Why I Quit Coffee and How That's Been Working Out
humansarenotbroken.com
humansarenotbroken.com
Under the takeaways after two weeks, he mentions that it was easier for him to fall asleep and wake up. But there is no mention on the number of hours pre/post the experiment and no mention on what times he would drink coffee. If he stayed awake 18 hours when he drank coffee and only 16 hours when he didn't, it would make sense he felt more awake in the morning.
I guess I am just annoyed at any of the claimed health benefits through a small anecdote.
However, he is still getting a considerable fraction of the caffeine he got previously, but now from tea. If he is still taking the active drug, Caffeine, why would he expect any withdrawal?
I drink 3-4 huge 0.5L cups of green tea during the day and it has no energizing effect. I rarely drink coffee but when I do, it energizes me a lot.
I have extensively researched pros and cons of giving it up, as well as done experiments on myself (going on and off, changing frequency, changing volume, changing diet around the coffee, etc.), because I am very health conscious, and don't like to feel I am "addicted" to any one thing.
So I hope I am not rationalizing based on my bias, but I see a wide distribution of research results (and anecdotal evidence like this article), so I think it comes down to the individual.
Certainly lifestyle, diet and health, but quite possibly specific to the genotype. We now know that specific mutations, alterations and combinations impact everything from how you digest (or don't) folates, gluten, sugars etc, and the impacts of all those (and more) on serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters.
What is the possibility that we find the same for coffee/caffeine - that it impacts us each differently? Strong, from what I see.
And we know very few things exist as islands or vacuums...what about the myriad of combinations of genetics, environment, diet/nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, type of work, emotional health, sun exposure, etc?
I know the above is not helpful to those of us looking for simple, binary "answers", but I am not sure those exist for something as powerful as coffee/caffeine.
If HN folks know of more research that disproves (or is at least evidence against) that hypothesis, then I would love to read it.
One big thing I saw drop was my anxiety. Anxiety has been passed down by my father, and while it's somewhat mild in me, my dad & sister would be having panic attacks at my age. For me, I never went into a straight panic but it can be hard for me to feel safe. I'm a very hard worker with a lot of responsibility, so of course the anxiety has plenty to feed upon ("This isn't done, gotta do this, gotta do that."). Coffee would fuel that kind of behavior as if it were some kind of battle and take it all on. Then when the inevitable crash came, I would have to be looking to supplement it.
Like I said, I'm only a week in but what the OP says about waking up is very true and probably my favorite aspect of quitting coffee. I'll wake up at 6:30 and wanna just get up. When 11 or 12 rolls around, I fall asleep very naturally and wouldn't be able to stay awake even if I wanted to. It's worth a shot for everyone. Unlike the OP, I went completely cold turkey on the caffeine I should mention.
After I started working and the responsibility and the need for creativity grew, I found the anxious episodes start to grow and become quite debilitating. I started to experiment with different parts of my lifestyle: sleep, caffeine, exercise, relaxation.
In the end I narrowed it down to caffeine. The anxiety went away. I felt more awake throughout the day and sleep cycles easier to maintain.
I don't want to claim too much on creativity, but I do feel the ability to relax and let my mind wander has eased the creative process. Instead of the laser focus I'd get when on caffeine my mind could calmly move to less pressing tasks and make those subliminal connections I would have missed if I was too set on an issue.
That said I do miss the taste of coffee. I'll occasionally sip a decaf or latte and feel some of those symptoms return slightly, but knowing its cause has helped a lot.
We still do the coffee routine in the morning, but for her it's Chai or, in rare cases, decaffinated coffee.
I used to depend on coffee intellectually, I always had to have a cup next to whatever work I was working on, and a pot brewing to back up the cup when I was finished.
Quitting was very difficult, but I have learned to appreciate moving through work slowly, carefully, cautiously, and with regular pacing, that I can meta-regulate with multiple levels of thought and planning. When I used to drink coffee, it just felt like all of my attention was superficially and strictly devoted to whatever work I had to pound out.
I still drink tea, from white tea to oolongs, but this has no where near the effect coffee has on me. Caffeine from coffee makes me feel like someone has thread tied into my eyeballs and into the center of the prefrontal cortex of my brain, and is pulling on it with shaking hands. I assume that is hypertension. It's the worst 'focused' feeling I know of, and I absolutely can not get work done in this state any longer.
