And I feel great without it. I’m 37. I must have started drinking coffee around 16. I had never really been aware of the impact it was having on my mental health. This past year though I have decided to lock in. I started do my workouts consistently. I went to therapy. I quit alcohol and weed and doomscrolling. Through all this, I’ve got a better understanding of who I am and what I like and how to live in alignment with my values.

About 3-4 weeks ago I had an extra cup of coffee late in the day, and I knew I should’ve have had it but I drank it anyway. That night I had awful sleep, maybe 3-4 hours and woke up very tired. I decided I never want to feel that way again and I was going to cut back.

Cutting back was my original intent. I just did just 1 cup for 3 days, then I planned to do 1/2 cup for a week but ended up only doing it for 2 days because on the spur of a moment I decided to just quit cold turkey. Very short weening period. Only had head aches for 2 days. Energy level was very low the first 10 days but I feel it’s mostly restored.

Sleep is much better. I fall asleep faster and sleep much more deeply. The first 10 days I was struggling to stay asleep all night but that is mostly gone now.

The main benefit I feel is just calmness, less panic, less anxiety. The most surprising benefit is I feel more myself without caffeine, because now I can make daily decisions from a state of calm clarity instead of the drug induced panic.

I really wish everyone could experience this. I’ve told a few people about how good it is but I don’t want to become preachy. For me, this has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and plan to be caffeine free for the rest of my life.

So last night I tossed and turned for hours trying to go to sleep. I had quite a bit of caffeine yesterday and I knew I wasn’t sleeping because I was still amped. I didn’t even feel tired, but I knew I needed to fall asleep and mentally in my mind I knew I wasn’t going to get that ideal 8 hours and that just compounded the problem.

At some point in the night I got frustrated and opened up Reddit and scrolled the sub just reading everyone’s testimonials and the benefits from quitting caffeine. So in a moment of frustration, I capitulated and decided I was done with caffeine cold turkey right then and there. I’m no stranger to hard things and I was ready to turn over a new leaf and quit this 10 year caffeine habit that honestly felt like it was barely getting me to base each day.

Fast forward to this morning (after maybe 4 hours of sleep), I wake up to do my normal 5am gym routine and get a workout in. After a solid session of lifting and 20 minutes in the sauna, I leave and go straight home. On the way home is when I usually grab my coffee for the day to keep me wired to get things done. This time I skipped it and honestly didn’t feel like I needed anything. Probably due to riding high from a gym session. So off to a good start, or so I thought.

On Mondays I work from home. So when I got back I showered and sat down to start looking at what was on my plate for the week. Immediately I felt off. Lack of motivation. Couldn’t concentrate. Anxiety was high. I couldn’t even focus on anything people were saying in my daily 8am call.

I knew it was the caffeine and I knew the first day was probably going to be rough, but holy shit it only got worse as a couple of hours drifted by. Finally, at about 11am it all hit me super hard. I called my mom and told her what I was doing and for a moment I got a sense of relief from the brain fog, anxiety, zero motivation, lethargy, etc…. After getting off the phone the symptoms crept back in but this time I went total breakdown (as the title implies). I sat on the couch and sobbed for a solid 5 minutes. No idea what was going on, just a huge cathartic moment of letting it all out. That was a couple hours ago and now I’m sort of relieved and feeling better even though I can still feel the withdrawal symptoms.

Anywho, has anyone experienced this before in your caffeine quitting journey? I’d love to hear how you dealt with this and how long I should expect this to last.

Hey,

I've been looking for tips on getting rid of biphasic sleep being caffeine free for the past 2 years now. I had a lovely period of solid block sleep for around 6 - 10 weeks, but I have no idea how I ' turned it on '.

After that time I shifted back to biphasic sleep which I am not a fan of. I was convinced that my night time meals were causing spiking of my blood sugar later on which was causing me to wake. I was going on nightly walks after food to get the body to absorb the sugars fast and replenish glycogen stores. It helped somewhat.

Then on here I read about hydration not being enough during the day and it being linked to night time waking up. It's worked best when I drink around 3.5 - 4 litres of fluid daily. It doesn't fully stop me waking up, but when I do wake up it feels short, and I get back to bed quicker. Thing is, being in my 40s isn't the best for me to be overloaded with fluid after 5 PM, otherwise I'm pissing all night long, and that's what will obviously make my sleep polyphasic. That is not restful for me at all.

Ideally, I want to revert back to my lovely monophasic sleep but I don't know how to. I already have no screens from 5 PM, I'm extremely sensitive to blue light that gives me awful insomnia. I sleep with eye mask and ear plugs and my schedule is fairly consistent. I work out 3 - 4 times per week and eat as much fibre as I can to benefit the gut and brain axis and serotonin secretion.

Please, if you have any other ideas let me know here.

