Whaaattt??! I have ADHD?! (shock)

My body has a weird reaction to coffee - it makes me sleepy. I told my friends about it and they all just laughed at me. The kind of laugh that tells you "are you out of your mind?". Fine! I get their point. Caffeine is suppose to perk you up not slump you down.

Incident #1 : One time my bestfriend and I decided to chill in her place. We were both craving for ice coffee so off we went to Starbucks and grabbed my favorite caramel macchiato. Back in her place, I was lying on my belly at the cot, eyes glued on National Geographic channel, downing the last drop of my coffee when I started to feel tipsy. You know that feeling when you had a couple of beers? We were in the middle of our conversation when my eyes could no longer hold it and I drifted to dreamland in an instant. The next morning she told me I slept sound while she didn't. See?

Incident #2 : I always have an afternoon crash like most people do. I feel sleepy-slash-tired-slash-bored when the clock strikes between 1PM to 3PM. I would have coffee by then to keep my focus intact. But even after finishing the second cup, drowsiness gets even worse.

It  happens everytime I drink coffee and it begins to puzzle me. Why oh why? So I googled it, surprised to learn I'm not the only one who suffers from this odd symptom. I went on to read one post at Yahoo ANSWERS and I froze :

" Relaxation from stimulants is one of the physiological indicators of ADHD. All the meds they use to treat this condition are SPEED, pure speed. May not be the only reason. Caffeine often helps people focus when they have ADHD " 

Wait a sec! What did I just read?

Are they implying I have ADHD? Wow! I mean that's the most mind-blowing thing since that bum cheated on me. Come on...! I know what those people with ADHD are like and I never had behavioral issues such inattentiveness ( i once got the most attentive award in grade school. would you believe that?), hyperactivity (but you can often see me in a dance number at the school program) and impulsiveness (the only time i'm impulsive is when i like a guy. just kidding!)

I was in pure disbelief so I dig in for another answer and here's what I found:

" Psychologically speaking, you may have coffee in your mind as a part of a relaxing ritual, similar to that sleepy feeling you get from hot chocolate or warm milk...in which case it will not be the picker upper it's supposed to be. "

Thank God I'm relieved to hear that! But I don't deny the fact I'm paranoid sometimes. Better paranoid than sorry, they say, so I googled the signs and symptoms of ADHD in adults. Take a look at some facts below. If 70% of those magnifies your personality then it's time to see a shrink.

• Chronic lateness and forgetfulness. - I'm tardy and forgetful sometimes but in general I have a good memory and I hate people who show up late especially those who never show up because they simply forgot.
   
• Anxiety -none that  I remember.
   
• Low self-esteem. - Not guilty!
   
• Employment problems. -  Yes but the typical ones only. I guess every employee at some point in his/her career have had problems.
   
• Difficulty controlling anger. - I count 1 to 10. I take a deep breath and then growl haha!
   
• Impulsiveness. - check out above explanation.
   
• Substance abuse or addiction. - No way! Never!
   
• Poor organization skills. - Well I'm not pretty bad at organizing things.
   
• Procrastination. - errrrr.....sometimes when I'm too lazy.
   
• Low frustration tolerance. - arrgghhh... I never thought its going to be this hard.
   
• Chronic boredom. - Not guilty!
   
• Difficulty concentrating when reading. - Not guilty! I'm a wide reader and I read most of the time. I can finish a paperback novel in less than 2 hours.
   
• Mood swings. - c'mon! who doesn't have mood swings?
   
• Depression - Not guilty!
   
• Relationship problems. - uhmmm...next item please..

So what do you think, guilty as charged? Of course not! I maybe pathetic, loser, crazy sometimes but I'm not suffering from any developmental disorder. Hey me, why so defensive? Haha!

In the end I found the answer to my mysterious-coffee-after-effect syndrome.

" Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenalin, the ‘flight or fight’ hormone that prepares the body to react to a threat. It increases your heart and breathing rates, dilates the pupils and increases blood flow to the muscles. Ideally this adrenalin release happens very occasionally during times of great physical stress. However, when we consume excessive amounts of caffeine we promote a sustained adrenalin response, which exhausts the adrenal glands. As a result, these glands are unable to produce even the small amounts of adrenalin required to help us maintain focus and concentration, which in turn creates feelings of physical fatigue and malaise. "
 
Now I won't be confounded when I get sleepy after a cup of coffee. Come to think of it, I found a new solution to my insomnia.