I tried giving up coffee for a month and lived to tell the tale.
Here’s what happened when I quit coffeethe good, the bad, and the ugly.
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registered dietitian and nationally-recognized food, nutrition, and wellness expert with a private nutrition counseling practice
Is it even feasible?
Or at the very least, I could.
Heres what I learned when I tried giving up coffee.
The initial energy slump was a struggle, but it didnt last long.
Without the caffeine, I felt more lethargic and mentally foggier for a little less than a week.
Caffeine is a stimulant.
Luckily, I was spared one of the more uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal: the headache.
Headaches are the most prominent symptom of caffeine withdrawal, she says.
In this case, regular caffeine consumption causes constriction of your blood vessels.
registered dietitian and nationally-recognized food, nutrition, and wellness expert with a private nutrition counseling practice
This is likely due to my sustained symptoms of withdrawal mentioned above.
As I got over the hump, I started to drink a lot more water.
Moreover, I discovered that as a natural replacement, I began to drink more water.
Finally, I found deeper sleep and woke up feeling well-rested.
After my first few days of my longer-yet-not-more-restful-sleep stage, my next week of caffeine-free slumber was surprisingly pleasant.
I also woke up fewer times throughout the night.
I found solace in coffee alternatives.
When I went back to caffeine, I needed a lot less to feel its effects.
When I took my first sip of my soy latte after the month ended, life wasgood.
But midway through my mug, I could tell I was feeling the buzz more intensely than ever before.
Caffeineresembles the molecule adenosine, so it fits into the receptors meant for adenosine, explains Cassetty.
In this case, blocking the lock means that youre blocking the neural activity of adenosine.
So I guess Im kind of like a newborn baby in the caffeine department, huh?
And for that, I can certainly say that this was a worthwhile experiment.
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