways primarily.
1. Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms increase when the body is tired.
Sleep depletion can manifest in not only sinking moods and motivation, butt sinking organs as well.
When we are depleted, everything feels heavy.
Restoring our energy through RESTFUL sleep and mitigate symptoms AND give us the energy the we need to move and train our bodies in a manner that supports strong movement, good alignment and an emotion lift!
So next time you feel your symptoms flaring up, check on your SLEEP!
2. Digestive distress
Sleep is when our gut "resets". It conducts repairs, detoxification and a whole host of other activities when the body is placing the least amount of demand upon it.
"So when your circadian rhythm is off it begins to severely affect your quality of sleep. When you experience low quality sleep, your gut health is compromised. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea may disrupt the microbiome.
Considering the high prevalence of undiagnosed sleep disorders, if you’re experiencing gut issues you should wonder if your sleep is having an effect."
-Dr. Steven Lin
High levels of caffeine intake during the day make it difficult to fall a sleep at a reasonable hour and STAY asleep, and we aren't even addressing blue light or alcohol right now, because they can be major factors as well!
"One of the biggest obstacles I face when coaching people to optimal health is getting them to understand the importance of going to bed on time...The most popular form of caffeine is coffee. An eight ounce cup of strong coffee contains about 300 mg of caffeine. Caffeine has a half-life of about six hours. So, if you have coffee at 3 p.m., you'll still have 150 milligrams (mg) of caffeine in your blood stream at 9 p.m. Six hours later, well into the psychogenic repair cycle of immune function, you'll have 75 mg of caffeine stimulating your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Ideally, you should not drink anything containing caffeine after lunch and throughout the evening."
-Paul Chek (more here!)
3. Urge to pee
Whether you battle with interstitial cystitis (an increasingly common problem in the world of pelvic health whereby women believe they have a yeast or bladder infection for months even years, only to discover they have inflammation/irritation of the pelvic floor and bladder tissues) OR you just notice that your pelvic floor dysfunction or prolapse symptoms are worse some days, or at certain times of day, caffeine might be the culprit.
MANY women discover that by reducing or eliminating their caffeine intake they can regress their pelvic floor symptoms.
Why?
Well for one thing,
-Caffeine strongly affects the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis: the linked system of hypothalamus and pituitary glands in the brain, and the adrenal glands that sit atop the kidneys. The HPA axis influences the body’s ability to manage and deal with stress, both at rest and during activity.
-The adrenal glands secrete two key hormones: epinephrine and cortisol. Epinephrine, or adrenaline, increases respiration rate, heart rate and blood pressure; while cortisol frees up stored glucose, which we need in greater amounts during times of perceived stress.
-John Berardi, Precision Nutrition.
So if you've taken my courses or watched my IGTV videos, then you KNOW how stress and being in the Sympathetic state of the nervous system can increase pelvic floor symptoms.
If your caffeine intake is constantly pushing you in to that full blown or mild fight or flight state, then it could be a major culprit behind NOT JUST your pelvic floor issues, but your adrenal fatigue, gut health and so much more!
Ok, so what to do?
Try experimenting with your caffeine intake.
1. Stop all caffeine intake after 12pm to improve your ability to sleep. Depending on how sensitive you are to caffeine, that a may or may not be enough, but it's a start!
OR
2. Slowly ween yourself down to little to no caffeine and see if your symptoms improve?
You don't have too quit cold turkey, but rather start mixing some decaf in with your full caff and gradually work yourself down.
Same goes for teas.
Personally, I drink NO caffeine now, but it took me a little while to get here.
First I went 1/2 caff and then eventually I still felt anxious, clammy, my heart would flutter and I had to pee so often that I decided to kick the habit altogether.
I DO drink decaf coffee, which has a small amount of caffeine in it, but compared to how I used two feel, I feel little to no effect.
Maybe this is a big rock for you and your pelvic health, maybe not, but it's a simple one to explore and experiment with, so I say GO FOR IT!
If you haven't registered for Breathe Like A Bad Ass. it's Better Than Kegels, do so here.
My FREE breathing course will help you come out to that Fight or Flight state and get into rest and digest calm the body and reduce your symptoms.
xoxo,
Sarah
