Quitting Caffeine

many times -

Every day I quit around 9am.

But by 5-5:30 the next morning I relapse. 

200mg of magnesium about 30min before turning in helps, me at least, sleep sound throughout the night. 

I usually don't have issues falling asleep, but that damn waking up a 1, 2, 3am sucks.

Magnesium cured that.

Coffee/Caffeine takes about 8hrs +/- to fully purge from your system. 

That's why I've switched over to water by 9-10am.

I'm a 2 to 3 cups in the morning type of guy. That's it for caffeine for me. No diet Pepsi or energy drinks. Lately I have substituted green tea for that last cup. I get so damn jittery that I have to take it slow, usually reheating the cup when it's half drank.

When I have quit for periods of time the worst withdrawal  I have is just a hint of dizziness. I don't get headaches,...ever.

If you were drinking that much coffee and quit in a week you might want to take some miralax or prune juice or something to make sure the pipes keep flowing until your body adjusts. 

Hypothetically at least, not medical advice!!!!

I try my best to avoid all caffeine but I occasionally fall off the wagon with some Sweet tea or Dr. Pepper.  I pay the price at night by hitting the bathroom 2-3 times that night.  I also take 240 mg Mag Glycinate an hour or 2 before bed plus a 1 mg melatonin gummy at bedtime.  Usually sleep pretty decent just not long enough.

FYI..... my cardiologist says no caffeine, period, for at least 24 hrs before doing any heart tests so they want to be 100% sure all traces of it are gone.

Never drank as much coffee and the OP so can't comment on how difficult it is to quit from that amount.  Have heard it's a bear though.  Best of luck!

I drink a pot a day and have no issues going to sleep.  Im a ups driver so no shortage of being worn out.  

Working from home you simply might just not be tired enough.  Thats not a slight.  Just could be that simple.

To answer the alternate ways of getting energy, eat lots of fruit.  I dont like trying "X" pill for this "X" pill for that.  Just eat good food.

I agree with this, it’s possibly a physical activity issue?

No disrespect of course. I draw from personal experience. I’ve had all sorts of titles. The most “unhealthy” I’ve ever been was during a few years stuck in an office setting. Unbelievable what that lifestyle can do to you. 

I drink coffee several times a day usually. I can also skip it for days at a time without issue. I’ve had coffee before bed before, no problems. I work a moderately physical job and stay active outside of work. 38 y/o.

Im down  to one 16 oz. Cup a day.

& 4 , 12 oz. Beers a night...

Seems to be working out for me.

What if you trick yourself and switch to de-caf?

Also I sorta meant even without the caffeine would you have issues going to sleep?

I used to be able to drink coffee until about 30 seconds before I fell asleep. Those days are long gone. Now I can’t drink any coffee after around noon or I really struggle to get any sleep at all, even with a potent sleep aid like ambien. 

I do have a couple of cups when I wake up at 4AM, and usually 2-3 cups when I get to work at 6 until about 10 or 11. After 12 it’s either water or 7UP No Sugar for me. Maybe the occasional glass of milk, but definitely no coffee. 

The longest I have gone is 6 months. I had no real access to caffeine in Afghanistan, unless someone sent me something, which would have been a bad idea after seeing how the boxes were handled by jingle air. But, I found a small can of Mt Dew while hopping FOBS and it was delicious. Now I consume a dangerous amount of caffeine. No energy drinks though. 

I quit my one cup a day habit, I needed that one cup really bad first thing in the morning but the quitting part was no problem, but it was not by choice. I think it is psychological. 

I drink 12-16 oz of good black coffee in the morning then if I want something later in the day these caffeine free teas a good.

I haven’t drank caffeine in about two years and I’ll likely never go back, here’s some things I noticed 

More balanced energy throughout the day 

Better sleep 

Easier to “wake up” in the morning 

Less irritable 

More patience 

Better attention span

There’s an epidemic in this country of caffeine addiction and to be honest most of us don’t really even “need” it to be functional. Not to mention its hard on your heart 

Just out of curiosity, what kind of coffee do you drink, and how do you prepare it?  Like most of the other replies, only drink in the morning, and only drink instant which helps monitor how strong it is.  Except for the weekends. I have a maker that grinds the beans then brews it. A guilty pleasure but I'm usually up and on to things and more so than not don't even finish what I've made.     

To add, the last time I quit coffee for a bit was late last summer into fall for about 3 months.

I woke up one morning and just had a strong desire for a cup of coffee so i put a k-cup in the Kuerig and fixed myself one. It was THE BEST TASTING cup of coffee ever. It was glorious. And I went back on my 2-3 cup routine.

I do still appreciate a good cup of decaf

Cold turkey method is gonna hurt, literally. I like that method the most, easing down the dose is always ripe for cheating. When I was working on a ship last summer in Alaska, upwards of 105 hours a week, I wasn’t caffeinated. It is more of a habit than anything in my book, yes…your body gets used to it and withdrawals suck for a few days. Can always retrain your brain to not have the need and the reduced caffeine need will follow. I am back to drinking coffee again and I have no real need to right now, been thinking about kicking it again.

I have a espresso machine at home and on-board the tug I sail on.

Each day I have only a quad shot latte in the morning only.

I also drink 32 oz of filtered water from a filter system by Santeria 

I did similar years ago. I used to drink about 2 pots a day . I never quit though , just cut back. I drink a 10 ounce’r a day sometimes a little more if I’m out to breakfast. I experienced some nasty headaches when I cut back. Good for you though. 💯👍🏻

I stopped caffeine for a few months early last year to adjust to a new work schedule. Coffee is the only intake I have so didn’t have any side effects from the other alternatives. First two weeks were tough with headaches and grog, after that it was normal. Started drinking coffee in the mornings again after my sleep sched was where I needed it. Adjusting diet and workout never hurt anyone regardless, so definitely use to your advantage. I workout in the evenings so it’s my last exhausting effort before bed. Be careful/selective if you’re using pre workouts obviously. 

My go-to is a good cuppa tea. Rooibos Tea. 

Twice a week, I'll brew a pot of filter coffee for the dudes at work. I like coffee, but I never have more than two cups a week.

The problem I'm facing is that I drink too much Coca-Cola during the week. I really need to quit that shit.

Also drink at least 5 liters of water a day.

5 litres of water a day? Sounds like a lot. You could be flushing all the good out of your muscles.

Yup, we are mid summer and currently working in Hout Bay, the past week it has averaged around 100F in yours. We are working indoors, In a Castle up on scaffolding and its hot like a MF up there...10 hours in there pouring sweat ain't no joke. Im pretty big, 6'3 and am around 230 pounds...I need plenty of water, with salt tabs and in the evening, after dinner I take a magnesium tab.

Here's some pics..we are doing a ceiling in a Castle for a Billionaire. 

First four quarters in making a square block and I have another 40 to go...gonna take 5 of us close on the rest of the year.

Edit - the ceiling which you see is all made out of Walnut.

Wow!

As I was scrolling down I was going to ask what wood that is made out of and then boom, there is the answer, walnut.

So, I guess this question could apply to all you guys in the building trades. How is it to deal with the homeowner of a very expensive and detail oriented build?

Wow, Nice job.