Training & Nutrition - Any ex-caffeine users here?

How has giving up caffeine affected you? The reason I ask is that I consume a fair amount of caffeine every day. Two cups of coffee and 2-3 cups of tea in the course of a day. I feel like sometimes it affects my sleep. My grown daughter drinks zero caffeine and she sleeps like a log. I realize there are other factors involved, but I would like to hear how giving up caffeine has affected people.
Thanks.

I find that if I train every day, or almost every day, and don't drink coffee after 2pm, I sleep just fine. Otherwise, otherwise.

I've been caffeine free for five hours. Sorry, I'm no help.

Tack another 50 km per day and i'm sure you'll sleep fine.

I quit drinking caffeine once a year, like clockwork. The only difference I notice is that I don't get to enjoy my morning cup of coffee, so I always start again, and I never feel any different. I limit myself to one cup in the morning though.

I was a hardcore coffee drinker for a number of years. There was a period during which I drank coffee more than anything else and had developed a complete tolerance (drink coffee at 9:00pm, asleep at 11:00pm). In recent years I was down to 2-3 cups a day, an improvement, but I felt bothersome lulls in mental energy and motivation throughout the day.

I wanted to increase the energy I felt throughout the day, and subsequently stopped drinking coffee in August. I achieved this through a withdrawal period involving a week of irritability, tiredness, and headaches. There was also a longer period during which I had a strong desire for the taste of coffee. I got by initially with decaf coffee or green tea, and weaned off from there.

This isn't a scientific trial, so the results are subjective, but I feel more alert upon waking up and feel as though I have a more stable baseline level of mental energy (albeit not as high a baseline as I would like), less subject to the peaks and lulls experienced when I was drinking coffee regularly. Getting to sleep is about as easy as it was before, and I can't say anything either way about sleep quality. It should be noted that these changes also coincided with a reworking of my sleep schedule, wherein I go to sleep earlier and wake up with the sunrise, which may have nothing or everything to do with my experiences.

If you decide to quit expect a blistering headache on the second day. Personally, I didn't enjoy my caffeine-free existence, I didn't notice any increase in energy. Sleeping patterns didn't really change, I only felt that I got a nice sleep after a hard ride regardless of caffeine status.

The only benefit was the fantastic buzz I got when I started back up ;-)

I went from drinking approx. 15 cups of coffee a day down to 0 caffeine all at once back in the late 1980s. 15 cups of coffee was way too much and it was having a very negative effect on me (migraines etc.), so I decided to quit cold turkey with the goal of not touching anything with caffeine for 3 weeks. I was miserable for the entire 3 weeks. Headaches, cranky, just generally miserable.

At the end of 3 weeks, I started consuming caffeine again, but since then (20 years now) for the most part I have kept it to under 4 cups a day, and in recent years I've discovered that it is better if I don't drink coffee after about 6 pm. That works well for me ... keeps me happy without bringing on the migraines etc.

I give it up a few times a year, but always go back!

I seem to get the most bang for the buck if I only have one caffeinated drink per day, and finish that before 10am. I get the pick-me-up without much of the let-down later.

When I've given it up completely, I do find it easier to have regular sleeping patterns. However, in my case, I find that avoiding anything that is a diuretic produces the most positive affect on good sleep, so sometimes giving up just the caffeinated drinks isn't enough.

For me I notice that caffeine doesn't really make it harder for me to go to sleep, but it is much more likely to disturb my sleeping patterns and cause me to wake up a few times a night. Off of the caffeine that disappears almost completely.

I found using smaller coffee mugs helps, too! The ones I like to use are a quarter pot each, so that's 3 'cups'. buzz!

caffeine is part of my energy/fat burning stack. I cycle it 8 weeks on, 4 weeks off. More than that, and you get no benefit at all from caffeine, besides recovering from lack of caffeine on your system :rolleyes:.

A caffeine withdrawal headache is a nasty business, you are better off drinking less and less until you are completely off.

I've gone periods with and without. I can't say that I experience any major withdrawl symptoms or anything like that. I think I am a bit less "emotional" without the stuff, which can be both a good and a bad thing depending on the situation. So, the deciding factor for me is just the fact that I just really enjoy drinking coffee, more so in the cold, winter periods where it warms you up nicely. I only drink it in the a.m though - it just never seems to appeal after that for some reason. I might add, that if you want the performance benefits - don't go for coffee, get caffiene pills or similar.

big changes are more difficult to adjust to than little ones

This is a very interesting topic - I was a devout Diet Coke fan and my friend kept telling me how awful it was for me and got me to drink a morning cup of coffee to replace my a.m. Diet Coke.

