So I Quit Caffeine This Week... Should You?

[JasonR]

For those that consume caffeine, how much do you consume?

I vary, usually two servings a day (two blue monsters, or coffee and a blue monster). If I didn't get any sleep the night before, I might have three servings, which I consider to be a lot...

 

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[MMatt]

I've been on an off caffeine for years. I've currently settles with one serving in the morning currently. It makes me wake easier and I don't feel over dependent since it's just one serving a day. However, when I quit i get bad headaches for about a week.

 

[DeletedUser2]

I admit caffeine is something I have a lot of and sometimes I wonder if it hurting or helping.

Helps me with focus, and intense focus at that

best for writing.

Z

 

[Mike.B]

Helps me with focus, and intense focus at that

Just the opposite for me. I cannot focus when I have a lot of caffeine, it makes me jittery and puts me in a fog. I limit myself to one cup of coffee per day now.

I actually focus better and become more productive when I consume alcohol. A few glasses of wine does wonders for my creativity! Weird, I know.

 

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[Mike Kavanagh]

how much do you consume?

I use to drink 5-8 mountain dews a day. I could see why I was sick all the time...

Went completely cold turkey for about a month.
I get pretty sick now from even drinking a 24oz sprite.

 

[Marc B.]

Has anyone quit caffeine entirely and noticed a profound difference in mental acuity? And if so, can you give an example of how you came to that conclusion?

Sure! From August 2012 to December 2012 I drank at least two mugs (so figure...about 18 ounces) of Cafe Pilon espresso each day to keep me awake during my engineering lectures, and I overdid it during final exam week. I passed my classes with flying colors, but I felt terrible after the semester was over. I couldn't get through the day without a cup, or else I would have a headache and feel demotivated.

Not good.

I decided to drop it during the winter break before the spring semester this year. My classes were of equal, or greater difficulty, but I found that I had no trouble focusing on or comprehending the material. In your words, no "profound difference in mental acuity."

 

[Roland]

I also would not be surprised that there is a high correlation between the FastLane mindset, and the regular use of products like caffeine and other stimulants.

Do you think really that the Fastlane mindset is correlated to the use of stimulant? Wouldn't it be rather related to the motivation we put into our projects?
In my case, I never drink coffee (not that I reject it but I just don't like the smell and the taste of it) and this has never prevented me from working from 6am to 10 pm everyday on both my job and my projects. I think that it is really where we want to go and the means we use to reach our objectives that make us move, any stimulant helps us temporarily but after a few days it becomes a habit and/or an addiction and anything like "it helps me staying focused" or "it improve my productivity" only sounds like an excuse not to make the effort to stop.

 

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[Vigilante]

Confession time.

I am back on the drug.

I successfully made it through the withdrawal.

So... I went maybe 2 weeks with no caffeine.

I didn't like life as well.

My mind was not as sharp, and I could not give my metabolism a sustained, artificial boost.

Life seemed more hazy. Less energetic.

I learned something valuable. zen******* said it earlier here or elsewhere... caffeine helps me focus.

So... I am back on the drug, and happy to be back.

It was a worthwhile experiment.

But I felt I owed you all the results after starting this thread.

You fellow addicts can all breathe a sigh of relief as I have resumed my love affair/addiction.



:gives:

 

[Amail]

Looks like you chose the wrong week!

 

[theag]

I successfully made it through the withdrawal.

No, you didn't

 

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[Tlcalis]

Maybe this is helpful:

http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/06/13/ten-reasons-to-quit-your-coffee/#close

 

[DeletedUser2]

Yyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssss!

Z

 

[dknise]

Maybe this is helpful:

http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/06/13/ten-reasons-to-quit-your-coffee/#close

I read that while drinking a Red Bull. :smilielol:

 

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[Yankee427]

I drink a protein shake everyday at night. I started putting coffee grinds in it for some coffee flavor and added caffeine. I'm not sure how good that is for you but it seems to be ok for me so far.

 

[JohnnFour]

I tried quitting coffee. Failed.

I quit cigarettes. But can't coffee.

I will though.

As for acuity, well-being and other heuristics, I feel you should look at all inputs before deciding whether removing one had a positive or negative effect. Eat food rich in micronutrients and avoid processed foods, exercise throughout each day, think productively and positively, drink water, get enough rest, etc. Do that for three months and then decide how coffee affects you.

Removing one toxin from the effluent might not make the pool potable.

 

[Clayton]

Thanks for sharing guys. I'm still drinking coffee, but I do wonder a lot of there is a better way. I know there is that one nootropics thread. Anyway, thank for sharing.

 

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[stefan]

A cup or two of high quality coffee per day can be healthy for you, I'm just not sure why anyone would want to quit drinking coffee when it's pretty beneficial if you're already in good health.

 

[Enki]

Helps me with focus, and intense focus at that
best for writing.

I quit cafine tday...

 

[loop101]

Caffeine expands the capillaries in your brain, increasing the amount of oxygen to your brain. This makes your brain more alert. The problem is, your brain becomes dependent on the caffeine to maintain the size of the capillaries, and when you quit - the capillaries shrink, giving you a headache, fogginess, etc. The headache can last 4-6 weeks. When you quit caffeine, you should never quit cold turkey. Slowly reduce the amount you intake, say by half a can of Coke each week. You will still have a headache, but it will be bearable. You can reduce the headache by taking aspirin, which is blood-thinner - it will allow blood to travel faster through your brain, getting it more oxygen. Ginkgo-Bilbao will increase the amount of oxygen your blood carries, so that will also help.

