Caffeine Detox Time

[LiE]

I don't understand the demonisation of coffee. It has a lot of health benefits. Too much is bad of course but so are most things in excess.

Reliance on it is a different issue.

I think as soon as it's a habit you are reliant on it. That doesn't sit comfortably with me, that I have to have a coffee each day or I struggle.

There are health benefits but I'd say the majority aren't drinking it for that reason. Caffeine is a very strong habit enforcer.

 

[LiE]

Day 0

So tomorrow I plan to start my journey to caffeine free life. I'll be keeping a note of how I feel each day and updating the thread with my progress mostly to be accountable.

I will be tapering, but quite sharply. Each day I'll be pushing how long I can go before I have a cup of tea. So first day I may make it to 10am before I have a tea, eventually getting to 12-1pm where I'll decide to drop the tea all together. This approach has worked well in the past.

Lots of water and continue with my training will help massively. I have a week off in 2 weeks time and I'd like to be completely caffeine free by then. Work is under control so no risk of me doing an un-caffeinated production code change while being half asleep. I'll not be telling the Mrs until I've made some good progress, if I signal too early she will probably panic that I'm going to turn into a grumpy bugger. Power naps will be used with reckless abandon.

 

[LiE]

Day 1 - 4

So day 1 of reducing caffeine was a single cup of tea and the same again on Thursday. I had to nap both days but that's also not uncommon when I'm abusing caffeine as I get huge crashes in the afternoon. Decided to man up and just stopped all caffeine on Friday which went OK, today is the 2nd day with no caffeine.

I'm feeling better than expected, more present, calmer and able to focus. Waking up in the morning feels so much better. Yesterday I had to let the dog out at 4am and normally with disrupted sleep the next day I'd feel it, but it was as though that didn't happen, felt completely fine. I was at a kids birthday party on that day too and I was able to comfortably chat to all the dads where as normally with caffeine I'd shy away from it.

Some tougher days ahead from experience but I'm excited to feel myself.

 

[LiE]

So I'm 2 and bit weeks in now and doing really well. I start my day with a hot pepper mint tea and no longer take naps, energy levels are pretty consistent. There have been days where I've felt like I had an energy cheat code, I got loads done and felt like I could have just kept going all day.

There have been a few evenings where I've felt a lot of tiredness and went to bed a bit early but only 30 minutes earlier than usual. Last night was such a night, was asleep by 10.30pm, but woke up at 4.30am to use the bathroom and then couldn't get back to sleep. I've had this before when I quit, it's as though the body decides 6 hours of sleep is all it needs and then it starts to wake you up. It will pass as it has before, and being caffeine free I can manage days on less sleep now.

I feel like my personality has changed as well, I'm more chatty and relaxed in social situations. Striking up conversations with strangers effortlessly now. Big meetings at work where I am presenting also feel different, I'm so much more relaxed and natural now. Caffeine was definitely making me more edgy and low grade 24/7 anxious.

I've been finding it easier to get into a focused/flow state with work, I'm able to control my impulses better and mood swings are almost non-existent now.

 

[LiE]

I can't remember where I read it, might've even been here somewhere, but allegedly caffeine can impact your shopping traits and how you spend your money, in a negative way. Like, you'll just buy random stuff or spend money frivolously. I'd never connected those dots but I wonder if I'm the same.

This study sums it up nicely

"Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body. This leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn enhances impulsivity and decreases self-control"

I've been on decaff for a few weeks and definiately feel better for it. I had a normal coffee as i was at a friends on Sunday morning and i could immediately feel the anxiety kicking in after i had finished the cup.

Good to hear. I think the more aware you are of the effects of caffeine the less likely you are to want to ingest it.

Sounds like it's working for you. Well done!

I'd hate to feel the way you do by drinking coffee, so it definitely makes sense to reduce or cut it out!

Do you think you'll go back to coffee again? Or is this it for you?

Thanks

Don't get me wrong, on caffeine I'm not a complete wreck, but as I mentioned above I'm acutely aware of it's effects. This in turn leads me to reflect on the negatives. Many people are blissfully unaware of the impact caffeine is having on them and don't make a connection to negative effects. Some people also have a gene meaning they aren't very respondent to caffeine.

I really hope I don't go back. The real challenge becomes when I get run down or ill and I need a pick me up.

Went caffeine free about a month ago, not noticed any difference

I read the decaf subreddit a lot and there is such a variety of experiences to coming off caffeine.

 

[LiE]

I'd definitely like to lower my caffeine intake but with a 5 month old it's not on the cards for a little while. It definitely gives me a background level of anxiety I'd like to get rid of.

Caffeine is definitely not good for inducing anxiety. It's why those on anti anxiety meds are recommended coming off caffeine. My wife hasn't had caffeine in 20 years.

It's strange when you think we are effectively turning on our fight or flight response constantly, it's just not natural and it's unsurprising this negatively impacts humans.

