Did you get any benefits from quitting caffeine?

2

Replies

  • Iwantahealthierme30
    Iwantahealthierme30 Posts: 293 Member
    I actually added caffeine and feel better but it's coffee, tea and hot chocolate, not soda. I cut out soda. I have one coffee in the morning and a hot chocolate after dinner.
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
    Not really. I sometimes would get migraine headaches and puke from having too much caffeine but if I don't have a ton it doesn't affect me.
    I've been drinking decaf for a good 6 or 7 months now. I don't notice a difference, except maybe I am less jittery and slightly less anxious. It doesn't affect my sleep at all. But, then again, I'm the type of person who can take preworkout and then an hour later go to bed.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I stopped caffeine for a period of several months some years ago and it made no difference in how I felt. I know people have a high sensitivity and others don't and I don't. It's never affected my sleep and I don't have coffee past noon.(My primary intake of caffeine is coffee. No other caffeinated beverages)

    For those that have sleep affected by caffeine, it is helpful to bear in mind that it has a 6 hour half life (meaning its potency is reduced to half in 6 hours) and adjust any intake so that it will not affect your sleep time.

    There are different ways to intake caffeine and some are have more nutrients than others. Coffee and chocolate are both plant based foods high in anti-oxidants with some potassium and magnesium and traces of other nutrients. Sodas and energy beverages are not as likely to have these additional nutrients.

    But if you are stressed or have trouble sleeping and your caffeine intake is moderate and earlier in the day, the caffeine is likely not the issue. And how do you know your cortisol level is high? Have you had this tested or are you self diagnosing?
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    I cut back, and found I had a lot more energy. Used to drink coffee all day long, and I cut down to just my travel sized mug in the morning and that’s it, and I stopped having that afternoon slump 🤷🏼‍♀️ that was years ago. Maybe a coincidence, Idk.
  • bluej85
    bluej85 Posts: 16 Member
    I resent caffeine because I know consume unhealthy amounts, and any time I try to stop it becomes clear it's an actual addiction with the headaches, cravings etc.

    Every so often I do a detox which starts with just dropping one bag of flavored green tea into a container of water in my fridge every day, so I can sort of wean myself off of it without the headaches. From there I switch to lemon water with no issue. I find I get an energy burst from like, eating an orange in the afternoons that's just as good as what caffeine was doing for me before.

    But then of course I'll eventually wind up back where I was before, side effect of infinite tea and diet coke at work for free.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    "The review also found risk reductions of 5 percent for cardiovascular disease and around 30 percent for both Type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease. A coffee habit was also associated with a lowered rate of death from any cause during the course of a study.

    Most studies didn't measure exact coffee volumes or caffeine levels. But in those that did, maximum benefits occurred at around four to five cups per day — the equivalent of two Starbucks "grande" drinks. That's roughly 380 to 475 milligrams of caffeine per day for typically brewed coffee drinks. (You'll find at least 95 mg in an eight-ounce cup.)

    So how do the positive effects work? Coffee lovers probably benefit from two main mechanisms.

    First, coffee beans contain phytochemicals (some of which are also found in fruits, vegetables, chocolate and tea) that have anti­oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. All of the diseases linked to protective effects from coffee start with low-level inflammation, and anti-inflammatory dietary chemicals circulating in the body could calm it down.

    Second, caffeine and other phyto­chemicals have specific effects on enzymes that regulate liver function, insulin and glucose metabolism, and DNA repair. All could act favorably to fend off Parkinson's, Type 2 diabetes and Grosso notes that none of the analyzed data pertains to his home country's coffee habits: "For 99.9 percent of Italians, coffee is espresso and anything else is 'dirty water,' " he says. Italians' typical espresso intake is only about one ounce a day — a paltry 50 to 75 mg of caffeine. In other parts of the world, he has seen people guzzling much larger volumes of coffee and tea, he says. "It was absolutely important to know if this was having an effect on health."

    The review's conclusion: Our "findings indicate that coffee can be part of a healthful diet."

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/after-poring-over-all-the-evidence-experts-declare-coffee-is-mostly-good-for-you/2018/02/02/b45f9f8e-02d1-11e8-8acf-ad2991367d9d_story.html
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member

    https://scienmag.com/higher-coffee-consumption-associated-with-lower-risk-of-death/


    "Barcelona, Spain – Aug. 27, 2017: Higher coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death, according to research presented today at ESC Congress.1 The observational study in nearly 20 000 participants suggests that coffee can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.

    “Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages around the world,” said Dr Adela Navarro, a cardiologist at Hospital de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. “Previous studies have suggested that drinking coffee might be inversely associated with all-cause mortality but this has not been investigated in a Mediterranean country.”


    The purpose of this study was to examine the association between coffee consumption and the risk of mortality in a middle-aged Mediterranean cohort. The study was conducted within the framework of the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) Project, a long-term prospective cohort study in more than 22 500 Spanish university graduates which started in 1999.

    This analysis included 19 896 participants of the SUN Project, whose average age at enrollment was 37.7 years old. On entering the study, participants completed a previously validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to collect information on coffee consumption, lifestyle and sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and previous health conditions.

    Patients were followed-up for an average of ten years. Information on mortality was obtained from study participants and their families, postal authorities, and the National Death Index. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident mortality according to baseline total coffee consumption adjusted for potential confounders.

    During the ten year period, 337 participants died. The researchers found that participants who consumed at least four cups of coffee per day had a 64% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who never or almost never consumed coffee (adjusted HR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.19-0.70). There was a 22% lower risk of all-cause mortality for each two additional cups of coffee per day (adjusted HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66-0.92).



