caffiene free night shifters

akj_25

are there any night shifters that are caffiene free??

i am thinking about giving up pop, but i have the most problems between 3 am and my drive home.
i am not necessarily looking to go caffiene free - just cutting out pop for a while to see what happens (sort of a science experiment, to see if it makes a big enough difference to make it worth it.)
but i will end up almost caffiene free becuase i don't drink coffee or tea.

so what are others stay awake tricks without pop or grazing on food?? (especially for the drive home?)

KaseyWolf

I measure out and pack things for myself. I have green tea in my locker now and substitute it for coffee at times. I've cut out creamer for my coffee and use only stevia. For snacky type stuff I measure out some almonds, carrot chips and celery stalks and then take hummus or salsa to nibble on with it. Try measuring out some pretzels, carrots or other type of nibbly veggies (broccoli, celery, cucumbers, zukes, etc).

Sjenny5891

are there any night shifters that are caffiene free??

i am thinking about giving up pop, but i have the most problems between 3 am and my drive home.
i am not necessarily looking to go caffiene free - just cutting out pop for a while to see what happens (sort of a science experiment, to see if it makes a big enough difference to make it worth it.)
but i will end up almost caffiene free becuase i don't drink coffee or tea.

so what are others stay awake tricks without pop or grazing on food?? (especially for the drive home?)

I have slowly replaced my nightly Dew with water. I find I need to eat something small every couple of hours. I also tend to eat more calories while working than during my other meals.

locoducky

Since I get off at 6, I am personally afraid to drink caffeine after 3 for worry that I won't be able to sleep when I get home. Main tip I have is to drink as much water as you can. Start with making a deal with yourself that you will drink a water bottle of water before you have any caffeine and phase out the pop. I would also see if you can do some working out before you head home to wake you up for the drive.

KaseyWolf

I've been drinking more green tea at work. I had just gotten started (about 3 weeks of it) when I was scheduled for surgery. Off on FMLA until 4/3 but when I return I am going to continue with the green tea. I gave up pop a long time ago and highly recommend it! Nasty stuff in there!

OutDaWay

I work midnight till 9am I don't drink coffee or pop. I take 5 hour if i need it but won't use it after 2am. I eat lunch around 4 and a power bar before the gym 10am. I also use a pre-work out mix before the gym.

HollyWalle

I only have one coffee a day on my way into work and I also use a pre- work out. I work 11pm-7am mon-friday..
i cut out my coffee last week to see if it would make a difference in my weight loss due to hitting a plateau and I lost 2 pounds!

akj_25

soooo yeah -- i cut out pop for a week and found myself eating everything i could find because i wasn't satisfying a that craving for the taste of Diet Mountain Dew. ended up gaining a couple lb that week, so now i am back on my pop but now i force myself to drink at least 20 ounces of water between every can of pop. so that has actually helped me cut back on my pop intake.

i would say my pop free experiment was an epic failure
oh well - have to have some vices.

OutDaWay

Drinking pop is horrible for your weight loss goals and your teeth. I'm not saying I never drink it, but once every 6months I might have a Dr.Pepper. But I remember specifically losing weight just by cutting out the soda.

akj_25

Drinking pop is horrible for your weight loss goals and your teeth. I'm not saying I never drink it, but once every 6months I might have a Dr.Pepper. But I remember specifically losing weight just by cutting out the soda.

i know it is horrible to drink pop, i know the benefits of stopping pop. but like i said the week i went off pop i gained weight, and now i am back to losing 1-2 lbs a week even with drinking pop (offen in excess) so for now i am staying on it, trying to cut back, and focusing more on adding more water. (right now i have 24 ounces of water and 12 ounces of Diet mtn dew in front of me and i am alternating between the two)
_ i know i sound rediculous to some, just like a smoker that is not ready to quit. i am addicted and right now i don't care.
i am not perfect, i am just trying to be a better version of me, and i like my pop.

fivecardstudpts

I work nights, and I don't drink coffee and very rarely drink soda. Caffeine makes me sick which is why I stopped. The first few weeks are the hardest. Just bring healthy snaks to work, and font bring any money to buy the unhealthy stuff. Takes time. Maybe two or three times. I find that I feel so much better without soda.
Jessica

