Caffeine Detox Time

[LiE]

I drink 1-2 cups of tea or coffee an hour whilst i am up (unless i am out of the house/office), sometimes more? I just enjoy the taste and like having a hot drink, i dont feel energised by it at all, i've never understood the talk of people 'bouncing off the walls' and such with coffee and tea. Now and then i will just have hot water instead and that's fine too, just doesnt taste as nice. I don't find that it has any effect on my bowel movements, my sleeping etc. I sleep normally every night, and i've never been one to nap in the day. I find it interesting to read about all these reactions and the conviction different people have to caffeine and cutting it down etc, but i can't relate to it at all.

Yea there's a specific genetic trait that determines how you metabolise caffeine. At one end you have people like me who are very sensitive, and with a strong coffee feel very strong effects. Then there are people like you and @Skillmister who smash coffee and don't get any of effects.

https://www.coffeeandhealth.org/201...ts-three-main-groups-of-caffeine-sensitivity/

An individual’s response to caffeine is likely determined by two main genetic factors: whether their liver can metabolise caffeine quickly or slowly1-3.; and whether they carry a genetic variation that makes their central nervous system more sensitive to caffeine’s stimulating effects1,4-8

Based on these genetic factors, Dr Langer has proposed three descriptive levels of overall caffeine sensitivity:

• High sensitivity to caffeine

Slow-metabolism in the liver and high binding in the central nervous system. Even small amounts of caffeine will cause a stimulating effect and higher doses may cause sleep problems, as seen in a minority of people.

• Regular sensitivity to caffeine

The balance between caffeine inactivation in the liver and binding in the central nervous system means that the individual can typically drink 2-5 cups of coffee during the day without adverse reactions or sleep disturbances. Caffeine is normally not recommended in the evening, but individual differences prevail, as seen in most people.

• Low sensitivity to caffeine

Fast-metabolisers of caffeine. Higher intakes can be consumed, (although healthcare professionals should advise that they still stay within the EFSA guidelines of no more than five cups of coffee per day9). Coffee drinking before bedtime does not typically disturb sleep.

On one hand it's good if you enjoy the drinks for their taste, but on the other hand if you need the boost you've not really got that as an option.

 

[LiE]

I only have 1 cup of coffee a day in the morning. I still get a buzz from it - but I can understand if you drink a lot of coffee how you can be fried from it. I just love the taste. I'd be happy for coffee to have no caffeine in it (I know decaf exists, but it's not quite the same) if it tasted the same. Besides the flavonoids in coffee aren't a bad thing.

That said if you're drinking a lot of coffee (or any other particular food over any others) then it is worth doing a bit of a change.

I do like coffee, but actually now I've been off it for a while I'm really enjoying the mornings again. Last 2 days I've felt great when waking up. Yesterday was a weird day, I felt dialled in, super focused all day.

So now instead of reaching for a coffee in the morning I've been mediating. Much better than a strong dose of the stress hormone from caffeine in the morning to get me going.

 

[LiE]

Going to bump this as after my longest ever period of consistent caffeine regime (stop around 6pm every day), I've got to make a change.

I'm starting medication soon and the doc has requested minimal alcohol and caffeine - ideally none. Alcohol is easy, since lockdown I drink alcohol maybe once a month or less.

But I'm consistently on 3-5 or even 6 drinks a day (mostly tea not coffee, but it's still a lot of caffeine when I've had 6!). I also make sure to have my first cup ready as soon after waking as possible. For instance I don't eat breakfast until 11am but that comes with my second drink at least.

So I've suggested to the doctor I'll do my best but the requested "1 a day maximum" might not be achievable.

I certainly won't be going cold turkey. Wish me luck

Good luck

Tapering down is certainly easier. My approach was to hold out for as long as possible each day before I had my first fix. After a while I was able to get to the afternoon and then 1 small cup of green tea was enough to keep the headaches away. Then I dropped the green tea.

I am drinking caffeine but I am acutely aware of my dosages each day. I also have strict rules; 1. don't drink any caffeine past 1pm 2. don't start the day with caffeine, have breakfast and wait for an hour or so to allow natural cortisol to do it's thing.