    The researchers examined whether sex, age or adherence to the Mediterranean diet had any influence on the association between baseline coffee consumption and mortality. They observed a significant interaction between coffee consumption and age (p for interaction=0.0016). In those who were at least 45 years old, drinking two additional cups of coffee per day was associated with a 30% lower risk of mortality during follow-up (adjusted HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.58-0.85). The association was not significant among younger participants.

    Dr Navarro said: “In the SUN project we found an inverse association between drinking coffee and the risk of all-cause mortality, particularly in people aged 45 years and above. This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants.”

    She concluded: “Our findings suggest that drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people.”

  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    I decided 3 months to quit caffeine to reduce my stress, get better sleep and reduce my cortisol levels . It turns out three months later I don't sleep any better, i'm just as stressed out and my cortisol is still high. I'm wondering if it's all worth it. Did you try going caffeine free and what happened?

    How do you know your cortisone levels are still high? Is there a test for that?

    @quiksylver296 - yep, there is a saliva test or blood test.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,534 Member
    I drink coffee every morning and sometimes in the afternoon if I'm hungry to ward off munching. I tried drinking less when my therapist told me it worsens anxiety and didn't notice a difference. I just love the taste of it, it doesn't really wake me up, I think it's more of the ritual than anything else. I've had two Bang drinks without feeling anything so I don't know if it's tolerance or what since I know others respond with energy. My blood pressure has been spiking recently and cutting caffeine is one of the recommended diet changes. I'm game to drink hibiscus tea and am considering beet capsules but still want my coffee too!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    Safari_Gal_ wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    I decided 3 months to quit caffeine to reduce my stress, get better sleep and reduce my cortisol levels . It turns out three months later I don't sleep any better, i'm just as stressed out and my cortisol is still high. I'm wondering if it's all worth it. Did you try going caffeine free and what happened?

    How do you know your cortisone levels are still high? Is there a test for that?

    @quiksylver296 - yep, there is a saliva test or blood test.

    Interesting. I had no idea. Where does one get this test done, at your regular doctor's office?
  • drmwc
    drmwc Posts: 980 Member
    edited May 2020
    I gave up for a fortnight once. I had a headache for the first week, so I am clearly addicted.

    I decided at the end that I Iove coffee, and it's a minor vice. So I started drinking it again. This was many years ago - I don't regret the decision at all.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,886 Member
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Nope. If you're not getting sleep, it's likely DUE to the stress. Offset the stress by taking an hour a day working on you. It can be reading a book, doing yoga, going for a walk, working out, etc.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    It's most likely that, I spend too much time on the computer. I need to go out more.

    I manage my anxiety with regular exercise, and increase exercise in times of increased stress.

    I do this without a gym membership.

    I've had to cut back on my news consumption the last month or so - that was contributing to my stress.
  • beachbody4l
    beachbody4l Posts: 208 Member
    Every time I try to cut caffeine my hunger doubles. I end up gaining weight because I lose energy to do anything especially work out. Not worth it to me.
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    edited May 2020
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Safari_Gal_ wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Mellouk89 wrote: »
    I decided 3 months to quit caffeine to reduce my stress, get better sleep and reduce my cortisol levels . It turns out three months later I don't sleep any better, i'm just as stressed out and my cortisol is still high. I'm wondering if it's all worth it. Did you try going caffeine free and what happened?

    How do you know your cortisone levels are still high? Is there a test for that?

    @quiksylver296 - yep, there is a saliva test or blood test.

    Interesting. I had no idea. Where does one get this test done, at your regular doctor's office?

    hiya...I’ve heard of saliva mail in test kits but i don’t know their efficacy. I’ve had a cortisol test at my endocrinologist. (Blood) When testing thyroid they also tested my adrenals..

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,977 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    drmwc wrote: »
    I gave up for a fortnight once. I had a headache for the first week, so I am clearly addicted.

    I decided at the end that I Iove coffee, and it's a minor vice. So I started drinking it again. This was many years ago - I don't regret the decision at all.

    It's not a vice at all in appropriate amounts. It actually has health benefits. Why do people think it is is vice??

    Probably the thinking goes, "If I have withdrawal when I stop, I must be addicted, and therefore it is a vice."

    I have withdrawal when I stop breathing, but don't think air is a vice.


    I wouldn't call it a vice ( except in jest which I think PP was probably doing too) - but it is a mild addiction. .

  • kperk91
    kperk91 Posts: 226 Member
    I became slightly addicting to wanting iced coffee every morning - iced caramel - just craving that flavor.
    After about 4 months of that, my chest starting feeling weird and I would start feeling hot, almost sweating at random times. I would look at my fitbit and my heartrate would read 120 while sitting on the couch...

    I went to my cardiologist (pre-existing condition) and did a stress test/ thyroid test to rule out major issues. It was suggested to stop the caffeine (as I appear sensitive to it) and increase cardio.

    It's been 1.5 years. If I want iced caramel coffee, it's decaf and never more than once in a while. While my cardio isn't quite in place - I am strength training. My heart rate has lowered and I don't see the random spikes up to 115+ when I'm just lounging around.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,931 Member
    hmm the only time I quit was for my first pregnancy (sorry second child lol). The difference for me is I was more tired. I find having coffee makes me feel full for a long time so it actually helps me lose weight in general, not the other way around. However, I need to stop drinking it by 11 am or else I cant sleep at night. If I can't sleep at night, then I'm tired the next day. When I am tired, my body seeks energy from food, making me eat more.

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