I used to drink 3-5 cups per day, but over time I just found I didn't like the taste of our office coffee and so started having less of it. My life didn't really change, I still supplement my caffeine intake with other things (though not to the extent of 5 cups per day). Now I drink around one cup per day plus take a caffeine supplement when needed, or an energy drink with caffeine (I don't really restrict myself but it ends up being max 1 capsule per day). Whenever I drink coffee and plan on being productive vs just for the sake of enjoying the taste I also take L-Theanine at the same time, they seem to go well together.
It's also probably a function of age, I think its effects became more negative and pronounced the older I got.
I stick to 1 cup in the morning and tea for the rest of the day.
This has the added bonus of having literally zero tolerance for caffeine, so if I do need (or want) to stay up long into the night, 1-2 cups of coffee or an energy drink will see me through until the early morning hours.
The edge it gives you declines over time to the point that you need it just to function normally.
For the me the biggest changed I noticed was how much more strict I need to be on my sleep schedule. Before I could have an extra espresso shot or three if I didn't get enough sleep. Now I have no way to compensate for my tiredness. So in response I've been way more aggressive at getting to bed at a good time.
Giving it up is a struggle (I love having multiple cups of tea), but I generally sleep a bit better and am less anxious. Not a life changing amount, but enough where it's worth it.
Now I limit the amount I drink to be infrequent (maybe 1 a week) And I love Mt Dew
I understood that small naps throughout the day are better to recuperate energy than coffee, naps gives energy while increasing focus without stressing the body. But uses time.
Coffee give focus, with no invested time, but side effects are mild to severe stress and tiredness.
Now I drink 1 cup max only for taste and enjoyment.
I will regularly stop and start drinking coffee and tea because after stopping for a week I get a "buzz" again.
Other than the buzz I don't notice the difference unless I drink an outrageous amount of caffeinated drinks.
I've gone off caffeine a couple of times, each for a period of about 1 year. If going "cold turkey" (which I did and don't necessarily recommend), I found it took about 2 weeks to return to baseline without headaches or other withdrawal symptoms. After this point it's mostly smooth sailing: I no longer felt I needed caffeine to wake up in the morning and didn't have any cravings.
On average, my sleep quality was quite a bit better. It was usually easier to fall asleep at night and wake up feeling rested. Overuse of caffeine can make it hard to feel tired at the end of the day, which can cause a vicious cycle of insufficient sleep leading to more caffeine use, etc.
On the flip side, during my periods of abstinence I found I would eventually start to miss it. A good caffeine buzz is one of my favorite small pleasures in life; I've had many of my best and most creative productive periods assisted by it. In addition, I also just really love the taste of good coffee and the ritual of preparing it in the morning. While the latter can be satisfied by substituting decaf, personally for me there just isn't any replacement for that feeling of being "in the zone" on caffeine where it feels like all my neurons are firing and forming connections rapidly, and the ideas and creative output just flow effortlessly.
As an aside, I do suffer from minor persistent depression, which is possibly one reason why I find caffeine helps to give me an extra boost to feel like a normal functioning person :)
To date I've found that totally abstaining from caffeine isn't the best fit for me, but I've learned over time to use it more moderately. Some of the measures I currently take that seem to keep me in a healthy balance:
- Maximum of 2 cups of coffee per day
- Practice being more mindful of caffeine consumption: I have one cup every morning around 8am, but instead of mindlessly chugging it throughout the day I will check in with myself before having another. If around 10-11am I feel like I really need a second cup, I have it. If I don't, I drink green tea or seltzer water instead.
- No coffee after ~2pm. If I feel groggy or tired after 2pm I'll try drinking a low-caffeine or decaf tea instead, or going for a walk. 9/10 times just the act of drinking something hot will be enough to perk me up. This is probably the most helpful change I've made, as avoiding caffeine later in the day ensures I can sleep properly at night
im not a heavy drinker (by American standards ) just 1 cup in the morning and after lunch i love drinking argentine mate.
Ive been on this daily routine for years and im now worried this element alone has been the main culprit to my light sleeping habits + waking up with a lot of tension in my hands and fingers. Taking a .5mg of Xanax is my only respite but that too is just a bandaid/slippery slope. I guesd im long overdue for a full detox.
Of course the timing is never good is it? especially when you are on the cusp of launching a new startup. fun!