 

[LiE]

Almost 9 weeks now with no caffeine, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions for sure. Each day is different as my body is still trying to figure out how to function normally and reach homeostasis.

My sleep isn't great at the moment which surprised me, one of the big drivers for quitting caffeine was to get deeper more restful sleep. On caffeine I would go to bed at 11pm and fall asleep easily and wake up when my alarm went off. Now, I fall asleep easily still but I wake up between 3-5am for a period. On a few occasions I have woke up at 4am completely wide awake, got up and had energy for the entire day no issues. My guess is that on caffeine when I had my 8 hours of sleep I was probably getting 5 hours of actual deep restful sleep, so now that I get that improved sleep off caffeine my body thinks I'm done after 5 hours and wakes me up.

Mood has been all over the place. Some days I will feel completely "flat", probably due to normal responses within the body being low and non-respondent. No doubt my serotonin and dopamine responses completely at a loss without being stimulated all the time by caffeine. I have had some days where I've felt fantastic, almost like I've had caffeine, I put these down to the body over compensating on those natural responses in an attempt to find a balance. Looking forward to the day when my body returns to normal, caffeine has truly wrecked it.

The benefits I've been enjoying are reduced anxiety, no more increased heart rate/blood pressure, I feel so much more calmer which changes my mindset when approaching decisions and thinking. Gut and digestive health is much improved.

I have started guided meditation again in the mornings and still doing Scottish showers which are fantastic, a little sprinkle of cold water therapy in the morning.

 

[LiE]

I had a similar experience when doing a caffeine detox and lost patience with it. Possibly needed to stick it out longer and I'm sure there are other habits that contribute to some of these issues.

Actually ended up adding tea into my caffeine "routine", which has L-theanine in it; essentially a counter to caffeine, and that made a difference - you can also try it in supplement form if your caffeine intake is high.

I used green tea when I'm tapering off caffeine, the L-theanine helps.

It definitely takes sometime, which makes sense, can't be on caffeine for 10 years and expect the body to know what to do naturally after a few months.

 

[LiE]

I don't know if you're chasing some feeling or state of mind/body which doesn't/can't exist for yourself?

I'm no expert I'll be the first to admit, but after a few months without caffeine I'd have thought you'd be well in the clear.

It definitely can take more than a few months, I've been on stimulants for 18 years. The immediate withdrawal effects are long gone, what I'm left with now is the lasting damage caused by caffeine. It will take time for my body to balance and figure out how to function without self medicating caffeine.

Today I feel pretty decent, all I'm after is stability.

 

[LiE]

Then it went to flavoured lattes, flat whites and now I am on all black.

It's a slippery slope. Soon you'll be taking caffeine pills, then you'll be crushing them and sprinkling them on your cereal

 

[LiE]

I started drinking coffee again sometime around mid December and for a short while it was great... but then tolerance kicked in and I found myself back at the point where I'm drinking coffee just to feel normal.

Over the last week I've been tapering down again and feeling really good actually. Only a single cup of black tea in the morning for the past 3 days. Going to see how it goes on this dosage for a little longer, then potentially cut it.

My main motivation is I keep having huge crashes in the afternoon where I need to lay down and sometimes nap. I think it's stress caused by caffeine. The past week this has reduced drastically.

 

[LiE]

I'm trying to give up myself, 48 hours now without coffee now... A banging headache to show for it

I've found tapering is best. Today is day 3 for me with no caffeine.

I think I'm with you there. The grinding, and the smell of the coffee in the morning is such a nice mindful routine I follow. That said I can go for days, if not longer without hankering for a coffee, but I just enjoy the routine (and the taste / smell of it!).

You must have a low sensitivity to caffeine

 

[LiE]

Almost 1 year since the last update, how are people doing?

My usage is creeping into the “need lots just to function” territory which usually prompts me to cut back.

I’m tempted to come completely off again but always slip up when work is busy and I’m a little under the weather.

 

[LiE]

I'm still having 1 sometimes 2 cups a day. All hormones and blood profile is good as is blood pressure. It's a pleasure to have a nice coffee. I get more seratonin out of it than if I didn't. I function fine without it but I just like the routine and flavour and enjoyment of having a coffee.

What does your morning coffee look like?

