What It’s Like to Quit Caffeine

A few weeks ago, I was at my doctors discussing a slight heart problem I was having. It’s probably nothing too serious, just a bit of stress and anxiety. However, the doctor wanted to be thorough, so they sent me off for a blood test, a heart scan and they told me to cut out caffeine.

Now, I don’t have too much caffeine. I’m not a huge coffee binger. But, I do like to start my morning by sitting down with a couple of coffees and doing some writing, followed by a couple of cups of tea later in the day.

However… it all had to go.

So I quit, cold turkey. NI have had no caffeine since that moment.

Now, the first five or six days were pretty easy going. I switched to decaf and it felt like nothing had changed.

However, by the end of week 1, I found myself having headaches, and these got progressively worse for a couple of days.

I had read about other people having headaches like this, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how bad they would be.

By the end of the Week 2 the headaches were so bad I couldn’t focus on anything. It was awful. I had to write off several days and could barely practice guitar.

However, it’s now coming to the end of week 3 and I feel much better. The headaches have completely gone.

Do I feel Any Different After Quitting Caffeine?

I think I do feel differently after quitting. I used to have a nap every day, sometimes two, and I no longer feel the need for that. My energy feels more stable through the day.

I also feel more focussed during the day and less distracted, which can only be a good thing.

Getting up in the morning is now easy to do. It doesn’t take me an hour to wake up or get out of bed, I can just get up and go, which is great for getting things done.

How to Quit Caffeine

One thing I did to help me quit, was to stop at the shops on the way back for the doctor and pick up a bag of decaf coffee. This way, I could still follow my morning ritual of sitting down with my coffee, but without having the caffeine in it.

Decaf doesn’t taste as good as regular coffee, but, it’s still nice, and if it helps improve my health then it’s an easy option to make.

If coffee, or caffeinated drinks, are part of your lifestyle or a habit you have, then find substitutes for them. This way, you don’t have to break the habits.

Substitutes for Caffeinated Drinks

Here are a few drinks you can try:

• To replace coffee: Decaf (duh)
• To replace tea: Roibos tea, herbal teas / infusions.

Keeping Updates

I’ll add some updates to this in a few weeks, to see if the long term effects are any different to what I’m experiencing now.