Is Coffee Good for you?
Jan 28, 2026
I love my morning coffee and if you are reading this blog you probably do too.
We have given coffee such a bad reputation, forgetting all its benefits.
Caffeine is one of the oldest and most socially accepted stimulants in the world.
Used intentionally, caffeine can enhance brain and metabolic health but, when caffeine is used to compensate for exhaustion or chronic stress, it can strain the nervous system and cause adrenal imbalance.
Remember: Stress Resilience is the key, not temporary stimulation!
1. The Benefits of Coffee
When consumed in moderate amounts, coffee can support health in several ways:
Brain & Cognitive Benefits
- Improves alertness, focus, and reaction time
- Support memory and cognitive performance
- Associated with a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases
Metabolic & Cardiovascular Support
- Improves insulin sensitivity
- Associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes
- Linked to reduced risk of heart disease when consumed moderately
Liver Protection
Coffee is one of the most studied liver-protective beverages:
- Lower rates of fatty liver disease
- Reduced liver inflammation
- Lower risk of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis
Gallbladder
- Stimulate bile
- Helps digestion of fats
- Reduces the risk of gallstones
Benefits for Women in Menopause
In menopause and perimenopause, caffeine can:
- Improve energy and mental clarity
- Enhance mood when used in small amounts
- Support metabolism when paired with adequate protein and sleep
Many women tolerate caffeine better in the morning, when cortisol naturally peaks.
2. Caffeine Tolerance and Genetics
When used in moderation, caffeine can be beneficial, especially as we age.
Problems arise not from caffeine itself, but from chronic overuse, relying on it to push through fatigue, stress, or poor sleep.
The key is balance.
How Much Is “Moderate”?
For most adults:
- 1–2 cups of coffee per day
- Ideally before noon
- Avoiding caffeine late in the day
The Caffeine-tolerance Enzyme: CYP1A2
Everyone’s nervous system is different, tolerance varies. CYP1A2 is a key enzyme that seems to determine how much caffeine your metabolism can tolerate.
It converts caffeine into substances that can be cleared from the body. Fast metabolizers, can sleep like babies after having coffee, others will be awake all night.
Although this is largely determined by genetics, caffeine tolerance can be affected by:
- Estrogen levels (contraceptives, pregnancy, Hormone replacement)
- Inflammation
- Liver congestion
- Medications (antidepressants, antibiotics)
- And of course stress
3. When Caffeine Becomes a Problem
Chronic, heavy caffeine use can quietly disregulate the nervous system, stress the adrenal glands, and impair brain resilience.
Too much caffeine may:
- Increase anxiety and palpitations
- Disrupt sleep
- Worsen hot flashes in some women
- Flatten cortisol rhythms
- Create afternoon crashes
- Make you feel “tired but wired”
Signs you may be overdoing it:
- Needing caffeine immediately upon waking
- Headaches if you miss a dose
- Poor sleep despite exhaustion
- Anxiety or jitteriness
- Digestive irritation
How Caffeine Really Affects the Body
1. The Nervous System
Caffeine stimulates the nervous system by blocking Adenosine, the neurotransmitter that signals rest and recovery in the brain.
When adenosine is blocked:
- Alertness increases
- Fatigue is masked (not resolved)
- The nervous system shifts toward sympathetic dominance (fight-or-flight)
- More dependency on caffeine just to feel “normal”
- Losing flexibility between stimulation and calm
- Feeling Jittery yet tired
- Anxious but mentally wired
2. The Adrenals
Caffeine stimulates the release of stress hormones and neurotransmitters in the adrenals:
- Cortisol
- Epinephrine (adrenaline)
- Norepinephrine
In moderation, this can enhance focus but, in excess, it causes cortisol dysregulation and:
- Flatten normal cortisol rhythms
- Increase afternoon crashes
- Worsen anxiety, palpitations, and sleep disruption
- Causing excessive an stimulation leading to depletion
Especially with:
- Perimenopause and menopause
- Chronic stress or anxiety
- Blood sugar instability
- Adrenal or thyroid imbalances
3. The Brain
Focus Now, Fatigue Later…Short-term high caffeine use can improve attention.
Long-term high overuse can:
- Increase anxiety and rumination
- Worsen headaches and migraines
- Trigger brain fog
Many people mistake withdrawal symptoms for “needing caffeine,” when in reality the brain is asking for regulation.
4. Your Sleep
Even caffeine consumed 6–8 hours before bedtime can:
- Reduce deep sleep
- Fragment REM cycles
- Increase nighttime awakenings
Poor sleep leads to more caffeine consumption and more stress on the nervous system stress.
A self-feeding cycle that can be detrimental to your health.
4. How to Safely Reduce Caffeine
Without Crashing Your Brain or Adrenal Glands
The good news?
You don’t need to quit caffeine abruptly to restore balance. With the right tapering strategy, you can reduce dependence gently — without headaches, fatigue, brain fog, or mood crashes.
The key is to decrease the caffeine dose gradually as tolerated and Support the Nervous System.
- Taper Slowly
- Stay hydrated
- Use supplements
Why Quitting Caffeine Abruptly Can Backfire
For people with adrenal stress, abrupt cessation can feel physically destabilizing. Suddenly stopping caffeine can cause:
- Energy crashes
- Headaches
- Brain fog
- Fatigue
- Low mood
- Irritability
How to Safely & Comfortably Taper Off Caffeine
1. Reduce Gradually (Not All at Once)
Reduce total caffeine intake by 10–25% every 3–5 days
Examples:
- Switch from large to medium coffee
- Decrease number of cups from 5 to 4
- Mix regular coffee with half decaf
- Replace one daily caffeinated drink with a non-caffeinated alternative
Slow reductions protect your brain, mood and your adrenals.
