Cutting caffeine

takepi
takepi Posts: 23 Member
edited December 1 in Food and Nutrition
I'm cutting my caffeine intake right down and am wondering if anyone else has done this and what impact, positive or negative, it had on them.

I used to be a prolific tea and Diet Coke drinker. Down to 1-2 drinks a day - aiming for 0 to 1.

Replies

  • kingrat2014
    kingrat2014 Posts: 51 Member
    I cut my caffeine intake. I have no caffeine for the 8 hours before I go to bed. My sleep is my restful and I do not get up during the night. With doing this I have more energy and relaxed the next day. I replaced the caffeine after noon with water (flavored), herbal de-caf teas or wine. My caffeine intake is coffee and tea.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I tried. It didn't work LOL. Caffeine withdrawal headaches are the worst.

    I suggest just cutting slowly.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    When I stopped caffeine years ago, I had a killer headache for 3 or 4 days. I mean it was awful. However, the benefits of being (mostly) decaffeinated were worth it. I became a much calmer person, and much more able to cope with stressful situations. Most of my migraines disappeared at that time, too. Now, when I do feel a migraine coming on, I'll drink a SMALL amount of caffeine (a few ounces of cola with caffeine usually does it) and 90% of the time the migraine doesn't actually appear.
  • Ws2016
    Ws2016 Posts: 432 Member
    2 cups of coffee a day and no more for me. Otherwise, I get acid reflux, common as you get older. Not to be trifled with, so controlling caffeine intake is a smart thing to do.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    Since caffeine is a stimulant, it will depend on how much you have been taking as your body has grown accustomed to it. If it's been very low dosages, like a cup or two of regular coffee a day, then stopping all intake probably won't have much if any effect. If it's a lot more, then as others have stated, you can ween yourself off gradually, or "take the hit" and suffer a little for a few days while your body gets acclimated again to having none.

    Note, this will re-sensitize your body if you do want to re-introduce caffiene later on so that you will get back the stimulant effect with lower dosages as opposed to taking something stronger to feel the same effect. Some people cycle off of caffiene like this to keep it effective for them without having to keep increasing to higher and higher dosages for that same feeling.
  • BelleCakes2018
    BelleCakes2018 Posts: 568 Member
    Strangely enough I did cut caffeine for over a month and it made absolutely no difference to me.
    (After I cut it out, I kept to the same eating plan and brought it back) But you are listening to someone who seems totally immune to stimulants and can quite happily drink a coffee and a pepsi max and go straight to sleep after!
    I guess it depends how sensitive you are as to how much difference you may notice. Worth a go, you can always go back.
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
    I gave it up all together for 6 months and felt amazing once the headaches stopped. A change of job led me back. I make sure to just have one coffee in the morning and one tea in the afternoon as anything else makes my heart want to break out of my chest. Drink LOTS of water whilst cutting down.
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