Well now I'm stuck on the a.m. coffee, still drink up to 3 cans of Diet Coke a day, and find out later that D.C. has 38 mg of caffiene and coffee has 138!! (On average). Never again will I make a switch without researching the facts myself.

Anyway, I also quit caffiene off and on like clockwork, and I never get any desired effects except headache & less alertness. I don't smoke or drink regularly, and caffiene is my only vice. But still, I wonder if I should kick that one last habit...

Be careful about kicking that one last vice . . .

Moderation in all things, including moderation.

I quit regular caffeine intake a couple years ago. My only intake is a caffeinated gel near the end of long races, and that's a just a couple times a year. I drink decaf coffee (there's good stuff available from a local roaster) and decaf tea.

I didn't have any side effects from quitting, because I quit gradually over six months or so. I made half caf coffee, then when I was ready I went to 1/4 caf coffee, then full decaf.

I'm healthier off caffeine. There's less of an afternoon crash and I'm less tired. I don't have a problem getting up in the morning, even at 4:30, but I've always been like that.

I've quit caffeine many times over the years and the headaches from withdrawal are brutal. I'm currently back on 3 strong cups of coffee a day. As long as I finish them before 5 in the afternoon I can sleep at night.

Once a week I will go without coffee but I better have coffee soon after waking the next day. The withdrawal headaches after only 2 days are painful. Makes me cranky and short tempered.

I quit caffeine at the beginning of October. I had kidney pain, intense muscle pain, cranky as all get out. It was a solid 9 days of hell. Afterwards I had gained 5 pounds of water weight and improved my 4000 foot hill climb time by 8%. I also sleep much better. If you are up for it I would recommend quitting and then seeing if you also see the same performance gains.

--Colin

A few years ago, I got tricked by Folger's when they packaged a decaf product in a red can (traditionally, red is their color for regular coffee, and the green is for decaf). So for a few days I had been unknowingly drinking nothing but decaf . . and having constant terrible unexplained headaches! One morning I did a double-take, and was surprised to see on the red coffee can a little green box describing the 'decaf' coffee within. That explained my headaches: caffeine withdrawal. I didn't want to have an addiction! To get rid of the headaches I started making coffee 50% decaf 50% reg. After 2 weeks 75% decaf 25% reg. Eventually I cut the regular out completely, and now just drink decaf all day.

The best and most noticeable change of getting off caffeine is the morning fog is gone, and I feel good when I get up. There is no need for anything to wake me up, or get me going. I get to sleep fine, unless a life worry is weighing heavy on my mind.

Just have a cup in the morning.

I used to enjoy cigarettes. The pleasure was immense, but dwarfed next to the toll it had on my life.

I loooove sweats. I don't partake anymore, it works against my priorities. Heck, I didn't eat any candy in Halloween.

Fast foods, maybe every other month to please my girls and even then in moderation (can't muster more than a whooper jr, no fries, and a bottle of water).

Caffeine is a vice I enjoy. To paraphrase Sinatra, "I feel sorry for people who don't drink coffee. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." :D

I'm suprised to hear so many get bad headaches from withdrawls. Every time i've cut it out, I just feel a bit slow/lethargic for a couple of days, but other than that i'm fine? Then again, I only drink two cups max per day. I am sipping here on a nice cup while it is snowing outside... ahh :D

I LOVE Diet Coke and drink a bunch every day (I also drink close to a gallon of water a day). I go through periods of quitting drinking it but always fall back off the wagon. One of the big side effects for me is it keeps my appetite in check - I have a huge appetite and can literally eat from the time I wake up until I go to sleep - it just curbs this a little.

I used to drink a 12 pack or more of Mountain Dew daily for a number of years. Quit cold turkey, and have been off of it for roughly a year now. I never got the caffeine addiction or headaches when coming off of it. I think I was more addicted to the taste than anything. One of my buddies used to drink way less than me, but if he didn't have one by noon he had a horrible headache. I could go days without and not get any headaches.