2. Replace coffee with:
- Herbal teas (rooibos, tulsi, chamomile)
- Warm water
- Chicory or dandelion root coffee
- Matcha, Green tea (lower spike, more L-theanine)
3. Eat Protein Early in the Day
A protein-rich breakfast:
- Stabilizes blood sugar
- Reduces cortisol spikes
- Decreases the perceived “need” for caffeine
Skipping breakfast + caffeine = amplified stress response.
4. Support the Adrenal Glands
Supplement support during tapering:
- Magnesium (calming to the nervous system)
- B-vitamins (especially B5, B6)
- Add electrolytes to water once a day
- Adaptative herbs (ashwagandha, rhodiola)
5. Start Breathwork
Very useful to rebuild energy when caffeine levels drop. It restores alert calm without overstimulation.
- Superficial breathing causes anxiety
- Restore calm with deeper and slower breaths
- Hold breaths to strengthen the nervous system
- Increase blood flow to the organs and the brain to enhance energy and mental sharpness
What You Notice After Reducing Caffeine
Within 2–4 weeks:
- More stable energy
- Less anxiety
- Improved sleep depth
- Better morning clarity
- Reduced crashes
- A calmer, more resilient nervous system
Many people still enjoy a daily cup of coffee, but don’t depend on it for energy. The key is to Get the Benefits of Caffeine Without Stressing Your Brain or Body.
5. The Highbe Approach: Supplements & Breathwork
At HighBe , we don’t believe in pushing through symptoms or numbing them with medications, we believe in supporting the body so it can recalibrate naturally.
Caffeine Withdraw Support: The Highbe Stress Bundle
Reducing caffeine can be one of the most powerful steps toward nervous system balance — but it can also be uncomfortable without the right support.
The Highbe Stress Bundle helps nourish the body systems most affected by chronic stress and caffeine use: the nervous system, adrenal glands, and brain.
It is is designed to help you reduce caffeine comfortably, safely, and sustainably, while restoring calm, focus, and resilience.
The Highbe Stress Bundle works because it:
- Replenishes nutrients depleted by chronic stimulation
- Supports nervous system regulation
- Promotes calm energy instead of forced stimulation
- Helps reduce headaches, anxiety, and fatigue
- Supports long-term stress resilience
This bundle is especially helpful for:
- Women in perimenopause and menopause
- Adults over 40–50
- Individuals with anxiety, palpitations, or sleep disruption
- Anyone reducing caffeine after long-term use
What’s Inside the Highbe Stress Bundle
Core support for the nervous system
Magnesium is one of the most important minerals depleted by stress and caffeine. It:
- Calms the nervous system and reduces excitability
- Helps prevent caffeine-withdrawal headaches
- Supports muscle relaxation and reduces tension
- Improves sleep quality
- Supports adrenal and stress-hormone balance
Magnesium helps the body move out of “fight-or-flight” and into rest and recovery.
Adaptogenic support for stress resilience
Ashwagandha is a clinically studied adaptogen that helps the body adapt to physical and emotional stress. It:
- Helps regulate cortisol levels
- Reduces anxiety and nervous tension
- Supports energy without stimulation
- Enhances stress resilience
- Supports hormonal balance, especially during perimenopause and menopause
Ashwagandha helps smooth the transition off caffeine by supporting calm, steady energy.
High B vitamin complex and essential nutrients.
B-vitamins are essential for energy production and nervous system function, and are often depleted by stress. They:
- Support brain function and mental clarity
- Aid neurotransmitter production
- Support adrenal gland health
- Help reduce fatigue during caffeine tapering
- Support mood and stress response
Highbe multivitamin is rich in B vitamins and nutrients that help you rebuild natural energy.
Highbe Program: Breathing for Your Health
When people struggle to reduce caffeine, it’s rarely about willpower, it’s because their nervous system that has been living in overdrive.
This is where breathing becomes medicine.
Why Caffeine Withdrawal Feels So Hard
Caffeine chronically stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight).
When caffeine is reduced, the body can experience:
- Headaches
- Anxiety or internal restlessness
- Fatigue and brain fog
- Mood swings
- A sense of “something is missing”
These symptoms are signs of a nervous system relearning how to self-regulate.
Breathing is the fastest, safest way to guide that process.
How Breathwork Supports Caffeine Withdrawal
The Highbe Breathing for Your Health Program is designed to gently restore balance during times of nervous system transition like with caffeine tapering.
What intentional breathing does:
- Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & restore)
- Directly communicates safety to the brain
- Lowers stress chemistry within minutes
- Helps the body generate energy naturally again
- Lowers cortisol and adrenaline
- Improves oxygen delivery to the brain
- Reduces withdrawal headaches and tension
- Calms anxiety and jitteriness
- Improves sleep quality
- Restores natural energy rhythms
This allows the brain and adrenal system to adapt without shock.
The Highbe Approach: Calm Energy, Not Forced Energy
Breathing work better than pushing through. When breathing becomes a daily practice, caffeine shifts from a necessity to an option.
Our breathing program teaches you how to:
- Regulate your nervous system on demand
- Move out of “tired but wired”
- Reduce reliance on caffeine without crashes
- Restore steady, calm focus
- Support adrenal recovery naturally
Learn more at Highbe.org
Start breathing your way back to balance.
