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Nutrition Caffeine: Reduction versus elimination

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Chrisdavisjr

Chrisdavisjr

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I was advised recently that my relatively high caffeine intake (relative, that is, to someone who drinks less than 2-3 cups of strong coffee per day) could be contributing to my anxiety, poor sleep etc.* and have decided to reduce my consumption to a single cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning and then a cup of two of decaffeinated coffee later in the day if I feel like it (ground coffee, brewed in a french press if that makes any difference).

So far I've not noticed any real difference although it's only been about 5/6 days. I'm wondering if I would be better off eliminating caffeine altogether for a while instead or if reducing my intake and 'weaning myself off' caffeine would be a better approach.

Anyone here have any experiences or insight into going caffeine free for health reasons?

*I'm still putting it down to the global pandemic but I'm willing to try more or less anything if it'll help.
 
Coincidentally, I'm going through a similar issue - I recently started drinking 2 very strong cups of coffee per day (both before midday) and noticed difficulty in sleeping at night. My routine prior to this was 1 strong cup followed by a weaker cup. The jump to 2 strong cups has had an adverse impact on me.

I recall reading an article by Dr Matthew Walker (the sleep doctor) - in it he himself only drinks decaffeinated coffee and tea. His reason is because even decaffeinated contains some caffeine. He said his body has adapted to this low level of caffeine (it gives him the kick he is after), and its not enough caffeine to affect his sleep. I'm now going to shift back to only 1 strong cup followed by a decaffeinated cup.

Are you drinking any tea/coffee (caffeinated or decaffeinated) after 3pm? If so, maybe try to stop at 3pm and see if it makes a difference?

Are you exercising close to sleep time? Its better not to train within 2 hours of bed time.

Eliminate all screens 1 hour before bed.

If possible, sleep in a cool room. If not possible, then have a shower/bath before bed - this will cool your body temperature which helps it start the sleep cycle.

Try waking up 30 mins earlier to get you sleepier earlier in the day.
 
Different times over the years I quit coffee for a period of time. But as soon as fall came I craved something hot in the morning. Then it was back to coffee.
 
Chrisdavisjr said:
I was advised recently that my relatively high caffeine intake (relative, that is, to someone who drinks less than 2-3 cups of strong coffee per day) could be contributing to my anxiety, poor sleep etc.* and have decided to reduce my consumption to a single cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning and then a cup of two of decaffeinated coffee later in the day if I feel like it (ground coffee, brewed in a french press if that makes any difference).

So far I've not noticed any real difference although it's only been about 5/6 days. I'm wondering if I would be better off eliminating caffeine altogether for a while instead or if reducing my intake and 'weaning myself off' caffeine would be a better approach.

Anyone here have any experiences or insight into going caffeine free for health reasons?

*I'm still putting it down to the global pandemic but I'm willing to try more or less anything if it'll help.
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A few thoughts from you. Background: I began drinking coffee only at age 49. I am now an enthusiast and a home coffee roaster.

French Press is about as caffeinated as coffee gets. The longer the contact time between bean and water, the more caffeine that's released.

In our house, we drink espresso using a machine that has three different "lengths". My normal coffee is made by running about 2 or 2-1/2 times the usual amount of water for an espresso "shot" through the beans, but it's still quick in terms of contact time. Espresso, because of the brewing method, often has quite a strong taste but not actually that much caffeine.

Drip coffee will often have less caffeine than French Press for the reasons cited above.

Caffeine and coffee, if you get off of them for about a week, will treat you as a new coffee drinker. Reducing your caffeine for about a week should have about the same effect.

I am convinced that coffee is good for you. The kind of coffee is up to you, both the source of the beans, the roasting level, and the brewing level. I prefer coffees that are relatively thick in body but low in acid, so our home blend is 2/3 Sumatra, roasted dark. We mix that with 1/3 of a commercial espresso blend, roast each separately and combine them for use in our espresso machine. You might wish to try a different kind of coffee and/or a different brewing method.

NB: There are many famous caffeine addicts, people who drank 30-40 cups of coffee each day. I don't recommend that, however. :)

-S-
 
What Steve said regarding brew methods and roasts is spot on! I too am a home roaster, coffee aficianado, and lover of the brew. To this day one of my favorite things I've done is taking a pro barista course.

That being said, when I got to college, my already-existing coffee habit was out of control: I slept less, was tired non-stop, and basically drank an entire French press of coffee (roughly 2.5-3 American-size mugs) and would still feel tired. It was terrible. So I took this approach: I would drink one cup of coffee in the morning, otherwise I just drank green tea (later black tea) for the reduced caffeine content. This felt better, and I enjoyed my coffee more, and it had the desired effect.

Another coffee suggestion: Steve is right that French press is about as caffeinated as it gets. The standard 4-minutes for immersion brewing is delicious, but it's a long time of contact with the grounds. I have found that Turkish coffee, because of the size and relatively quick brew, is not bad for caffeine content. Theoretically it has the potential to be the most bitter and the most caffeinated by volume because of the powder-like grind, but the tiny size makes up for it. It has a bit of a learning curve to make (very easy to mess up) and coffee that fine enough is harder to come by (don't trust any grocery store) unless you get a special grinder for it, or your coffee shop can grind it fine enough.

