Background: 23y.o male.
I would like to share my experiences of being caffeine free for a week. This post is not to demonise coffee, nor to debate whether coffee is beneficial to health. It is simply to provide a perspective, to rationalise an addiction that I believe I know have in check.
The initial point of this experiment was to improve my sleep, which was terrible on all days of high caffeineted coffee consumption. I would have nights of lying awake until 2-3am on these days. This was even with the coffee consumption at latest 12 noon and would only be 2 cups of filtered coffee in terms of strength. I even tried every sleep concoction remedy possible to try to sleep- salt, sugar, aspirin, thyroid, magnesium. Nothing would put me to sleep on those days.
I also felt incredibly stressed every time i consumed it. I would be very jittery and worked up and would mistake this for euphoria. Looking back I feel the caffeine was covering up deeper issues i could not access in a stimulated state. I.E the true state of my body was not being revealed, but covered by the stimulant.
I also tried a couple of days of decaf coffee, and felt all the positives found below
Note: no other variables outside of Coffee Consumption have been made - it is the only factor changed in the last week that have harvested the results below:
Positives\
- Considerably less anxious. My stress levels have dramatically reduced. Nail picking, which i have been accustomed to for several years, has declined in accordance to this reduction in caffeine.
- Sleep - related to the above but a considerable change none the less. My sleep has improved two-fold and I have been able to fall asleep minutes upon lying down.
- Hunger us returning. I genuinely feel hungry at times of the day, which has been absent during my coffee drinking days
- Manic racing thoughts have subsided.
- Facial Hair Growth - I think this is androgen related. I am not sure whether this is due to the removal of caffeine, or that the above positives of better sleep and less stress (from reduced caffeine) has caused my facial hair growth to be thicker and quicker growing.
Negatives
- Water Retention, slight fat gain - I have been holding a lot more water so i believe it is more the former than the latter. This seems unrelated to salt consumption.
- Fatigue; my energy has dramatically dipped, but this is to be expected by reducing a stimulant.
- Caffeine Withdrawal phase - absolutely f****ng horrendous. No other words to describe it. Lasted three days - felt ill, faint and nauseous. I had an episode of light headiness which i nearly collapsed. But once this phase has passed, I feel a lot better and my energy is returning.
- Mood - has been a lot more negative; bordering on depression. I believe this is brain chemical related and the enhancing effects of coffee on the brain,
- Enjoyment - I love the taste of coffee, and is one of the few things I enjoy. Taking this away has been difficult and felt as if i am missing out on something that improves my mood.
Alcohol and Hungover - After a night of heavy drinking I have has the worst hangover in years. My alcohol consumption mirrors the levels i have had on previous nights and felt fine the next morning. I believe this could be liver related, and the reduction in liver cleansing via coffee has made my detoxification of alcohol more prominent and less effective. Perhaps my liver is functioning more poorly.
Thoughts/Takeaways
- Caffeine no doubt effects sleep. Some people remove caffeine from their system a lot quicker than others. Me being on the slow side. Caffeine simply lingers in my system far beyond 8 hours after drinking.
- Caffeine has pronounced effects on mood, energy and outlook.
- Coffee is brilliant for the liver and detoxification.
- Decaf Coffee can provide many of the benefits without those negatives of caffeine.
- You should always challenge the deeper underlying issue and not to try to cover up with supplements and stimulants.
- Coffee is and can be abused, and caffeine is ultimately a drug. It can do more harm than good.
- Caffeine should be consumed in relation to the health of the consumer. Just because one person can drink 6 cups withouts the negatives I experienced above, does not mean that others, myself included, can adopt the same approach.
- Its good to take a break and unwind.
I hope this helps all those who feel addicted to coffee, or feel obliged to drink it. Perhaps a better approach is to test and assess on your own body and see what works for you. For me, life without coffee has its ups and its downs.
I would like to share my experiences of being caffeine free for a week. This post is not to demonise coffee, nor to debate whether coffee is beneficial to health. It is simply to provide a perspective, to rationalise an addiction that I believe I know have in check.
The initial point of this experiment was to improve my sleep, which was terrible on all days of high caffeineted coffee consumption. I would have nights of lying awake until 2-3am on these days. This was even with the coffee consumption at latest 12 noon and would only be 2 cups of filtered coffee in terms of strength. I even tried every sleep concoction remedy possible to try to sleep- salt, sugar, aspirin, thyroid, magnesium. Nothing would put me to sleep on those days.
I also felt incredibly stressed every time i consumed it. I would be very jittery and worked up and would mistake this for euphoria. Looking back I feel the caffeine was covering up deeper issues i could not access in a stimulated state. I.E the true state of my body was not being revealed, but covered by the stimulant.
I also tried a couple of days of decaf coffee, and felt all the positives found below
Note: no other variables outside of Coffee Consumption have been made - it is the only factor changed in the last week that have harvested the results below:
Positives\
- Considerably less anxious. My stress levels have dramatically reduced. Nail picking, which i have been accustomed to for several years, has declined in accordance to this reduction in caffeine.
- Sleep - related to the above but a considerable change none the less. My sleep has improved two-fold and I have been able to fall asleep minutes upon lying down.
- Hunger us returning. I genuinely feel hungry at times of the day, which has been absent during my coffee drinking days
- Manic racing thoughts have subsided.
- Facial Hair Growth - I think this is androgen related. I am not sure whether this is due to the removal of caffeine, or that the above positives of better sleep and less stress (from reduced caffeine) has caused my facial hair growth to be thicker and quicker growing.
Negatives
- Water Retention, slight fat gain - I have been holding a lot more water so i believe it is more the former than the latter. This seems unrelated to salt consumption.
- Fatigue; my energy has dramatically dipped, but this is to be expected by reducing a stimulant.
- Caffeine Withdrawal phase - absolutely f****ng horrendous. No other words to describe it. Lasted three days - felt ill, faint and nauseous. I had an episode of light headiness which i nearly collapsed. But once this phase has passed, I feel a lot better and my energy is returning.
- Mood - has been a lot more negative; bordering on depression. I believe this is brain chemical related and the enhancing effects of coffee on the brain,
- Enjoyment - I love the taste of coffee, and is one of the few things I enjoy. Taking this away has been difficult and felt as if i am missing out on something that improves my mood.
Alcohol and Hungover - After a night of heavy drinking I have has the worst hangover in years. My alcohol consumption mirrors the levels i have had on previous nights and felt fine the next morning. I believe this could be liver related, and the reduction in liver cleansing via coffee has made my detoxification of alcohol more prominent and less effective. Perhaps my liver is functioning more poorly.
Thoughts/Takeaways
- Caffeine no doubt effects sleep. Some people remove caffeine from their system a lot quicker than others. Me being on the slow side. Caffeine simply lingers in my system far beyond 8 hours after drinking.
- Caffeine has pronounced effects on mood, energy and outlook.
- Coffee is brilliant for the liver and detoxification.
- Decaf Coffee can provide many of the benefits without those negatives of caffeine.
- You should always challenge the deeper underlying issue and not to try to cover up with supplements and stimulants.
- Coffee is and can be abused, and caffeine is ultimately a drug. It can do more harm than good.
- Caffeine should be consumed in relation to the health of the consumer. Just because one person can drink 6 cups withouts the negatives I experienced above, does not mean that others, myself included, can adopt the same approach.
- Its good to take a break and unwind.
I hope this helps all those who feel addicted to coffee, or feel obliged to drink it. Perhaps a better approach is to test and assess on your own body and see what works for you. For me, life without coffee has its ups and its downs.