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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