I really like being able to think slowly, with occasional minor distractions. It's more reliable, has more coherency, and builds on itself naturally.
It's not just the boost, or the taste and smell, although I do miss all of those. Mostly it's the ritual in the morning, and the social experience of "grabbing a cup of coffee" with someone that leaves a big void in my life. Making my rooibos chai or having cup of herbal tea with someone is just not the same.
This condition may not ever go away, so I've sort of come to terms that coffee may have left my life for good, but before I never would have considered cutting it out completely. I didn't find that it impacted my sleep or productivity as long as I didn't drink it too late in the day.
Anecdotally, even after 7 months without caffeine, I find that I'm still much groggier in the morning than I used to be. My sleep at night hasn't improved.
Overall would not recommend ;p.
I am symptom free a good 95% of the time, no longer have a problem with caffeine or spicy foods, and in the words of Krusty the Clown, I can ride a bike again.
But thanks, I'm glad to hear that you are doing better.
To be able to have a painfully spicy green curry and a thai iced coffee again one day would be pretty awesome.
My other advice would be to eat well. Lots of fruits and vegetables. Avoid constipation. Also you are probably clenching your abdominal muscles throughout the day (I do it when stressed) and you need to stop doing that. Breathe with your diaphgram and not your abs. Try meditation or yoga (I think yin is the best from a meditative and stretching perspective).
Good luck and I'm positive you can at least improve your symptoms.
https://www.satnam.eu/classic-chai-yogi-tea-organic-1-kg-bul...
But probably better to find a smaller package to find out first ;)
Whenenver I see someone mention it now I try to preach the physio gospel because when I was going through it there were a lot of negative sufferers posting to message boards saying it will never go away, etc.
Also women can suffer from a similar condition - chronic non bacterial urinary tract infections, and most of the pelvic floor physiotherapists are used to dealing with women. Maybe it is more common in women or the option is less known for men, or maybe men are more embarrassed to go see them.
As fugoogs mentions, non-bacterial chronic prostatitis isn't well understood and there isn't an effective standard treatment protocol. There are theories ranging from it being caused by nano-bacteria that do not show up in normal tests to it being a muscular tension issue that can be resolved with physical therapy.
Another important effect is that it allows me to use caffeine as medicine. It is very effective on its own and in combination with analgesics.
Quitting was a month of torture, but definitely worth it. Do not try and quit child turkey ; I recommend slow weaning.
No, I will not. It's really not that hard to make a site readable without JavaScript; if they can't be bothered, I can't be bothered to read their stuff.
Also, not being addicted to it makes things like occasional energy drinks in emergencies really useful. I needed to rescue a lost couchsurfer in the middle of the night - which I wouldn't have been able to do before. A few sips of energy drink made me really awake in order to drive safely. There's so much difference between the the effects on when you are addicted to it and not.
I can go without coffee for few days, I alternante with "mate" [1]. Mate is awesome because how it taste, it is very different from one yerba to another and is awesome because the way of drinking it. I literally can drink 2L of mate through the morning while working.
1L freshly steeped green tea (2 min, less if you dislike the flavour)
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. flax seed meal, finely ground (use a coffee grinder if too coarse)
pinch of salt
cinnamon to taste
1 to 2 Tbsp. nut butter (I use soy and I've also tried cashew and almond but I find them too oily, coconut oil is an option too, use whatever you prefer)
1 to 2 Tbsp. of creamed honey, using regular honey will make it much sweeter
1/2 or 1 cup of frozen or fresh blueberries or other fruit
2 or 3 Tbsp. of milk, powdered or fresh
I also add a multivitamin and other supplements but they aren't necessary.
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute or so until the oatmeal is reduced to the consistency of a shake. Serve hot or cold.
I usually drink half the mixture immediately and then either save the rest for a mid-morning snack or continue drinking it while I'm starting my day. I've experimented with adding other seeds and grains but I find this mixture to be the most to my liking but it is an adaptable recipe so you can add whatever you prefer.
