Coffee It has been a part of my life for quite some time. I started drinking it to get through all-night study sessions in college, but it wasn’t until I became a barista that I really started to appreciate it. I spent six years as a barista learning all the intricacies of coffee and what it has to offer, and have been hooked ever since.
Although I know that coffee has many health benefitsI also know that drinking coffee on a daily basis can lead to lightheadedness, lack of sleep, anxiety symptoms, and caffeine dependence. And over coffee one morning, I realized I hadn’t gone a day without coffee in at least a couple of years.
I wanted to try give up coffee for quite some time, but had put it off because I was scared of withdrawals and knew I’d miss drinking it. But finally I decided to do it, and for three weeks I didn’t drink a single drop of coffee. These are some of the things I experienced.
Withdrawals came in full force.
This was the thing that scared me the most, but also the one thing that I felt most prepared for! Anyone I’ve ever talked to about giving up coffee always drove with, “you’ll get a bad headache at the beginning!” And my experience was no exception to this.
Due to how long it had been since I had gone without coffee, I was prepared for my withdrawal symptoms be quite intense. I made sure I had a quiet day ahead with very few events scheduled, and also had some Advil on standby in case I needed it.
The first day went as I suspected it would. I woke up, I did a little herbs tea, and went to work. Around 10:00 am I was already feeling a headache and also feeling quite tired. By lunchtime, he had a full blown headache and was extremely groggy. I took some Advil, made myself some tea to go with my lunch, and continued to work through the exhaustion.
While I was expecting the intense headaches and lightheadedness, I was surprised that these symptoms only lasted a day or two. I had a slight headache on the second day, but by the third day the headaches and excessive tiredness had disappeared. In fact, I was surprised by the energy that I began to feel.
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He had more energy than he expected.
The curious thing about this experience is that although I drink coffee in the morning to energize me, I actually noticed that I felt even more energized without it once my body got used to it. But the energy I felt without coffee was different from what I feel when I drink it.
when i drink coffee in the morning, I have that fun spark of motivation right after. But then in the afternoon, I usually feel a bit slow. Without caffeine in the morning, my body woke up more naturally. So when evening came, I didn’t have that same caffeine shock feeling. And because my body seemed to be closer to its natural rhythm, I also noticed that I fell asleep more easily at night.
I missed my morning routine.
At the end of the day, I really missed coffee. Drinking coffee It has always been a central part of my morning routine because I love taking it while writing, meditating, or reading in the morning before I start work. I tried different types of tea, as well as some coffee alternatives, but nothing brought me that little feeling of joy in the morning. Because coffee it has been such a fundamental part of my mornings that I have ended up missing the taste and comfort of my morning cup.
It’s hard to deny how good and full of energy I felt without drinking coffee. But at the end of the day, I think coffee will always be a part of my life. However, this experience showed me that it can be helpful for me to take more breaks from drinking it and allow my body to adjust without it more often so I can lessen my dependency on it.
