Caffeine, Cocaine & Cigarettes
And a couple healthier stimulants to supercharge your day
How to Breathe If You Want an Energy Boost (That Might Not Also Kill You)
When I took Abnormal Psychology in undergrad, my professor reminded us at least once a week that the most addictive substances all begin with C: caffeine, cocaine (especially crack), and cigarettes.
Anything I’ve ever read about heroin makes it sound like it should also be on that list… although I guess not, because it would have to be called ceroin.
But I was alarmed to hear caffeine lumped in with these other things that were indisputably unhealthy and in my mind, much more akin to the idea of “drugs”.
So yeah, caffeine can be addictive, and withdrawal can give you a nasty headache along with your exhaustion. Which is just one reason some people avoid it.
(Another reason is that it can make you feel like HolyHellMyHeartIsJackhammeringAndWhyDoISuddenlyWantToRunInCircles?)
I’m not caffeine-free myself. But because addiction seems like a good thing to avoid in life, I do have a couple rules for my coffee consumption.
Only one cup most days. I can have a second cup if I have a compelling reason (i.e. I’m seriously dragging before an important meeting or speaking on a panel or something), but never more than that.
I don’t start drinking it until at least 10am.
I’ve always had my coffee on the later side. Partly because I usually start working around that time, and partly because I stick to one cup – so I usually try to make that cup last as long as possible.
And apparently I’ve been doing something right... because in a yay-for-me twist, it turns out that delaying your caffeine consumption can help boost its impact.
Our bodies create a neurotransmitter called adenosine. Adenosine is basically the drive to sleep, and it works in a similar way as your hunger mechanism.
When you get hungry, your craving for food grows and grows until your stomach makes so much noise you wonder if it’s eating itself.
It’s not, though. And once you consume food, your hunger falls off a cliff.
It’s the same thing with sleep drive. Your adenosine builds all day, increasing as last night’s sleep gets further away in your rearview mirror. But once you sleep, that chemical plummets, and you won’t feel it building again for awhile.
The theory behind delaying your caffeine consumption is that your sleep drive is already at its lowest when you wake up, so caffeine won’t really help at that point. Plus, using it so early in your day can increase dependency, because you’re interfering with your natural chemical rhythms.
So if you’re a caffeine drinker, you may want to delay your consumption for a week or two and see if you like how you feel.
Anyway, once my coffee's gone for the day – it’s gone. So if I want another perk-me-up, I need a plan B.
Enter breathwork.
As much as breathwork can help you chill out fast, it can help you feel energized just as fast. And it’s a great way to pump yourself up anytime, regardless of whether you use caffeine.
Here’s one of my favorite breathwork exercises for a quick burst of oxygen and clear-headedness.
Double Breathing
Do a quick, sharp inhalation through your nose, followed by a longer, fuller inhalation again through the nose.
As soon as your lungs are full, do a quick, sharp exhale followed by a longer, complete exhale, all through your mouth.
You can follow along as I do it here.
So – in sharply and then fully through the nose, and out sharply and then fully through the mouth. Try this for 5 rounds, then take a quick break before starting again.
Instant energy boost!
Do 4 total sets (of 5 rounds) max, especially if you’re just starting out.
And slow down if you feel a little lightheaded. You’re not trying to make yourself faint (did anyone else do that with friends at slumber parties when you were a kid, or was that just me?).
Non-Caffeinated Energy Boost #2
My other favorite non-caffeinated mood booster and energizer is especially useful when I’m fending off that mid-afternoon energy slump, or if I’m driving late at night.
I’m all about high-vibe music.
Not only does it make your brain happy, but it can also actually increase your heart rate.
And it doesn’t have to be dancey, uplifting music.
I’ve been a rocker chick ever since Poison released Look What the Cat Dragged In in 1986 🤘 (Dating myself, don’t care.) I prefer harder music which I’ve described more than once as “having some ass in it”.
So for me the ultimate musical caffeine is Rage Against the Machine (who coincidentally have a song called “Wake Up”) - or for something a little more current, a group called Savages.
Not particularly light-hearted, definitely not safe for work… but a big energetic shift in my day for sure.
Now There’s a Thought…
Do you use your phone as your alarm clock? Download one of your favorite high-energy tunes and save it as your alarm sound so it’s the first thing you hear in the morning.
Nothing too thrashy, though – the idea is to give yourself a little dopamine squirt, not a heart attack.
And try one round (4 sets of 5) of double breathing before your feet hit the floor.
Tell me, what gets you going when you need a jolt? Leave a comment and let me know!