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Advice/tips/suggestions needed please on major caffeine intake reduction
Hildaonpluto
Posts: 37,697 Forum Member
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In short I really wish to drastically reduce my caffeine intake but Ive become drastically dependent on it for my energy/alertness boost etc during the day.
Ive managed to cut it down but Im struggling to find non caffeine alternatives,caffeine low or caffeine free alternative drinks that will keep me energised.
Any suggestions?Any particular herbal drinks etc that other people have switched too etc?
Thank You -I dont wanna slip back into a caffeine saturated lifestyle so all tips welcome!
Ive managed to cut it down but Im struggling to find non caffeine alternatives,caffeine low or caffeine free alternative drinks that will keep me energised.
Any suggestions?Any particular herbal drinks etc that other people have switched too etc?
Thank You -I dont wanna slip back into a caffeine saturated lifestyle so all tips welcome!
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If you're weaning yourself off caffeine you probably will feel drained in the short-term but post-addiction your body should adapt and you wont need an artificial boost as long as you are eating healthily and getting enough sleep.
ETA: If even after a few weeks-months you still feel lethargic it could be that there's a medical reason for your lack of energy and if that's the case you should see your GP.
Some people have recommended to me drinking hot ginger for energy but is ginger low in caffeine?
Ginger doesn't contain any caffeine.
You can obviously try it, but ginger isn't a stimulant as far as I'm aware. I would have thought drinking ginger-tea might, if anything, slightly sedate you.
Again I'll reiterate the point that if you are healthy and getting enough sleep, you don't need some sort of energy infusion. If you feel you do even after having withdrawn from caffeine for some time you might find you have an iron deficiency or something.
and there is lots of flavoured green teas.
is there a holland and barrett or planet organic near you ?
they have big ranges
peppermint tea always wakes me up in the morning
Green tea with Lemon has also been recommended-Infact any hot drink with lemon in?What causes iron deficiency?
I rarely get hammered! Complan doesnt always agree with me-Is that what your meaning by a vitamin supplement?Ive tried fortisip/ensure drink but thats quite expensive and is really designed for very ill people.
Is it Pukka three mint tea you drink?Holland and Barrett yes but Ive never heard of a shop called planet organic.
Which green tea would you say is the best for refreshing you?
I like blueberry tea but its hard to find.
Ive tried white tea which is healthy but isnt caffeine low-too much caffeine seems to make me very anxious.
Iron deficiency was just an example, but that could be caused by you not getting enough iron in your diet, or being anaemic.
The point is that you can't diagnose something like that yourself though, you'd need to see your doctor.
There are many other causes of chronic lethargy/fatigue though - everything from problems with metabolism to infections to very serious illness like Cancer.
Of course, the problem could be a lot more basic;
how much sleep do you get every night?
Hi Hilda, I love my real coffee and have cut it out before, but missed it as I do enjoy it. Incidentally if you're going to come off completely, it takes about 5 days and you may get some nasty headaches, but then you should feel better. If you'd rather do it gradually without the pain, then firstly try one less cup a day and buy a bag of decaffeinated coffee and so instead of a heaped spoonful of caffeinated, a level teaspoon each of both coffees. So just enough to still give you a boost, and the added decaf gives it depth of flavour.
Hi Thanks for the reply -and that goes to everyone whos enaged in this discussion.
So are you now caffeine free?Does decaff tea or coffee taste as good as the caffeniated version?
By gradually I take it your meaning months?
Its amazing how saturated we are in the west on caffeine!So many of us hooked or semi dependent!
Well I work nights, and as long as I get 7 hours sleep I'm okay, even if it is during the day.
You can suffer from a sleep disorder, or something like obstructive sleep apnea which can seriously hinder your quality/depth of sleep, even if you seem to be sleeping the right number of hours.
Again, this would be something to speak to a doctor about if your fatigue doesn't clear up even after you've weaned yourself off caffeine.
Thank You-but it could also be a result of a poor food diet?
