I love caffeine, I really do. My favourite way to ingest this wonder drug is via a mocha. Caffeine is both my friend and foe; I love the surge of energy, but hate the increased anxiety and twitchy bladder. Drinking coffee during the menopause is a topic I continue to see on social media; some ladies avoid it like the plague, others can’t live without it. Which camp are you in?
I gave up mochas for a while (Nescafe cafe menu Double Choca Mochas are my guilty pleasure) after a particularly unpleasant urine infection. But, an equally unpleasant bout of insomnia had me back on the mochas quicker than you can say leaky bladder.
So I find myself, yet again, back on a three-a-day mocha habit with an expanding waistband and irritated bladder.
The benefits of drinking coffee
- Coffee is a source of antioxidants
- It could support brain health
- Boosts energy levels
- It produces a short term memory boost
- It may lower the risk of depression
- It may benefit heart health
- Coffee can enhance exercise performance
Coffee is a popular beverage that researchers have studied extensively for its many health benefits, including its ability to increase energy levels, promote weight management, enhance athletic performance, and protect against chronic disease.
Keep in mind that some people may need to limit their intake, including people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children and adolescents, and people with certain health conditions.
Still, drinking coffee in moderation — about three to four cups per day — has been associated with several health benefits and is generally considered safe for most adults.
Healthline
The problems with coffee
For some people, coffee can cause irritability, nervousness or anxiety in high doses, and it can also impact sleep quality and cause insomnia. In people with hypertension, coffee consumption does transiently raise their blood pressure — although for no more than several hours.
One Medical
Coffee during the menopause.
The problem with coffee is mainly the caffeine, and caffeine is a stimulant. And we know that going through the menopause, our nervous system is going to be really stressed just by itself because of all the hormonal changes going on. And if you drink coffee on a regular basis, your nervous system is going to get wound up and wound up and wound up. And that will give you symptoms like flushes, palpitations. It can give you headaches. It can give you itchy skin, and it can interfere with your sleep. And we know that even drinking a cup of coffee early afternoon, it can take the body such a long time to process everything that there can be still caffeine whizzing in your system as you go to bed. So an early afternoon cup of coffee can actually be one of the reasons why you may not be sleeping particularly well at this time.
AVogel
Research has shown that caffeine consumption is associated with greater vasomotor symptoms, eg hot flushes and night sweats, in menopausal women. On the positive side, an association has been found between caffeine intake and fewer problems with mood, memory and concentration in perimenopausal women.
Caffeine is a diuretic, it is also thought to have an effect on the bladder’s smooth muscle, which I can attest to. If drink too much caffeine my bladder becomes twitchy and more liable to spasm and leak.
To Caffeinate or not to caffeinate?
I’m trying to develop a taste for good quality black coffee and to ration it to one cup a day, two maximum and both before 10am. I’ll save my sugary mocha habit for weekends and special occasions. I’m trying a variety of herbal teas; my favourite is apple and cinnamon by Heath and Heather. (Shown above and available from Holland and Barrett.)
Do you still drink coffee during the menopause or have you had to give it up altogether?
Thank you for stopping by.
Take care and stay well.
Much love, Charlotte x
Click here to read my menopause gift guide.
