Today we are answering an important question: is coffee for therapy worthwhile?
Coffee is one of the most frequently consumed drinks in many parts of the world. For instance, in the United States alone, Americans consume as many as 400 million cups of coffee every single day!
Most of us drink coffee because of the energy boost it provides us with. We don’t want to be sluggish when we head to work or school, so it makes sense to be energized early in the morning.
However, many of us may not realize that the benefits of coffee go beyond giving us a punch of energy boost. Was once demonized as bad for your health, recent research suggests that coffee can provide numerous health benefits for you such as improved fat burning and lowered risk of type 2 diabetes (more on that later).
There are a variety of other benefits that come with coffee, but check out the top 11 here: “Health Benefits of Caffeine: 11 Reasons To Add Coffee To Your Diet.”
Even better, coffee can also have mental and therapeutic benefits for you too. Yes, not only does coffee energize you in the morning, but it can improve your mood as well. In short, coffee can help brighten your day!
If coffee is one of your favorite drinks, this article will be good news for you! In this article, we will share a variety of mental health and therapeutic benefits of coffee. We will also get to know some other health benefits of coffee as well.
Without further ado, let’s get started discussing coffee for therapy!
Positive Effects of Coffee For Therapy
It might come as a surprise, but there are numerous health benefits to drinking coffee consistently. Since coffee contains caffeine, which is a psychoactive substance, coffee stimulates our central nervous system which, in turn, helps boost our energy and even our mood. But there’s more to that.
Caffeine’s stimulation to our central nervous system also acts as an antidepressant because it elevates the levels of dopamine and serotonin – two “feel good” hormones – in our body. Caffeine can provide mood-boosting benefits that it is shown in studies that it can even lower the risk of suicide.
Needless to say, these benefits will come if caffeine or coffee is consumed properly. Too much caffeine will eventually lower the mental health benefits it provides. At the same time, too much caffeine can lead to negative side effects including palpitations, insomnia, and even nervousness.
5 Therapeutic Benefits of Coffee
Not only does coffee provide help with mental health issues, but it can also bring about therapeutic benefits for us. Aside from caffeine, coffee also contains vitamins and minerals which can bring about these therapeutic benefits. Here are some ways on how can benefit us therapeutically.
1) Coffee contains vitamins and minerals
You may not be aware, but coffee also contains vitamins, minerals, and other antioxidant compounds. This alone can bring a number of health and therapeutic benefits for our body, such as fighting off inflammation in the case of antioxidants.
An addition of vitamins and minerals to your body can help increase the health of your gut, as well as your general well-being.
2) Coffee is a source of magnesium
Coffee is one source of magnesium that many people are unaware of. Magnesium is a powerful mineral that can bring about numerous health benefits. This includes improved cognitive function (magnesium plays a key role in our brain), strengthened bone structures, improved tooth health, and even elevated mood. There is still research to be done, but currently, it shows that magnesium can positively affect our mood.
3) Coffee can help you fight against headaches and migraines
If you are suffering from migraines and headaches, adding coffee to your diet can be a good idea. Caffeine can affect blood vessels in our brain which, in turn, can reduce the duration and intensity of migraines.
Do you know that even migraine medication often contains caffeine? Take note, however, that too much caffeine can reverse this effect, and instead, it may intensify your migraine.
4) Protect your gall bladder against gall stone formation
Coffee can protect your gall bladder from gall stone formation by increasing the amount of gastric juice inside your system. In turn, this helps activate digestion. Having a healthy gut biome is crucial to mental health, so this is a huge benefit to drinking coffee.
5) Coffee can help you if you’re tired
Coffee contains cardiotonic, diuretic, and other stimulating properties. These properties can help you alleviate your tiredness. Typically is someone is battling depression or some form of mental health, they might find getting out of bed increasingly harder and harder.
While coffee is just a bit of a push, it can be the jump start that gets you out of bed.
More Health Benefits of Coffee
The benefits of coffee do not end with its energy-boosting benefits, mental health, and therapeutic benefits. Here are other key health benefits that coffee can provide you with. You might even be surprised that your favorite morning drink is this beneficial to your health.
1) Coffee can help you burn fat
Caffeine is a proven natural substance that can help you burn fat. This is because caffeine is shown to help you boost your metabolic rate by around 3-11%.
Do you know that for that very same reason, caffeine is an active ingredient in almost all fat-burning supplements? You can get the fat-burning benefits of caffeine by simply drinking coffee.
However, these fat-burning effects may diminish if you drink coffee in the long-term.
2) Coffee can lower your risk to type 2 diabetes
While the reasons are not clear yet, studies have observed that those who drink coffee the most have a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes by around 23-50%. Some studies even show that the risk reduced against type 2 diabetes is around 67% if you drink coffee.
The reasons are still unclear, but the observation is promising nevertheless!
3) Coffee can improve your physical performance
Being an energy-booster and stimulant to your nervous system, caffeine can improve your physical performance which will be very helpful in your workouts or if you live an active lifestyle.
Caffeine can increase the adrenaline levels in your body, prepping your body for some intense physical activity! At the same time, caffeine also breaks down body fat, which releases free fatty acids and make them your added fuel source.
Aside from helping you burn fat, caffeine can increase your physical performance, which in turn will help you burn more fat.
4) Coffee can boost your short-term cognitive functions such as memory
This comes as no surprise because caffeine stimulates our brains. Aside from boosting our energy, studies have shown that caffeine can improve certain cognitive functions such as reaction times, memory, mood, vigilance, and overall cognitive functions.
However, while caffeine can boost your short-term memory, it is not clear if it can affect your long-term memory.
5) Potentially lower your risk of stroke (it is also not necessarily bad for your heart)
Contrary to earlier beliefs, research does not support the idea that coffee can increase your risk of heart disease. At the same time, studies show that coffee drinkers can have a reduced risk of stroke by around 20%.
However, if you have elevated blood pressure and occurring heart problem, or if you’re sensitive to caffeine, stop your consumption and ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to take caffeine. This is because too much caffeine can cause palpitations.
6) Coffee is high in antioxidants
As already mentioned above, coffee contains antioxidants. Antioxidants are very important in fighting off inflammation by fighting free radicals, a major factor in the development of inflammation.
Inflammation can cause or intensify major diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
The benefits of drinking coffee go beyond the energy boost. It can benefit our mental and overall health, and it can provide us with therapeutic benefits as well.
Needless to say, do not consume too much coffee as it can lead to negative side effects including palpitations, insomnia, and nervousness. If you are drinking coffee for health benefits, be sure to reduce its sugar content because too much sugar can reserve the health benefits of coffee. As you have read coffee for therapy can be very beneficial, but is not for everyone!
Try it out – An Dark Iced Mocha
If you are inspired to try out some coffee for therapeutic purposes, then this recipe is for you. Combining coffee with the powerful antioxidant properties of dark chocolate, this blend of flavors is perfect for anyone!
What you’ll need:
- 2 shots of espresso
- 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
- 1/2 ounce of dark chocolate
- 2 teaspoons of sweetener of choice (we suggest honey or cane sugar)
- 1/2 cup of milk of choice
- 1 cup of ice
Method:
- Brew espresso
- Immediately after espresso brews, add in cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Mix to remove all lumps. Then, add sweetener. Continue to mix until smooth and creamy.
- Fill the cup with ice. Pour in your mocha mixture. Then, add in your milk. Stir well to combine.
- Enjoy!
Ready to brew a cup of coffee? Now that you know the ins and outs of coffee for therapy, check out our easy and delicious homemade coffee recipes. Check out our different beans here to get started.