If you ever need to cram and learn something quick, you can drink a cocktail of Coke, aspirin, and gingko-biloba, and you will be "Flowers for Algernon" smart for about 5 hours. Also, Excedrin is the best medicine for headaches because it contains both caffeine and aspirin.

 

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[SteveO]

I quit caffeine about a year ago. It was ugly for a few weeks but I got over it. Now I feel better ALL the time. I had enough of the constant tension and pain in my neck and shoulders.

I quit smoking many years ago. Quit alcohol about 5 years ago. Quit caffeine about 1 year ago. I am too busy doing productive projects and being physically active with fun things to be bothered by any of this other stuff. I get up and 5 am to start my day and go to bed by 10:30. Never a hangover and not bothered by tension.

 

[Young-Gun]

I go so back and forth on coffee.
I home-brew my own iced coffee, and even using premium beans, each cup ends up costing me about 30 cents vs the $3.50 after tip it costs at the independent place near me.

And damn if it isn't some delicious coffee... the kind that, if a girl stays over, and has this iced coffee the next morning... she starts talking marriage...

It's been so long since I've gone without that it's difficult to imagine living that way. I try to keep it moderate. One cup in the morning, make it last. One cup if I start crashing in the late afternoon, since i have to work till about 9 pm.

The worst thing I'll sometimes do is overload my system with a 3rd big coffee or RedBull around 6 pm as I struggle to get through the last 1/3 of my 12-hour workday. It never helps, just makes me agitated, achy and irritable.. and my teeth itch.. and I don't fall asleep till 3 am, making the cycle much worse the next day.

Benefits:
Makes me leap out of bed to get it
Tastes so good... best taste...
Not sugary and I don't add sugar (high-fructose scares me more than a little coffee)
Didn't Mayan warriors use it or something, excellent, well I'm going to keep thinking that anyway

Downsides:
Worry about my freakin heart (it only can beat so many times)
Long-term consequences
Feel like it's a crutch - all addictions unnerve me a bit
Headaches if I don't

Now on the other hand when are you ever not going to be able to get coffee.
This hypothetical situation always comes up "I don't want to be dependent upon it"
Well, you're dependent upon oxygen...

Are you going to be dropped in the middle of the rainforest for 2 weeks with no Starbucks in site? Hell, I bet Schultz opened one up in the canopy layer already... that guy's a sharp one..

My bottom line - it's a vice, but one of the most mild imaginable vices, and one with a significant upsides, so, since life is brutish, short, and ugly I say go for it if it makes you happy. I know it makes my day even better

 

[Moodswing]

Dit not read the whole thread. But saw it was about coffee and a few people asking if anyone has experience with stopping.

First of all I drank a lot of coffee at work 12 cups a day and did this for over 2 years. I purely did this out of habit because I work at a computer all day and have the frequent urge to stand up an walk away. Mostly to the coffee corner to socialize.

What I noticed while drinking coffee was that when I went to the toilet, my urine would smell foul. No I did not really put my nose in it, but I could smell it just standing there. Only when I have coffee that day otherwise not. In the afternoon around 13:00 and/or after I always would get this Buzz and anxiety in my head that stayed there for hours. I stopped coffee cold turkey as a new years resolution and till today have not had a single cup. My urine doesn't smell anymore, I feel less anxiety and no Buzz. However the first weeks I would feel constant restlessness and fluctuating energy dips throughout the day. No headaches though. I don't have them anymore. I'm also planning on never having coffee again.

After a month in the challenge out of habit and not being mindful I accidentally poured me a cup of coffee and took a sip. What I noticed was that I disliked the coffee and found it rather disgusting. This was the same coffee as I always had. I always drank my coffee strong and black. While on coffee I was desensitized from the strong taste.

 

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[Dom117]

I quit caffeine about a year ago. It was ugly for a few weeks but I got over it. Now I feel better ALL the time. I had enough of the constant tension and pain in my neck and shoulders.

I quit smoking many years ago. Quit alcohol about 5 years ago. Quit caffeine about 1 year ago. I am too busy doing productive projects and being physically active with fun things to be bothered by any of this other stuff. I get up and 5 am to start my day and go to bed by 10:30. Never a hangover and not bothered by tension.

You should try sleeping 7-8 hours, seems like it could improve your life even more.
It worked wonders for me, I slept for 5-6 hours/night in high school and lived like a zombie all those years.

 

[Elizabeth Shi]

I envy you. I can't start my day without a cup of coffee.

 

[Schmidty]

I don't drink energy drinks, sugary drinks, or soda and haven't in years.

But I'm a huge fan of a cup every once in a while when I need a jump and since I have little to no caffeine intake, one cup gets me WirEdd.

So on that, here's a fun video on COFFEE!!

 

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[Elizabeth Shi]

Fun indeed. Caffeine is PURE AWESOME!

 

[SteveO]

You should try sleeping 7-8 hours, seems like it could improve your life even more.

It seems that less sleep is needed as I have aged.

 

[Dom117]

It seems that less sleep is needed as I have aged.

Came across a 'TED' talk about sleep and the guy said that this theory was actually a myth.
Altough the amount of sleep needed is different for every individual.
If you say that you don't need more sleep, lucky you! More time for business!

I'll try and find it

EDIT: Found it!

And now back on topic

 

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[arfadugus]

Caffeine men... Im tapering down, currently at 2 cups per day. Tried quitting like 5 times and never got very far I just have this gut feeling that Quitting would benefit greatly long term. More stable energy levels and a more clear mind I think.

 

[DaRK9]

I quit drinking coffee about 5 minutes ago.




Time to make another cup.