Growing Pains

When I was young, I thought I was invincible.  I could eat anything and at any quantity.  I thought I had an iron stomach.  I thought sugar didn't affect me.  I thought caffeine didn't affect me.  Mugs of coffee and tea at night?  Sure, every day!

What happened?!  Last night, I was reminded of my mortality when I had a big cup of coffee after dinner, around 8:00pm.  I was so excited to try out this new french press that Alex gave me, so I made a huge vat of coffee for me and my family.  It was a little more viscous and way stronger than my drip machine - albeit a little messier - and I loved it.  

And then when I went to bed, I had palpitations and tossed and turned.  UGH!!!

In college, I was known to cradle a large cup of coffee for hours until it got cold, usually sitting in the corner of my desk, keeping me company while I did homework.  It could be 11pm and I'd be sipping my coffee that I had purchased 12+ hours ago.  And then, after finishing my homework, I'd roll into bed and sleep soundly.

Last year, when I quit coffee for the entire year, I had on average three cups of tea every day.  And by cup, I mean a huge mug that my sister got me with a capacity of like 4 cups.  That's a lot of caffeine, I think, but I slept pretty well.

It probably has to do with school.  As my friend put it, being a student is a 24-hour job.  I was probably so tired from studying and focusing my brainpower that I didn't have time for insomnia attributed to over-caffeination.  Nowadays, in a 9-5 job that doesn't challenge me intellectually all that much, I get to come home and have some peace and quiet.  I guess it's a trade-off, either I'm stressed out and sleep like a baby or I'm relatively calm and run into insomnia!  However, I am super thankful that I don't suffer from insomnia often, it's just when I stupidly overestimate my own metabolism.