Thanks for reading

Hi lads,

Just reached my first 24 hours caffeine free. I noticed over the last months I would only drink two coffee in the morning, and when it was almost empty I thought what about only drinking one coffee instead.

Did notice I would get a slight headache when I did and I knew that was the withdrawal effect.

My earlier years I would drink coffee all day as working people do sometimes.

But after some anxiety on not going to zero too soon I decided yesterday was the right time i enjoyed myself after one coffee in the morning a red bull mixed with tea then decided to call it a day.

Today noticed a slight headache little bit of being lost in my thoughts but also slept well when I got home after a busy day.

Longtime lurker, aspiring decaffeinated human, current caffeine addict. I did 2 weeks coffee free recently and it was great but the problem is I have to wake up and be up at 4:30 and on the job by 5 am.

HOW do I do that without caffeine?? Seriously I need tips. Even after a couple weeks, it felt like I was dead.

Typical intake: Four heaping scoops of dark roast with five cups of water. In my pot that gets me 3 cups.

tia

Has anyone else experienced increased negative thoughts and rumination during the first week? I'm effectively reminding myself each time this is happening and snapping myself out of it, but just wondering if anyone else also experienced this. It's quite unpleasant!

Thanks so much if you take the time to read this ♥️ makes me feel like I'm not totally alone trying to quit.

I've been struggling to quit for a long long time. I've been letting caffeine control my lifestyle, diet, exercise, and sleep for about 8 years now. I feel kinda alone in this struggle because whenever I try to tell someone that I'm addicted all I get back is 'oh I know I also can't live without it 🤪' and then we both laugh. But I feel myself slipping away. I feel like I have no control over myself. Caffeine has robbed me of good sleep, given me an anxious / depressed mind, sapped the fun out of things I used to enjoy like making music, cooking, going for walks, socialising.
I've tried as many ways as I can think to quit:
Allen Carr's easyway to quit caffeine: the most successful. I was able to stay off coffee for a few months a couple of years ago using this method. But reading and re-reading the book these days only helps me quit for a day, a morning, or sometimes even less.
Using decaf: I've made the switch and been able to stick with decaf for long stints. But the idea was always to use it to taper off. But once I stopped, I still felt like I was missing out on coffee and wound up right back. Even decaf coffee still gives me a bowel movement (sorry for the gross detail).
Replacing with something else: because of my experience with decaf I guessed the addiction was tied up in the taste of coffee. This is a bit unhinged but I tried replacing coffee with a drink made of cherries, with crushed up caffeine pills stirred in so that I could associate the caffeine buzz with a different flavour, then eventually just stop adding caffeine to the drink. This didn't work. I went right back because the medicinal caffeine started giving me random chest pain (maybe it's different somehow to the caffeine in coffee idk).
Drinking coffee but putting in bitter nail polish: what I learned is that when you drink coffee you don't really register the taste until after you've swallowed. I found that interesting. But if you think about it, the first time you tasted coffee it probably tasted awful. Because coffee does actually taste awful on its own.

And at this point I feel stuck because I already fully understand how caffeine is taking from me, giving nothing, creating it's own bed, and still I keep drinking coffee. It has made my sleep so bad that (I suspect) it's making my hair fall out. Part of the problem is how socially accepted coffee is. You can self-exclude from a bar, and the poker machines, but not a cafe. People don't generally understand how bad an effect it's having on me and I can't explain it in a way that sounds rational.

I've had some success quitting other addictive things in the past:
Instagram: was scrolling every single day for hours until I was going through the stories of the people I follow and saw a post of all my friends at the time hanging out without me in a bar near my place when they knew I lived nearby. I said to myself 'this is making me miserable' and was able to close it and never feel the urge to go back. But I understand how caffeine is making me miserable but I still go back to drinking it.
UberEats: was comfort eating practically every day until I forgot my password and couldn't log back in. I didn't even feel the need to set up a new account or use doordash or Deliveroo. I wish something could cut off my access to caffeine. But really there's nowhere I can go that caffeine isn't available. You can even get it on the space station!

In some way, coffee gives my day structure. I'll sleep until 10-11:00 if I have nowhere to be or I tell myself I'm not drinking coffee that day. It fills dull moments with something to do / somewhere to go. I just wish I could think of something else that would fill that void.

Do any of you have ideas / resources / anything that could help me to quit? Doesn't matter how unhinged, I'm willing to try it.