Is caffeine more addictive than nicotine?
Yes, it could also be a poor diet. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you need a broadly balanced diet.
Caffeine is far less addictive than nicotine, physiologically speaking - but the problem is if you've been relying on it for energy to get through the day, every day, then the psychological 'addiction' and necessity for it could make this effectively just as intolerable as giving up smoking.
Is anything occurring which you can 99.9% attribute to drinking coffee? What type of coffee are you drinking.....fresh ground or instant?
FWIW i drink on average 15-20 double espresso's a day, sleep like a log anything up to 8hrs, and been drinking coffee for over 50 years now.
We have chilled water dispensers at work so I fill a bottle from those and drink from that during the day which means I drink less tea - I typically have just two teas in the morning, and two in the afternoon. I still have a coffee when I get up and after dinner.
Better still ditch it. At the moment I drink white tea (similar to green tea but milder) and hot chocolates. I'm slowly giving up the hot chocolates though.
Since ditching it and getting over the initial withdrawls, I have more energy and less anxious. You don't get the rollercoaster highs and dips.
If you getting enough sleep, and a balanced diet (try a multivitamin for a bit and see if that helps?) then it may be more than just the caffiene and may be worth getting it checked out. I wouldn't both too much with replacements, unless it's a stimulant or has some kind of B vitamin etc.. I don't think it'd help much.
Eta: ^ To the above, does you body produce caffeine? Genuinely never heard that before. I thought it worked by inhibiting a hormone your body produces more of when your tired? (Not a scientist though)
By your reckoning i should be an insomniac drug addict!!
My Caffeine intake is undoubtedly higher than most but i've been drinking it for over 50 years now. When my head hits the sack.....that's it.....i'm 'out' for the next 8 or even 9 hours. I once slept through workmen called out on an Emergency leak, right outside my bedroom window with a hydraulic jigger picker hammering away at full whack. Never heard a thing.
The bottom line regarding sleep is there are heavy sleepers (like me) and light sleepers.....irrespective of what you drink and how much.
As for hot chocolate drink, personally i cannot stand the stuff but you talk of it as though it's some mind bending 'drug' you are just beginning to come to terms with the 'withdrawal symptons'!
This was my late mothers evening drink before going to bed. She passed away aged 86.
Anxiety high level that diminshes when I reduce my intake and the benefits of this are most felt at nighttime.
At my worst I had 10-15 cups of tea a day plus 3 cans of coke and sometimes energy drinks like relentless.
To be honest neither of you are completely right.
Quite a few people (but not any sort of majority) are indeed sensitive to caffeine and simply can't drink it up to 12 hours before bed, otherwise they are unable to get to sleep - some of my family are like this.
It's more normal for people to not be able to get to sleep within about 5-6 hours of drinking lots of caffeine. It is quite a powerful stimulant. I'm amazed when I hear of people who take it as an evening drink
Cold turkey?
Caffeine isn't actually giving you any real energy boost, it just feels that way. The only 'boost' people get from it is when they take too much and go hyper. However, this completely screws with your concentration and judgement, so you may feel more alert and focussed but you'll actually become less productive and accurate.
The main problem with caffeine is that it's addictive. Your body gets used to it like nicotine and then becomes dependent on it to feel 'normal' again. So think of yourself as quitting smoking. You can try just drinking one coffee in the morning and one energy drink a day and then reduce this further. But unless you're actually cracking up as a result of going without caffeine, you're just prolonging the discomfort. Going cold turkey may be annoying for two or three weeks, but then your body will adjust and you'll be fine again. Apart from any psychological addiction to it. Perhaps you can alleviate that with vitamin pills instead?
And as for a real energy boost in the afternoon, take Chas & Dave's advice and, "Have a banana". Or even one McDonalds burger on its own. They're full of sugar and fat that will soon give you a boost.
Used as a punishment by Romans and Victorians and as an illegal way to pep up a tired horse for competitions.