I don't know anything about physical effects such as headaches and weight gain; I didn't experience any of those and anyway they sound a little like TV hype to me. But I also have the experience of giving up smoking a couple of packs a day (gave it up many years before I quit the coffee) and while I never find myself wanting a cigarette, I'd still love a cup of dark first thing in the morning. It is a good thing in life.
TV hype? Caffeine is a drug. Don't know about weight gain, but headaches and such as well documented.
If you find yourself having to drink coffee a lot outside of a cafe, it may not even be a caffeine addiction. I think for a lot of people it's just the feel and action of a coffee cup, something to do with your hands when you're stuck on that bug or waiting for your code to build/program to launch. I think a mug of hot water is great in these circumstances. Hot water is also great for digestion, keeps your mouth (and digestive tract) clean, is pretty much free, and keeps you warm just as well as anything else in a cold room.
It's a habit I picked up because my mom used to make me drink a big glass of hot water after I had icecream growing up, and I continued to do that after cold foods even after leaving home. I can't recommend hot water enough.
Early withdrawal was unpleasant, mainly fatigue and headaches (then again, I've seen alcoholics detox, caffeine is withdrawal is a walk in the park in comparison), but that lasted only a couple of days.
My biggest surprise was that the "booster" effect of coffee in the early morning might have been a pure placebo effect - I am still quite groggy when I get up in the morning (then again, I get up 05:40 on workdays), but that clears up by the time I leave for work, plus I do not get the early afternon crash anymore.
On the other hand, the vegetative effects of coffee were substantial in retrospect, I now sweat a lot less, and my blood pressure has gone down.
I still do drink coffee on occasion, mainly on weekends, but a) it is not as strong, b) I drink less.
Also, green tea is an awesome substitute in terms of taste. The coffee I used to drink tasted like sewage in comparison.
It's not necessarily placebo, but the fact that your body has adjusted to caffeine, so you need it in the morning to reach "normal" levels.
Matcha is great and quick also!
Politicians that wants to keep up the war on drugs and continue to criminalize drug use, should try to go for a week without caffeine. I got a problem. I love coffee, but I have to stop.
Anywhere from 2-3 cups to 10+ cups. I have a super high caffeine tolerance that I can easily throw back a cup or 2 right before bed.
Getting close to 10 or over probably ly pretty bad. My digestive system is very quick, all this coffee running through.
Like others posted. I do it for the taste.
Occasionally I switch to teas in between cups of coffee but there are many days I go without coffee without any noticable effects.
Instead I used to drink energy drinks, at one point it was one a day (think RedBull sized). It's now been almost 6 months. It's so incredibly difficult to walk by and not feel tempted by their tastes and smells, but I know that if I were to drink it, it'd make me sick.
No more, "I can't do that until I get my morning coffee." This is important because I get my highest quality work done in the mornings.
Unlike the author, I've almost been lured back by the idea of "bullet proof coffee."
I'd start with 3 or 4 cups a week.
Is supposedly very healthy as well.
I've lived without coffee/caffeine in the past, but I've never felt better and more productive than now, when I drink 1-2 coffees in the morning & stricly avoid any more caffeine than that.
It helps to set up a working rhythm for me.
there is so much tea in the world that there will be something for everybody. You just have to learn to brew it correctly. for example most green teas dont like more then 80C hot water.
Teas like Matcha can have the same effect like coffee but without the sudden drop of energy after a short time.
http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/collections/coffee/produc...
http://shop.parlorcoffee.com/collections/frontpage/products/...
http://bowtruss.com/collections/coffee/products/copy-of-deca...
http://bowtruss.com/collections/coffee/products/decaf-brazil...
Every comment when I wrote this was about giving up coffee. I wanted to offer a different perspective.
I gave up smoking but continue to drink coffee, so your comment still does resonate :)
disclaimer: I'm not trying to compare the effects of coffee and nicotine, and I don't know the first thing about the physiological basis of addiction.
The one negative is that I become quite a miserable person if I don't have my morning cup before 9am. At that point it almost feels too late to recover with onset headaches almost inevitable. Even with that in mind I have no plans on trying to quit. Went cold turkey for about 3 months once just to prove I could do it, sucked for about 2-3 days then felt fine.