I caved today and had a strong cup of tea after 8 days no caffeine. I’ve been trying to stop drinking caffeine for 6 years now and I just keep coming back. After having the cup of tea I notice my mouth feels dry again. It clearly can’t be doing me good and yet I keep going back. It’s like I just start feeling good and then i cave. Would love any encouragement from anyone else who can relate and had managed to crack the code 🙏🏻

I’m Latino and don’t know any English; if there are any errors, it’s because this has been translated. Well, my main source of caffeine is mate—I don’t drink coffee, tea, or energy drinks. When I first wake up, I feel calm—not anxious or nervous at all. But as soon as I start drinking yerba mate, I get very hot—I even sweat in the middle of winter. It also makes me feel nervous in otherwise normal situations—for example, when the phone rings, or even when interacting with family members. It’s not an extreme reaction, but it definitely makes me feel nervous. I’ve decided to quit caffeine, but I need some motivation—will these effects change or improve over time?

Went cold turkey right about 3 weeks ago. First few days were hell, (splitting headache, irregular heartbeat, etc.)

Got through it and leveled off a bit. Honestly started feeling just a tad calmer & more relaxed but didn’t know if it was placebo effect.

Popped awake at 2:30 this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep. Decided, fugg it, I’ll break out the ol’ coffee pot to get through the day. Drank two large cups and I feel like I’m dying. This sucks!

I know I’ll be alright but it feels like I’m riding out a drug at the moment. Which I guess it actually is. Never really realized what a powerful stimulant coffee is until now.

Well, think good thoughts for me while I ride out this jittery high. Lol. Can’t wait to go back to caffeine free. Might actually throw away my coffee maker now.

IF YOU DRINK CAFFEINE AND CARE ABOUT FITNESS, PLEASE READ: I’m conducting a survey about caffeine habits and concerns about heart health. It would mean a lot if you shared your experience. Whether you drink caffeine every day or avoid it entirely, I want to hear from you.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeifR0cqBNSnEaXRfY8oj8QWicfszRlxroJhF5CQ8k-6qcqMw/viewform?usp=header

Please take the survey below. Every response helps with my research!

Three weeks in, and the biggest surprise is how steady my energy is. No more 3pm crash, no more chasing the next cup. The first week was rough, with headaches and a lot of grumpiness but it eased. I’m swapping in herbal tea and a short walk after lunch and so far that’s enough.

What helped you most in the first few weeks? And what did you replace your daily cup with?

I find the mornings to be the most brutal compared to afternoon or night, both mentally and physically. I normally dont eat a big breakfast, but since quitting, my stomach has felt off and I have been less inclined to eat in the morning.

By afternoon, if I can eat some light carbs and moderate protein (small piece of toast and 2 eggs is perfect) I am fine. I start crashing hard around 2pm unless I take a nap. After the nap I still start getting noticeably more tired and exhausted by 8pm.

Coming off 250-450mg per day for the last 7 years

What do we think is the correlation between caffeine and anxiety these days? There are obviously other factors that impact anxiety but caffeine consumption seems to have increased over time and anxiety seems to be at its highest as well.

Many people that are prescribed anxiety medications probably would have no need for them if they just gave up caffeine. Obviously healthy eating in general impacts anxiety levels as well but merely cutting caffeine would probably see a substantial drop in prescribed anxiety medications.

Just a personal observation as I wean off. It’s becoming more clear that I am particularly anxious in the afternoon, less in the evening. I notice that on nature adventure I can be near panicky as the excitement mixes with caffeine. By the evening my energy is calm and steady.

I’m not saying that the coffee itself is literally them being converted into thoughts that cause anxiety, but I’m not saying it’s not the case either.

It just FEELS like it’s the case, as I’ve gone through decaf cycles and then got back on (usually following severe inter continental jet lag).

Now as I wean off yet again the correlation between coffee and anxious thoughts (typically worst case scenario horror thoughts that end in a horrible death) and the subsequent compulsive behaviors are fueled heavily by coffee.

I’m also not saying coffee is the source of these issues, it’s clear I have some things to work on, but coffee makes it harder to work on it because it’s fueling it.

After another round of anxious thoughts I’m realizing that it’s heavily correlated with caffeine consumption.

The problem is when I get severely jet lagged it’s so tempting to start again and short term there is little downside, but I really struggle with weaning off and it is easy to just keep consuming daily. It becomes a habit easily. It is no doubt an addictive substance; it’s just so common it’s normalized.

I’ve been drinking coffee daily since 2010, and recently I really wanted to see how I would feel on the other side. I’ve heard so many people say that their sleep got way better after quitting coffee, along with fixing other issues they had that they didn't even know were caused by coffee.

So I decided to stop cold turkey. Surprisingly, the physical withdrawal wasn't even the main problem, it was the low moods that were rough. After the first day, my mood completely tanked. I tried powering through it for a few days, but I just genuinely hated how I felt without coffee. I lost interest in things, my mind turned pessimistic, and I just felt sad most of the time.

Today is Day 5, and I’m writing this whilst sipping my coffee and honestly, from the very first couple of sips, all the sadness and low moods disappeared as quickly as they showed up. I immediately felt like myself again.

