Coffee and Caffeine FAQ

Thought I’d share my experience after quitting caffeine. I was never a heavy coffee drinker as compared to some people out there, but I have always really liked coffee and diet pepsi…probably had 2-3 coffees per day and one diet pepsi. I also went through a period when I took ephedra for about 6 months or so. I quit about 3 years ago cold turkey and went through a mild form of the withdrawals that you’re all familiar with. I chose to quit after reading “Caffeine Blues”, which is a great book, easy to read, and filled with a lot of common sense.

The changes I’ve noticed in that time:
• Memory is significantly improved, both short and long term. No question about this, I’ve even had people comment to me.
• Energy level throughout the day is more constant. I have as much energy at the end of the day as at the beginning. Of course, diet plays a big role in this as well.
• Easier decision making because I have better context for most things (this is a hard one to explain, but it’s as though I’m able to process and consider more information at once)
• Sleep much harder and require a little less sleep

I saw a show on alternative medicine about a year ago that profiled 3 people seeking treatment for low energy and depression. One of the three people was a single dad with 3 little kids. He was tired all the time, short fused with his kids, and said he wasn’t the kind of dad he wanted to be. He wanted to come home from the work day with energy to focus on the kids and give them his best. He was assigned acupuncture treatment. The acupuncturist had him quit ALL stimulants, coffee & tea, and diet coke, to which he was addicted. A couple of months later they revisited the three people. He was the only one that had any success with his alternative treatment and he said a big part of it was attributable to cutting out caffeine. He was like a different person, filled with calm energy. You could hear it in his voice and see it in his demeanor. In addition to having lots of energy left over to enjoy his kids, as they walked through his house he pointed out home improvement projects that he had completed (ie: retiled the kitchen floor after the kids went to bed) and commented that before he would never have even considered taking them on. It reinforced what I was experiencing as I had been off caffeine for a couple years at that point. I wish I knew the name of the show or which channel I saw it on.

I still have tea once in a while but not every day. I’ve grown to not like the feeling of being caffeinated and usually regret having it shortly afterwards. Generally, I try not to have any caffeine at all.

Hope this helps some of you. There’s no doubt in my mind that quitting caffeine is the way to go. It’s counterintuitive but by letting your body relax more you’re a lot more productive.