Food for though! Are you an avid caffeine drinker? Do you find yourself reaching for a second or third energy drink or coffee to make it through your day. If that’s the case, you could potentially be affecting your nerve function and in turn affecting the effectiveness of your chiropractic adjustment. Caffeine is one of many chemical stimulants that are utilized to increase alertness by increasing certain neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine. With that increased focus and energy comes an increase in hormones. More specifically stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline which contribute to increased sympathetic nervous system output AKA “fight or flight”. This amplification can result in symptoms like elevated heart rate, muscle tension and restlessness among many others.
While these effects might feel manageable short-term, chronic caffeine consumption can push your nervous system into a persistent state of stress leading to sympathetic dominance. This can feel like exhaustion, poor recovery, and diminished function across multiple body systems. This may be why you feel like you need more caffeine than you would normally consume to override the fatigue. Our main goal as Gonstead chiropractors is to remove nerve interference so that your body can function how it was designed to. In doing so, assessing all factors that may be inhibiting your nervous system function like caffeine is critical when working towards reducing nerve interference.
If your body is constantly in a state of chemical stimulation and stress it may be inhibit the effectiveness of your adjustments. With that being said, do you need to stop drinking that morning coffee? Not necessarily. However, stay aware of how caffeine may be affecting your body throughout the day so that you can get the most out of your checkups in the office.