 

[LiE]

How are people doing with their caffeine habits? Anyone still caffeine free?

 

[LiE]

Went from about 5/6 cups a day (2 bean to cup in the morning then instant rest of the day) a few months ago to a single cup when I wake up - has made absolutely no difference to energy levels, sleep or mood whatsoever which is disappointing. I don't have caffeine from any other source either, i'm just broken I guess

You should take a few weeks off to reset your tolerance.

 

[LiE]

The vending machine that holds the magic knock off Monster is broken this morning...might have to take up coffee drinking like an adult.

Apparently coffee has other beneficial effects for getting stuff done that aren't related to caffeine.

The study found that drinking coffee decreases connectivity in the default mode network of the brain, making individuals more prepared to switch from rest to task mode

Drinking coffee also increases connectivity in the higher visual network and the right executive control network, contributing to working memory and cognitive control.

These beneficial effects on brain connectivity were not observed with caffeine alone, indicating that the full experience of drinking coffee plays a significant role in enhancing alertness and cognitive readiness.

Beyond Caffeine: How the Coffee Experience Enhances Brain Readiness - Neuroscience News

Drinking coffee increases alertness and prepares people to switch from rest to task mode more so than just consuming caffeine.

neurosciencenews.com

 

[LiE]

Yea, there is the whole “super food” thing with coffee. Wouldn’t touch an energy drink with a 10ft pole.

Read an article on filtered vs unfiltered coffee too. Apparently some level of filtration is better.

Coffee also has a surprising amount of fibre in it too.

I'm currently following the Andrew Huberman recommendation to delay the morning coffee by 60-90 minutes to avoid the afternoon crash. I only drink 1 cup in the morning, freshly ground pour over.

 

[LiE]

like I said, i'm just broken.

You may be a poor caffeine metaboliser so it doesn't have much effect on you. I know someone who can drink cups a day then stop without feeling any difference, he doesn't understand why when I stop I fee like I've got the flu.

 

[LiE]

Oh, trust me, it has an effect on me for sure, just looking back at this post from 2019 - I was the same a few months back as well.



One point of note is that i've made significant other changes in my lifestyle the last few months as well, both in diet and routine so it may be the effects of reduced caffeine are being blunted by other factors.

I will say the one thing that has improved my general energy and sleep is supplementing magnesium and zinc, the latter giving some very vivid dreams bordering on lucidity

Another thing to think about is the cut off time for caffeine. As a general rule I don't drink caffeine after 1pm, otherwise it will impact my sleep and make me need more caffeine the next day. I can still fall asleep really easily if I have have a late coffee but the quality and the deepness of the sleep is definitely worse. I almost wake up feeling hungover which makes me want to drink more coffee.

 

[LiE]

I read that too, and it makes sense since coffee isn't really giving you energy, it's suppressing the part of you that makes you tired. It's good to let your body wake-up and essentially flush the system.

It's such a powerful substance that to my mind it makes sense to be acutely aware of how you are consuming it and dialing it in. Like any substance it behaves differently for each person.

 

[LiE]

Weekends only for me, tea during the week as i find it calming.

The L-theanine in tea is what causes the calming effect, it helps mitigate the caffeine side effects. Some people supplement coffee with L-theanine for a smoother experience.

L-Theanine and Coffee: “Best Idea Ever”

Why L-Theanine Belongs in Your Coffee What is L-Theanine? 4 Benefits of L-Theanine and Caffeine What Happens When You Add Theanine to Coffee? Conclusion: We Made Coffee Smarter High-quality coffee is more than a luxury beverage. Science tells us it’s a smart drug, appetite suppressant, and...

strongcoffeecompany.com

 

[LiE]

Back to decaf for me, and sleeping much better because of it, also seem to be dreaming more which is interesting.

Daresay I'll be off caffeine for good as I tend to cycle back on and off but ultimately I feel better for it. Mind is far less anxious off of caffeine.

Good man.

It's interesting seeing people say things like "I cannot live without my coffee" or "I cannot function" when our default state is non-caffeinated. Kids and teens who haven't touched a drop in their life seem to function OK

I'm trying to build up the courage to quit, my biggest fear is failing again. I don't want to go through the rough detox only to hop back on.