A while back I took a critical look at my own caffeine addiction.� After having quit the use of the drug completely for several months, I decided to go back on it based on various health studies that support the benefits of moderate caffeine use.� I promised at the time that I would give an update about it in about 3 months time.� This is that update.
It turned out that I did start using caffeine again for a couple of weeks, and was quickly racing back up to my previous level of consumption.� I could get by with 2 caffeinated beverages in a day but I really preferred more (to be honest about it).� If I had “just enough” then I was not really satisfied with my energy level, and had a yearning for more caffeine.� Thus I was telling myself that 2 to 3 beverages each day was reasonable, but I only felt like I was properly zipping along when I had more like 4 to 5 beverages.
This went on for less than a month and then suddenly, I stopped using caffeine again altogether.� The reason I did this was because I did some more research about my high blood pressure and decided that I needed to make more dietary changes.� One of those changes was to eliminate caffeine.
So I quit using caffeine again and I went to see my doctor the other day regarding my high blood pressure.� She advised me to stay away from the caffeine for a while until we figure out what is going on with my high blood pressure.� She is trying to decide if I need medication to help control the blood pressure, so she advised me to stay off the caffeine for now, just to eliminate variables.
So for the moment I am back off the caffeine again.� It really is not a huge deal though.� Here are some things that I have learned and noticed from all this:
1) I feel my absolute best when I am revved up on a ton of caffeine, and can be the most productive at that time.� But doing this results in a bit of a crash later in the day, which really cannot be mitigated indefinitely with more caffeine.� At some point you have to stop.
2) Without caffeine, I have really good energy levels in the morning by eating raw fruit.� Not canned or dried, but just raw fruit.� This is the ultimate breakfast for me.� I usually eat two pieces, one for breakfast and another for a mid morning snack.� I am hungry for lunch and I have decent energy through the afternoon too.� My only regret is I never get to experience that “hyper productivity” that I can achieve after a strong dose of caffeine in the morning.
3) Caffeine is fairly easy to pick up and put back down. Even with a physical withdrawal and some annoying headaches, it is remarkably easy to quit.� Even if you think� you are hopelessly addicted to it, you can easily get off of it very quickly.
Anyone who is dependent on caffeine should consider quitting for a trial run and see how it affects their energy.� If you do this, pay special attention to nutrition, exercise, and sleep.� In particular, I would suggest:
1) Allowing your body the sleep that it needs.
2) Eating fruit for breakfast to see if it boosts your energy in the morning.
3) Exercising on a regular basis (as part of maintaining good energy levels throughout your day).
For now, I am staying off the caffeine, and I’m pretty darn happy with how I feel being caffeine free.� I hope to improve my diet even more and see if I can get even better energy levels throughout the day.
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