Well, it's official... I'm a caffeine addict.
In the actual medical sense.
Since I've had this nasty cold I've been fighting, I've been trying to lay off black tea and coffee because the acidity in both drinks isn't great for my sore throat. I didn't really think much about it, really. I just chose not to drink coffee or black tea for a couple of days.
The side effects caught up with me in the middle of class in the form of a KILLER headache accompanied by a bit of nausea. Now, I don't usually get headaches. I can count the number of times I remember having one on one hand. So, it freaked me out a little bit that all of a sudden the spot on my forehead right between my eyes was just throbbing, and as the minutes passed, it just kept getting worse. I thought to myself, "Is this some new cold symptom? Because if it is... I need to go to a doctor NOW because sudden, severe headaches are NOT run-of-the-mill flu symptoms." Couple that with the upset stomach, and I was sure I had something really nasty.
Then, I realized I hadn't had any coffee, tea, soda, or anything at all caffeinated for the last 48 hours. And I googled "caffeine withdrawal symptoms" after all my students left. Guess what they are? Yep. Headache, nausea, and feeling lightheaded. And guess when I started to feel better? When I came home and made myself a decent cup of coffee.
Note to self: Don't try and go off caffeine cold turkey when you're sick. It'll make you feel more awful than you already do, which is NOT good for the recovery process.
Since I've had this nasty cold I've been fighting, I've been trying to lay off black tea and coffee because the acidity in both drinks isn't great for my sore throat. I didn't really think much about it, really. I just chose not to drink coffee or black tea for a couple of days.
The side effects caught up with me in the middle of class in the form of a KILLER headache accompanied by a bit of nausea. Now, I don't usually get headaches. I can count the number of times I remember having one on one hand. So, it freaked me out a little bit that all of a sudden the spot on my forehead right between my eyes was just throbbing, and as the minutes passed, it just kept getting worse. I thought to myself, "Is this some new cold symptom? Because if it is... I need to go to a doctor NOW because sudden, severe headaches are NOT run-of-the-mill flu symptoms." Couple that with the upset stomach, and I was sure I had something really nasty.
Then, I realized I hadn't had any coffee, tea, soda, or anything at all caffeinated for the last 48 hours. And I googled "caffeine withdrawal symptoms" after all my students left. Guess what they are? Yep. Headache, nausea, and feeling lightheaded. And guess when I started to feel better? When I came home and made myself a decent cup of coffee.
Note to self: Don't try and go off caffeine cold turkey when you're sick. It'll make you feel more awful than you already do, which is NOT good for the recovery process.