Something That Bugs Me

Stuff you need to know before you read this part of the post:
1. Michael and I take a multi-vitamin with dinner every day.
2. We usually eat dinner around 8:00.
3. Our typical bed time is about 10:30.
4. I have been off of caffeine of any kind (except for chocolate) for almost two years.
5. I'm really sensitive to caffeine, even when it's part of my usual pattern. Even when I was drinking things with caffeine, I limited myself to one such beverage a day. Even that could give the the jitters if I wasn't careful.

The story:
Last time I ran out of multi-vitamins, apparently so did every woman in Seattle. The grocery store where I usually shop was out of my usual (One-A-Day Women's Health formula), but in the space next to the empty spot on the shelf was a package called One-A-Day Weight Smart. I don't know a single woman who doesn't want to be weight smart. I grabbed a package, deciding it would do to replace my usual. It's a multi-vitamin in the health food section of the store--must be good for me. Or so one would think.

Over the past week, I'd been noticing that I'd been having a lot of trouble falling asleep at our usual bed time. I just wasn't sleepy. I should have been. I went back to work after spring break this week, and it was a surprisingly busy first week back. Still, I tossed and turned and wondered what was going on. I wracked my brain for any change to my routine that might be keeping me awake. I should also mention that I was waking up in the morning groggy, with a splitting headache.

Finally, last night, as we were fixing dinner, I turned to Michael and said, "I wonder if it's the vitamins. That's the only change I can think of. Maybe there's something in them that I shouldn't have before bed time."

Michael picked up the bottle and squinted at the tiny label. His eyes widened, "The fourth ingredient on the list is caffeine! These things are full of it! You've got to stop taking these."

So, here's a consumer warning: avoid One-A-Day Weight Smart if you're sensitive to caffeine. The product is not clearly labeled, and it does not say up front that it contains caffeine. They ought to put that fact in bold print somewhere on the front of the package! I find it absolutely ridiculous that it's being marketed as a health food!

At any rate, I didn't take any last night, and imagine this: I slept just fine, and I didn't wake up with a headache.