Either way, I'm way more healthy without that in my life. I lost some weight, while already being skinny, because obviously that is a LOT of calories I was missing, but I tried to make up for most of those calories in real food rather than the liquid. I'm not nearly as outgoing or hyper all the time, but I don't have the mood swings I used to get either. I also seemed to have horrible time going to sleep sometimes, but it seems most of the time I fall right asleep now, even when I'm well rested.

It's best to lay off the caffeine, but if you really can't, make sure to have it early and limit the amount you have and you should be fine.

I've quit caffeine many times over the years and the headaches from withdrawal are brutal. I'm currently back on 3 strong cups of coffee a day. As long as I finish them before 5 in the afternoon I can sleep at night.

Once a week I will go without coffee but I better have coffee soon after waking the next day. The withdrawal headaches after only 2 days are painful. Makes me cranky and short tempered.

Here's a tip: drink A LOT more water when you're trying to cut back on coffee. Coffee dehydrates you (obviously) and it's really hard to tell just how dehydrated you are because your urine can still be clear. I've found that what I used to call caffeine withdrawal was mostly intense dehydration.

Here's a tip: drink A LOT more water when you're trying to cut back on coffee. Coffee dehydrates you (obviously) and it's really hard to tell just how dehydrated you are because your urine can still be clear. I've found that what I used to call caffeine withdrawal was mostly intense dehydration.That doesn't make any sense. For one thing coffee doesn't dehydrate most people. If it did and the headaches were caused by dehydration, heavy coffee drinkers would get headaches.

Why Quit (http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food)?

excerpt:

A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are:


less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia
have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes

“There is certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health,” says Frank Hu, MD, MPH, PhD, nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Why Quit (http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food)?

excerpt:

A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are:



less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia
have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes


“There is certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health,” says Frank Hu, MD, MPH, PhD, nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Most cyclists shouldn't have those problems anyways because of the amount of exercise we do. So not really benefits if you are less likely to have those problems even without drinking coffee.

IMO, there is no reason to drink coffee other than it's good to taste and nice in the morning. I don't care if people have a couple of cups a day. Many of the pro cyclists even have coffee every morning. Just not for me, I'm fine on water or milk with my breakfast.

I was a serious caffeine addict, without even knowing it, in my early teens. I consumed large amounts of caffeinated soda, yet I never made the connection to my roughly twice-weekly migraine attacks. At 15, I quit cold turkey for a different reason, and apart from feeling less general anxiety (which was the actual goal), I only had a migraine about once a month, or even less frequent.

These days, I don't drink coffee, tea or any caffeinated soft drinks. In this nation of coffee drinkers, you're really only offered coffee as a hot drink if you visit people or places, so I always feel discriminated against! :D

Still, I do get some caffeine from cocoa and chocolate, I suppose...

I like a good espresso (single shot only) every once in awhile, but I don't have much trouble going without it. I only have it 2-3 days per week at most.

All things in moderation, but when I want caffeine, I want CAFFEINE in concentrated form (Espresso, never coffee).

I never really got into coffee, I just went straight to espresso. Maybe that's why I'm not hooked on caffeine, because I never feel like I need "another" on the few days that I drink it. People who drink coffee might be more likely to have a second cup, and that might reinforce it into becoming a long-term habit. Just a theory though, don't quote me on that.

PS: @ CdCf, nice sig. I love that show, it's hilarious.

I've recently started drinking coffee after abstaining from caffeine for nearly 10 years and my experience has been pretty good. I started drinking it again because I read several articles about the health benefits.

I usually have 1-2 cups in the morning and it seems that since I've started drinking it, I've been able to get to sleep more consistently. I'm not sure why, but the coffee seems to concentrate my energy to the morning and afternoon and by the time night comes around, I'm starting to slow down. I seem to be able to push myself a bit harder on my morning rides when I've had coffee.

It seems to have a different effect on active vs. non-active people. When I drank coffee years ago, I wasn't as active and my energy level was more dependent on caffeine. Now the change in energy level is much more subtle.

All things in moderation, but when I want caffeine, I want CAFFEINE in concentrated form (Espresso, never coffee).Expresso has signifiantly less caffeine than brewed coffee. Starbucks single shot espresso 75mg vs 300 for a Grande.

when I went to OCS I went from being Dunkin Donuts biggest customer (1 lg iced coffee every 1-2 days) along with drinking Monster/Rock star/Red bull/5 hr energy on a 2-3x weekly basis to drinking 0 caffeine for 12 weeks.

