Caffeine Made Me CRAZY....Well, CRAZIER than my "Normal" CRAZY!!!! :-P

Yep!  You read that right!  I, J-La-Sta, haven't had coffee or caffeine (except for a tea I tried when there were no other caffeine free options) in 14 days!  I wish I had figured this out sooner, but by nixing caffeine, I am SO Much Calmer!  Life isn't an overwhelming thing for me like it was before.  Seriously, on a day off, I didn't want to go to the store, because that was "doing something".  It was hard enough just to muster up the energy to hold down a Full Time job (which I always have done).  I had little to no energy left for anything else.  Cooking Dinner was overwhelming.  Grocery shopping was overwhelming.  Laundry was overwhelming.  Even meeting up with a friend was often overwhelming.  On top of being overwhelmed with life, I was also incredibly anxious, and I of course felt guilty and bad for being overwhelmed and constantly anxious.  I told myself lies like "Christians aren't supposed to feel anxious", and that only made me feel more anxious.  I thought this anxiety was my cross to bear in life.  Little did I know that a HUGE cause of my extremely anxious and sleep-deprived self, was caffeine.

Previously I usually had about 16-18 ounces of coffee a day.  I would often sip on the same cup throughout the day and be finishing it as I left work at 6:00pm.   I know it's not good to drink coffee after Noon-2:00pm, but I've since found out that even drinking it in the morning can interfere with sleep.  I'm also on meds for anxiety and I read that caffeine can reduce the effectiveness of at least one of the meds by 50 percent.  I am also on another med that increases the length of time that my body takes to metabolize caffeine. Also, we Ladies can get by with not taking care of ourselves in our 20's and early 30's, but by late 30's - early 40's, we can't get by with that anymore.  At least I've found that I can't get by with that anymore, while at the same time living a healthy and happy life! :-)  I thought my extreme anxiety was caused by perimenopause.  Yes, I am in perimenopause and yes, anxiety is a major symptom of it, but caffeine affects women more as they age.  I guess sometimes I forget that I'm not 25 anymore! :-)

Since going off of caffeine, I have slept so much better!  The pics below show my sleep from the past 2 weeks.  It's been A-MAZ-ing!!!!!!  Losing weight has gotten easier since I'm sleeping instead of eating my points overnight! :-) 

I'm also much less overwhelmed and have much more energy, and that is greatly helping my Husband as well.  I've been cooking much more than I used to, and it doesn't overwhelm me or make me anxious, like it used to.  Take Today for example.  I went to Weight Watchers, did the grocery shopping, and had dinner in the crockpot before 2:00pm. 

You might be asking, REALLY, going off of caffeine has improved the quality of your life this much?  Yes, it surely has!  Do I miss drinking coffee?  Yes.  Did I have withdrawal symptoms?  No.  I was very blessed and never got headaches or anything, but I did sleep and have more energy since day 1 of no caffeine.

I know it's going off of caffeine that is making me feel much calmer.  Last Sunday at Church there was no decaf tea, so I tried regular tea.  Within a half hour, while sitting in church, I began to feel more anxious again.  I had my answer.  I MUST NOT HAVE CAFFEINE EVER AGAIN!  So, my new drink of choice has been peppermint herbal tea.  It's still hot and comforting! :-)

I wish I would have gone off of caffeine sooner, but I am very grateful that I now get GREAT Sleep and that I help my Husband so much more now.  I've learned that I'm actually NOT a bad wife, I was just so anxious and overwhelmed, that holding down a full time job took all the energy I had.

So, if I must veto caffeine for life to get sleep, and have the energy to live a productive life, than it's well worth the minor sacrifice! :-)

I'm Too Young For This!!!!!!

• My short term memory has been awful
• Insomnia
• Waking up drenched by my own sweat
• Inability to focus
• It's like CONSTANT PMS with no relief
• Moodiness
• Irritability
• It's like PMS on Steroids
• It's like Puberty in reverse
• Etc
• Etc
• I'll spare you from reading all of the wonderful symptoms, you get the idea! :-)

Hello!  My Name is J-La-Sta and I am in Perimenopause!  Can I have PMS back please?  JUST PMS?  You know, where the irritability goes away once Aunt Flo comes to visit? :-) 

My Perimenopause Journey began last Fall.  Before Last October, I thought Menopause was something that happened to women in their 50's and 60's.  Then they had a few hot flashes, missed a few periods, and then they were done!  Oh if only life were that simple!  In my defense, most of my girlfriends who are my age and younger and even some who are older then me, thought the same thing.  So, that's why I'm here to raise awareness for Perimenopause!  Menopause does not actually happen until a woman has missed a period for a full year!!  Who knew?  I didn't until a year ago!  Up until that point, she is considered to be in Perimenopause.  I had never heard of the term before I entered this phase of life.  I thought I was dying, but I wasn't.  So Ladies, if you experience these symptoms, and most importantly if your periods become irregular, i.e. closer together, longer (like my 21 day period which came 2 weeks after my last period ended), heavier, further apart, you may be entering Perimenopause.  Am I on the early end of it?  Yes, I am!  But Perimenopause can start anywhere from age 35 to age 55.  Every woman is different.  I have now been in it for a year.  I was 39 years old when Perimenopause started for me.

This has been quite the roller coaster ride, but I'm thankful to have a caring, loving, and understanding Husband by my side! :-)

I have a Dr's Appt in 2 weeks, and hope to get some type of relief for my insomnia, night sweats, etc.

So, Obviously, I am NOT too young for this, even though I thought I was!   Every woman experiences it differently, but I would like to raise awareness, pave the way for friends who have yet to go thru it, or who are going thru it, and bring it out in the open.  It's real.  Let's be open and honest about it with the generations to come!  It's nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about!

Yes, It's real, and NO I'm not going crazy...well some days I do! :-)

Off to warn my Husband to wear a flotation device to bed, and to TRY and sleep! :-)