For me, the day doesn’t start until the first (or second) cup of coffee it is consumed And I’m not alone in my obsession with coffee; 64% of American adults consume the popular drink on a daily basis. This is how I have functioned my entire adult life, until a month ago, when gave up caffeine cold turkey.
While I loved the caffeine rush and the increased alertness coffee gave me (or so I thought), I began to notice that my relationship with coffee was becoming toxic, plagued with nervousness, irritability, low energy, and anxiety. growing. I won’t say it was a full-blown addiction, but I was heavily reliant on caffeine to get me going every morning. When I got to the point of drinking three or four cups a day and no longer enjoying it due to anxiety and energy crashes, I knew it was time for a change.
That’s when I decided eliminate caffeine trading my morning coffee for herbal teas. At first, the task seemed impossible. The tea was smooth, and the caffeine withdrawal symptoms kicked my butt from the start. The first day I experienced headaches, brain fog, lack of sleep, irritability, low energy and lack of motivation. Also—TMI alert—my tomorrow bowel movements, which once worked like clockwork, suddenly became a struggle every morning. These symptoms persisted on days two to five. Fortunately, they tapered off after the first week, but continued through the end of the second week.
After two weeks of suffering in a post-caffeine stupor, something miraculous happened. My body began to adjust to working without caffeine. I wasn’t craving that caffeine buzz anymore and was starting to feel… different. Not like the old coffee drinking self, but a better version of the real me.
Read on to discover the life-changing benefits I experienced afterwards. give up caffeine for 30 days and find out why you might want to consider quitting, too.
I started sleeping better.
Remember when you were a teenager and could sleep anywhere, anytime, for hours on end? Oh yeah [cue nostalgic sigh]Those were the days. Like most people, I have always attributed my sleep problems to “get old.” However, my sleep improved tremendously within two weeks of quitting caffeine. fall asleep without problemI didn’t have to get up to pee at night, and I constantly woke up feeling energized and refreshed, no more zombies shuffling into the kitchen to wait for my caffeine fix.
While caffeine can temporarily increase alertness during the day, it can seriously impair your sleep quality and cause drowsiness and irritability the next day. So when you regularly consume caffeine, it becomes a vicious cycle of brief bursts of alertness followed by dips in energy and persistent fatigue. For example, research shows that drinking 400 milligrams of caffeine six hours before bedtime can significantly impair the quality of sleep reducing total sleep time by one hour. When experienced over time, this loss of sleep can wreak havoc on your health.
My teeth started to get whiter.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of being scolded by my dentist for being a coffee drinker. My teeth have never been overly stained, but they certainly could use a bit more shine. Every six month visit to the dentist he would ask me whether or not I drank coffee and comment on my stained teeth. Well I can’t wait until my next dentist appointment to rub my spotless smile all over their faces!
besides helping whiten your teeth and eliminate coffee breath, giving up caffeine has other benefits for oral health. Coffee is very acidic and research shows that Acidic drinks can damage tooth enamel. and promote dental caries.
I felt less anxious and irritable.
As someone who has struggled with anxiety most of her life, it was remarkable how much quitting caffeine calmed my nerves and anxiety. I found that I was no longer so stressed by work or family problems. Little things like spilling milk no longer it agitated me. My new calm makes sense, considering that caffeine stimulates your “fight or flight” stress hormoneswhich can cause anxiety, nervousness, palpitations and panic attacks.
Another great undisputed benefit related to reduced anxiety is that I had more patience in raising my children. Of course, any parent knows that patience is a skill you have to work on developing your whole life, but after my withdrawal symptoms subsided and the anxious nerves dissipated, I was much less irritable and therefore more irritable. much more present (and much less stressed). ) around my children, which is perhaps the most life-changing effect of all.
Adam Meyer
Adam is a health writer, certified holistic nutritionist, and 100% plant-based athlete. Read more about Adam