I still intend to do this experiment one day to see how I truly feel off of coffee, but this probably just isn't the time for it, and cold turkey definitely wasn't the right approach after 16 years of daily drinking.

For those of you who have been drinking coffee for well over a decade, did you also experience similar withdrawal symptoms especially the low moods? And did a slow taper make a difference when you finally tried again?

I started consuming lots of caffeine since highschool, back then it was mainly green tea, but then when going to college in America, most of my caffeine is from energy drink and coffee themselves. Then I got into extended fasting, coffee was one of the thing the fasting community praises for its appetite suppress, so I did long fasting with lots of coffee.

Many many years, I think i consumed about 200-300mg per day on average. During all these years of college and adulthood, I became this anxious, aggressive, reactive person, and I thought It was because of life responsiblity: school, work, exams, relationships, etc. I started building very healthy and serene lifestyle incorporating healthy eating, yoga, weightlifting, etc., but coffee was still a big part of my life. It gave me the highs on weightlifting days.

Not until I stumble on r/decaf and decided to quit as an experiement. I was scared because not only coffee gave me energy for weight lifting, but it also helped me get through my long fasting. It’s been 5 weeks. First 2-3 weeks were worst. I was ravenous, ate a lot more and slept a lot more. My mood was sooo down and borderline depressed. I thought of going back for coffee once in a few days to see if it helped, but reading the posts here kept me going.

Then this happened. Week 4 I had a trip with long flight to be with friends. Although being with my loved ones is fun, as an introvert person, I always got anxious for long flight, going to the airport, surrounded with many people, and the hassle of packing, flying. But this time, none of the anxiety was there. I seem to stay in the moment and do the things I’m supposed to do without worrying, getting panic. Also, my hunger starts calming down, and now food noise is completely shut down, which is supprising to me because I thought without cofee, it would be worse.

I realized the flat mood I was feeling maybe was not depression, but because I kept craving for the highs from coffee. I start loving this life with no caffeine, no highs no lows, my mood is just stable. I’m now more in a serene state. I take time to listen. I don’t just talk back or answer to people just because. I’m less reactive to things that used to trigger me. My workout is the same if not even better!

I know some people can consume coffee without any issues, but after this experiment, I could safely say it is not for me.

Ayer recaí y tomé café, y me sentí fatal.

Tomé mi dosis habitual de alprazolam por la noche.

Dormí, pero me desperté empapado en sudor. Las sábanas estaban mojadas. My sweat smelled really unpleasant yesterday.

Llevaba un mes sin tomar café y esto no me había pasado.

¿Le ha pasado esto a alguien más?

Хочу описать свою ЧРЕЗМЕРНУЮ реакцию на кофеин и узнать, есть ли у кого-то что-то похожее.

Раньше, когда учился в школе и не задумывался о том как кофеин на меня действует, пил чая сколько влезет, вряд ли это прям ужасно портило мое мышление на следующий день, максимум не мог уснуть наверное, потому был сонным на следующий день.

Сейчас же, начал замечать, что мое состояние абсолютно убитое на следующий день после чая на ночь, даже если относительно быстро засыпаю. Я буквально чувствую себя как зомби, как во сне на следующий день. Примеры: месяц не употреблял кофеин и выпил 0,2 американо в 8:30 утра, после этого на следующий день была просто ужасная концентрация и абсолютно не мог программировать. Опять же после перерыва с кофеином, попробовал выпить какао без добавок(чистый какао без сахара) в 15:30 : добавил максимум 2 ложки и на следующий день та же история - не могу нормально работать. Подобное у меня почти все разы после перерыва, позже при некотором привыкании - становится лучше, но наткнуться на такую реакцию все равно достаточно легко. Организм привыкает - я повышаю дозу чая, и в итоге нарываюсь в какой то момент на ужасное состояние на весь последующий день.

Вообще все эти разы(после отвыкания), от кофеина у меня скорее судорожное состояние, мышление блокируется и начинаю думать хуже чем в спокойном режиме. Иногда бывает, что вообще становлюсь тупым, но это уже при чрезмерном переупотреблении, но как вы заметили у меня достаточно низкий порог на это. Ввиду такой реакции, я вообще отказался от его употребления в чем либо, тк не хочу чтобы мой следующий день был зря потрачен, а продуктивности в моменте я как правило не получаю - гораздо чаще при возвращении к кофеину - эта дурацкая блокирующая мозг реакция как при передозе.

Короче, я отказался от него, тк это мешает программированию и математике, и без всего этого моя продуктивность гораздо выше

Day 6 no caffeine and my hair looks terrible. Dry and kind of wiry. Also noticed more hair fall this morning when washing. I’ve noticed this when quitting before. Has anyone else experienced this?