30 days in without caffeine
Today, I've hit one month without any caffeine. Yep, that's right I set aside coffee for one month and I'm writing this to remind my future self that it's entirely possible for me to do.
So why did I give it up to begin with? Frankly, I am addicted to caffeine. Me and about 40% of the world (estimate of daily coffee drinkers). Pouring a hot cup of coffee is truthfully one of the first things I look forward to in the morning. That just seems ridiculous to me. That and the fact caffeine is a stimulant that increases the activity of your nervous system.
So maybe those were the first hints, but certainly not the last. Since I've been drinking coffee daily (I started with multiple cups in college), I've noticed some brutal side effects.
- I'm quick to piss off.
- I can get quite anxious.
- I don't sleep well.
- I'm constantly fighting to stay hydrated.
At first, I looked internal and just figured that might just be how it is. Until we ran out of Nespresso pods.
Three nights later, I was sleeping like a baby. I started to do some research about the no caffeine movement from former addicts and found out many who shared similar stories. At that point, I decided to keep going.
Now, 30 days in, I'm feeling quite relaxed, far less anxious, sleeping better, and staying hydrated.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY?", they yell. Yeah it was quite shit for the first week. Withdrawals are tough, and I wanted to nap every afternoon. I also found it hard to stay focused. I had a fogginess that I couldn't shake. But, that subsided. Now, I've got steadier energy for longer. No crash.
Will I ever have caffeine again? Possibly, but hopefully never at those levels again. I can't say that I miss sleeplessness and anxiety as much as I miss coffee.
This is just my personal reaction to caffeine and I know if you say this to other coffee drinkers they'll pull a gun on you for even insinuating they could live without coffee. Some people don't actually have a problem, but worse, because coffee is so integrated in to life, those that do will never know. If you're feeling like I did while drinking heaps of caffeine daily, I would encourage you just to try going without. And if nothing changes, no worries, a Starbucks is right around the corner.