I got 0 headaches the whole time for (I think) 2 or 3 reasons.

1. Hydration. I was drinking 1+ gallons of water per day, granted I was sweating a lot of that out.
2. PT early (5am every morning) and often (several 10 minute punishment sessions throughout the day till 5pm)
(3.) Eating everything and anything they would put on my plate and still having a calorie deficiency.

I think this caused a sort of flush where the caffeine detox symptoms were pretty much eliminated or masked by everything else going on in my body.

Now I can drink caffeine/energy drinks as I please, but I've also figured out that being awake/alert is more a function of sleep, willpower and metabolism than it is one little molecule.

I drink my morning cup of coffee and lunch time diet-drink more for flavor than anything else; and I still drink a lot (but not as much) water.

Overall I'd say hydration is key for quitting.

I am an ex-coffee drinker.

I used to dring 5-10 cups a day, all hours of the day. I looooved it and drank it black. A few years ago my body just started reacting weirdly to it. I didnt get headaches or anything, but the buzz and accompaning come-down became more and more servere. I would get super-duper stupid buzzed and then come down and be even more tired than before that cup. While buzzed, it was a very weird feeling in my head and my body. I didnt like it. Throughout the day my energy levels and mental alertness leves would be a rollercoaster. I didnt like it.

I quit coffee cold turkey and experienced the requisite two weeks of hell. After that, I immediatly noticed that my energy and alertness were almost completely consistent. I seemed to have much more energy throughout the day. I slept better and just had a better day.

So theres that...

Why Quit (http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food)?

“There is certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health,” says Frank Hu, MD, MPH, PhD, nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Exactly the point, why quit when the benefits of caffeine consumption outweigh the negatives.

I drink 2-4 cups a day and I've tried to quit a few times, never successful for more than a week or two at most. If I don't have it I'm tired and grumpy. Getting a fresh cup is as good a reason as any to get up and leave your desk at work 2-4 times a day.

How has giving up caffeine affected you? The reason I ask is that I consume a fair amount of caffeine every day. Two cups of coffee and 2-3 cups of tea in the course of a day. I feel like sometimes it affects my sleep. My grown daughter drinks zero caffeine and she sleeps like a log. I realize there are other factors involved, but I would like to hear how giving up caffeine has affected people.
Thanks.

I'm stuck waiting at Cricket for my hot spot- and they gave me a notebook with internet- I can't resist this thread!

I'm a big fan of coffee. In fact, I gave up coffee last year to get myself into better shape through a cleanse diet. I almost did not do the cleanse diet when they said I could not have caffeine. But I did- and I jones something serious for coffee, and when the cleanse was over, the coffee was back down the gullet! I tried to do it again this year, but I missed coffee too much. I was getting too irritated, so after about 10 days, I went back to coffee. But my favorite coffee shop just raised their coffee prices, so I'm back on for the perfect coffee hangout where I can get my large medium coffee.
:-/

Anyway, I'm much easier to be around with coffee in my throat. I really mean caffeine, though, since having decaf means nothing. I need to feel alive and coffee does it for me- sometimes several cups. I love my coffee community! Every time I go get my coffee, they know exactly what I want and they give me free refills. I could sit in there all day. I love coffee!

Besides, I'm koffee brown, dammit! :D

koffee

I usually don't drink coffee after noon or so. Some days I dont drink it at all.

No trouble sleeping if I do or headaches if I dont drink any.

When I do drink it I drink at least one pot full.

I'm a classroom teacher and find that, just like at the local coffee house, coffee is a verbal lubricant....I become more eloquent and quotable with a cup of coffee in my hand. My students sit smelling the coffee maker and wistfully wishing they were in Starbucks or anywhere else out of earshot from me.

Seriously, I drink a morning cup and a decaffeinated nightly cup and find no problems but much pleasure. I also enjoy coffee icecream, java cookies, etc. My son is a black apron barrista. And I sometimes put Hammer espresso gel in my flask.

For getting to sleep, you might counterbalance the caffeine with sex. The sex will be better and the sleep afterwards sweeter.