Comment by 0359B02149AB | Hacker News Reader

Comment by 0359B02149AB | Hacker News Reader

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Anecdotally, I would agree with you for some, but for others not so much. I get a short boost followed by a long crash when drinking coffee. It's also like an unfocused focus - like as long as what I want to focus on is nearby, I will do that. But if I have to figure out what I want to focus on, that feels like frustration and hypertension.

I prefer tea. I get up at 4:50 am 5 days a week, and I rarely sleep past 7-8 on weekends. I just make sure I'm asleep by 10:00 pm before work nights, and weeknights I stay up til 11:00 max.

I really like thinking that I think slowly, and that I can control my thinking direction using another level of meta-thinking. It's one of my most favorite and dramatic life shifts as an adult, that I have made. Pretending that my mind is a machine that needs to be turned on is a one way ticket to crazy town, and it's pretty hard to leave crazy town.

But otherwise, I don't understand how loneliness has to do with any of this. I'm lonely regardless of whether I drink tea or coffee.

Agreed, coffee for me is basically a burst of energy/focus followed by a longer period of worse energy/focus than when I began, so really not worth it for me. I like Yerba Mate for this reason - no real crash, but a strong but steady warm buzz, much less peaky than coffee.

Coffee also creates an energy sine wave for me, the amplitude of which is too intense. I go for matcha green tea powder in my morning shake - the effects last longer since your body is digesting a powder (it's extended-release caffeine), with little drop-off. I tolerate it much better than coffee.

The OP was saying that being lonely is worse for your health than drinking coffee.

Wow guys, I also have rather bad times on coffee! Its really hard for me to find any information on the subject as well.

Sometimes I have really bad times of it, particularly on low sleep(ironic?). It can cause me to become a bit more anxious, have trouble conversing with people as if I'm hungover, and cause context swiching issues.

I am very curious. How would a typical day look like when you wake up at 4:50? Do you need to commute very early, or do you use that time for yourself? I personally wake up, get ready and leave, while I do all my things late evening / during the night.

I leave my house around 5:10, I get to work at 6:50ish. I leave work from 3-5, and depending on traffic, I get home anywhere from 4:30 to 6:30. Then I shower, blow dry my hair (~45-60 min), then I eat (~30-60 min), then I code/study, then social email / doctor who, then sleep.

I don't have a ton of free time, but I make it work.

Tea contains l-theanine, which, when combined with caffeine, has been shown to improve concentration. You can get the same effect by drinking coffee and taking l-theanine pills.

The amount of l-theanine in green tea is quite small compared to what you get from pills. From my own personal experience and from what I've read on nootropic discussion boards, to really feel significant effects you need more l-theanine than what is provided in tea.

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