Codylee84

I have the occasional coke(Pepsi or rootbeer) and coffee. When I'm on night shift I might have a cup around 11 or 12. I get home around 6 in the morning and not in bed til 730. Living in Houston and working in a hot environment, I sweat profusely. It sounds gross, but if I drink a coke or coffee I get jitters real bad and cramps. So I stick to water most of the day and including night shift. For me, walking around or doing a few exercises wakes me up. Slowly work your way down from one a day to one every few days. I can't finish a can of soda with out feeling bloated like a balloon. The small 100 cal cans of soda are perfect size.

joannlohr9

I am working on giving up my coffee I was drinking 5-6 cups a night, like you I have the hardest time from 3am and my almost hour drive home. I am taking baby steps and have cut back to 2 cups a night right now, when I feel myself getting tired I get up and take a quick walk if I can or just stand at my desk for a few minutes. To avoid the snacking I have started bringing measured out snacks such as carrots, celery, apples etc and leaving my wallet in my car so even if I wanted something I don't have the money with me. Hope that helps!

HuskyRunning

I actually hate coffee and don't drink a lot of pop or tea. I find what helps me stay awake is to get a full 8 hours of sleep. I know that migh sound weird and for some busy it's not easy but I do and I use music to help block out the day time sounds so that I can get my sleep. I also have trouble about 4am so I try to leave my physical work to that time. as for my drive home I will play music that is up beat and I can sing to. That seems to help me

nobel99

I don't drink coffee (never tried it acually) or tea (I have had tea once or twice when I had the flu and needed to get warm) but I do eat chocolate! I eat a mixture of dark chocolate nuggets with cranberries and nuts. It's great protein but I must measure it out or else I'll eat wayyyyyy too much. I drink tons of water all night but that makes for a poor sleep during the day (getting up to pee every hour sucks) On the way home, I play loud music, slap myself in the face if necessary (LOL) and usually snack on something like the nut mixture. It helps to carpool (not so someone else can smack me in the face...) cuz then having someone to talk to is stimulating...even if it is just to complain about what a crappy shift we had!

cincysweetheart

Essentially I'm caffeine free. Although on the rare occasion I've been known to add some Crystal Lite energy to my water. But that's rare. Like … maybe I've done it twice in 5 months? No coffee or tea or soda.

Good sleep and water and something to occupy myself is what keeps me going all night long.

Hrafinhyrr

I swear by b complex vitamins. I take the b complex 100 right before I go to work it gives me enough energy and I find when I take them I don't need a caffeine boost. I have been working 3rd shift for going on 20 years now and the B complex vitamins make a world of difference to me!!

peacehawk

I do drink coffee, but it doesn't matter to me if it has caffine or not, most of the time. I drink about half as much as I did when I started nights several years ago. I like the taste of coffee. But, this week, I added a supplement called Terra Greens to a protein shake during my energy crash around 4am, and I was wide awake for hours. I had a bit of trouble getting to sleep that day. then, a couple days ago, I made the mistake of putting it into juice right before laying down to sleep. the sleep didn't come until it was wayyyy late for me. I did get a lot done though. I like it best in about 8 oz juice mixed with 4 oz water. there is no caffine, ephedra or guarana in it. It has some green stuff, stevia for sweetner, powdered pineapple and other fruit I forget, and essential oils of lemon and ginger. It isn't marketed as an energy drink, just as a way to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Upon first taste, it tasted grassy and sweet. by the fourth sip it tastes more pineappley. Private message me if you want more info.

I also take sublingual B12 to help with energy, but also because lab tests from my nurse practitioner show that I'm low on it. I may be one of those people tthat don't absorb it in a regular supplement or in food. that is common with diabetics.

I don't drink pop any more. once I had been off it for about a month, the taste was different when I do try it. once in a while I'll have some, but rarely drink the whole thing. It doesn't taste good any more.

I also start cleaning or excercising when I get tired. that helps.