Drugs: Caffeine

 I feel like we all tend to forget that caffeine is a drug itself. I personally love caffeine, I consume arguably too much on the daily basis. Although I enjoy caffeine, I have become increasingly aware of its side effects. The most unpleasant one for me is a pounding headache I have in the morning, that only appears to disappear after I consume caffeine. I wanted to research this, and see exactly why caffeine withdrawals exist, what causes them, and how to stop them from happening. This one article I read mentioned how caffeine headaches can last between 6-9 hours in some people (Article). Another article I read said that caffeine withdrawal headaches are most likely due to our blood vessels enlarging as the result of not consuming caffeine(Article). caffeine is known to constrict and tighten blood vessels, and also plays a role in blocking adenosine receptors, or pain receptors, in the brain. Learning all of this has made me become aware of just how severer my bodies dependency on caffeine is. What seems like an enjoyable, controlled substance we can find in yummy drinks, is actually a highly addictive drug that can give horrible withdrawal affects. I want to combat this awful morning headache without having to give up my favorite beverage. I read somewhere that even just by decreasing your caffeine consumption by a little can gradually help reduce the headache in the morning. Following that, by making the time you stop drinking caffeine for the day earlier, it allows our body to fully process the caffeine out of our system before going to sleep.