 

[LiE]

Nearly 3 weeks in and this has been a strange detox. Usually the worst of the withdrawal is up front as you remove caffeine from your system, but this time its delayed. The first couple of weeks were fine, until towards the end I started getting headaches. That went away after a few days and this last week I've been exhausted. Waking up is hard, brain fog is real, eyes feel heavy and I cannot shake it. I stood in front of the kettle this morning as it boiled battling myself not to drop a breakfast tea bag into the mug instead of my usual peppermint. So I sit here drinking my peppermint tea feeling like it's 3am already reminding myself why I'm doing this. My guess is this is my body properly dealing with withdrawal now so I need to suck it up and come out the other side.

 

[LiE]

Eerily similar symptoms to me, it's hitting me harder now, like a delayed onset of withdrawal.

I'm compensating with diet cokes without caffeine, to be honest they taste the same to me and give me a sweet kick once a day. But nothing quite matches the caffeine hit I got from espresso based drinks or energy drinks.

Weirdly my sleep has improved but I'm having to nap more in the day now, I'm also struggling to find some words in my day to day speech. Hopefully it'll blow over, that, or I've got some other concerning issue



From what I'm reading it can take months and months to properly get to the other side. Not saying it's not worth it, but the impact caffeine has on the brain is wild. If you're sensitive to it, umpteen times so.

I had a couple cups of tea yesterday as I was really struggling to get any work done and hated how I was feeling. In a way I am glad I did because although my alertness went up, I still could feel the underlying tiredness. It reminded me of how I felt just before I quit - exhausted but awake and stimulated, but not actually feeling good.

Toady I am back on track, most of the tiredness has gone and I'm optimistic.

 

[LiE]

I tried quitting caffeine a few years ago. The headaches passed after a few days, only to be replaced by crippling constipation. One coffee later a and things were regular again

I now have a real coffee in the morning, another at lunchtime and that's it for the day.

Coffee has a lot of fiber it in so that is usually why you get backed up. I had it for a few days but I've been making sure I eat more fiber and it's all good now.

 

[LiE]

Clearly not after 40 years but what if 1 cup sets you back 2 weeks. I have no idea how caffeine works or how the Detox works. If you drink daily do you need a solid long period of time with zero caffeine or can keep drinking reduced amounts? Would drinking 1 cup a week stop the body from fully detoxing. How long does the Detox need to be?

There are a lot of variables. To keep it simple if you take a few weeks off caffeine and start drinking again you will need less to get the same effect as before.

Huberman has a good video on caffeine.

Using Caffeine to Optimize Mental & Physical Performance

In this episode, I explain how to use caffeine to enhance mental and physical health and performance, including the optimal dosages and intake schedules for caffeine.

hubermanlab.com

 

[LiE]

If we're keeping each other honest and accountable, I relapsed today - had a monster energy drink.

Clearly me enjoying less anxiety, better focus, and improved sleep wasn't worth it.

Honestly feel a bit gutted, we're fickle creatures, aren't we?

It's all good, just chalk it up and carry on tomorrow with no caffeine.

Don't use the slip up as a free pass to use caffeine every day now.

 

[LiE]

Totally off the bandwagon now, normally having a hot caffeinated beverage once a day which seems to be keeping me level, but definitely knocking my sleep.

Anyone else?

I had a period of 5 weeks of non caffeine but then had a little here and there. Basically making sure I don't have it on consecutive days to ensure a habit and dependency doesn't form.

I had a bottle of Dr Pepper Zero yesterday, nothing today. Had a coffee on Sunday then nothing on Monday. It's working well. It's too easy to slip back into the daily habitual drinking where it starts to become a thing I need just to function, it no longer has the benefits, it's a dependency.

Chris Williamson follows this way. I'm not saying I'm using this protocol, I'm aiming for a no caffeine with occasionally have 1.

 

[LiE]

I think 1 coffee a morning is still an enjoyable routine for me though so Ill likely not detox from caffeine for a while yet.

Have you watched the Huberman stuff on when to time your first morning coffee?

 

[LiE]

Caffeine has slowly crept back into my day. To begin with I was feeling amazing but the down sides are starting to show up.

Tomorrow I’m stopping again. Shouldn’t be too bad as I’ve only been having caffeinated drinks for 3-4 weeks.

 

[LiE]

Tomorrow I start another detox. God knows how many times I've done this now, but I do feel the time between detoxes is getting shorter.

I usually start my detox on a Sunday as I go for a morning run and that flushes the system and gives me a natural high to counter the lack of stimulants.

 

[LiE]

Here we go again. Wish me luck.

 

[LiE]

I've actually been thinking of doing this myself, I've become a bit overly reliant on caffeine to get through workouts lately and it's to the point I'm taking a lot more than I'm comfortable with in one sitting.

coming along for the withdrawal ride?

I always start my detox with a run in the morning.

 

[LiE]

Imagine working in IT and drinking neither tea or coffee... That gets me some funny looks

A can of Monster and a Red bull chaser for breakfast.


First day with no caffeine today went well. Ran 7k this morning and the let the runners high + a cold shower power me through the day. I've had so much energy today it's wonderful. This always happens on the first day of no caffeine. It's like the body is in shock from no stimulants so pumps out it's own blend to keep me going.

 

[LiE]

day 2 gone well. Had a 15 minute power nap after an hour walk and now in the gym.

Picked up these to help with my cravings.

Basically water at this point