My general rule of thumb is one cup a day in the morning. Whether I have another in the afternoon is dependent on the day, maybe abut 50/50. I'm currently weaning myself off coffee until Easter (which is horrible because I love coffee) because my doctor think I might have acid reflux. Cold turkey is horrible, so I'm drinking tea.
 
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I think it's likely very individual how you react to coffee. A good idea to try it out but I wouldn't read too much into it without thorough testing.
 
Caffeine clearance rates can vary 10 fold, you could be on the low side. Drop the decaf. in the afternoon, switch to an herbal tea or coffee substitute. Take the current amount of beans you use in the am and decrease by 1/2 Tbl. spn. every other day, replacing coffee beans/grind with a coffee substitute ( something like Teeccino ). Continue until 100% substitute. 500 mg or more of tyrosine in the am can help with the transition.
 
I've done this experiment myself lately. Going to zero caffeine for a few weeks improved my sleep a little. What surprised me was that reintroducing had a noticeable effect at first -- as in, have one cup of black tea in the morning, and not sleep as well that night. Though the effect seemed to subside when continuing at a cup of black tea a day.

Yesterday I tried my first cup of coffee in weeks, and sure enough, disrupted sleep.

I think my happy spot now is one cup of tea on work days, no caffeine on weekends.
 
Steve Freides said:
NB: There are many famous caffeine addicts, people who drank 30-40 cups of coffee each day. I don't recommend that, however. :)
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Present...

Recently introduced a decaff one first thing in the morning at home...just to minimize the overall intake as I can easily have 6 or 7 espressos during the day.

Last one at around 4 or 5pm max thought, not later to avoid any sleeping problem...
 
I was a heavy coffee drinker for many years - averaging 3-4 12oz cups of pour-over a day, although I almost always stopped by 1p.m. I really *loved* coffee - and enjoyed the process of pour-over (in a Chemex).

About a year and a half ago, however, after reading Matthew Walker's book, I decided it would be a good idea to try stopping coffee completely, to see how I felt. Because I knew I was fairly caffeine addicted, I did a slow, two-week taper, cutting back to 2 cups at the beginning, and then dropping a couple ounces every day or two, until I was down to just 4 oz in the morning after about 2 weeks. At that point, I cut it completely.

For me, the effect on my sleep was relatively small. However, the effect on other health issues was more pronounced: I felt more comfortable in hot/humid weather (I have always really disliked summer weather, but now can tolerate it much better), I had been having caffeine-induced headaches (meaning, after 3-4 cups, I would often develop a slight headache), and those ended. I also found that giving up coffee improved my bowel function.

Overall, I am glad I gave it up. I don't doubt that there are some health benefits to consumption, and there was definitely, for me, a real enjoyment benefit. But, too, I didn't love feeling like an addict, which, in all honestly, I was. Obviously a caffeine addiction is less worrisome than many addictions folks struggle with, but I have to say that it feels kind of nice to be free of it.

Although I miss both the ritual of making coffee and the actual taste and enjoyment of drinking it, I haven't gone back. I haven't even incorporated decaf. I will have a cup of herbal tea in the morning, but otherwise I drink water.
 
FWIW, I periodically lose my taste for it and cut way back or stop completely for a few days. I don’t plan the cycles, just seems to happen on its own where I wake up and just don’t want a coffee in the mod or a few days.

-S-
 
I am with @Steve Freides and @IMayAgainKnowChris with this. I started drinking coffee the same day I started working full-time in the summer, at 12 years of age (Mason's Tender in my father's company). I have periodically gone without coffee over the years for a month or so at a time. I always quit cold turkey, and it was usually for none of the above reasons. The only thing that I ever noticed was that I enjoyed drinking something hot in the morning and missed that. I typically drink 2-3 pots of coffee a day, dark roast coffee harvested and processed locally in Nicaragua where I usually am. I drink Italian or French roast in the US, and I like some African coffees. How it affects you will depend very much on your CYP 2D6 chromosomes and what mutations you do or do not have. The 6 hour half-life advertised for caffeine is a very flexible notion. If you have ADD/ADHD, caffeine and other stimulants should have the opposite effect in you. As in they calm you down. That's why all of the meds for ADD/ADHD are stimulants. That's why I can drain a pot of rxtremely strong coffee and take a nap, and it has had measureable effects in decreasing my blood pressure and pulse. If it messes with you, avoid it. If it doesn't, it's actually VERY healthy for you (Not the decaf versions, they are actually bad for you), especially if you have familial tendencies towards diabetes and insulin response issues.
 
Steve Freides said:
FWIW, I periodically lose my taste for it and cut way back or stop completely for a few days. I don’t plan the cycles, just seems to happen on its own where I wake up and just don’t want a coffee in the mod or a few days.

-S-
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This used to happen to me periodically when I was younger. It doesn't seem to ever happen now.
 
So many interesting observations and varied experiences. It seems caffeine tolerance is such an individual thing. As yet, I've noticed no real difference in myself but then I'm still drinking one coffee a day. I'll go caffeine free next week and see what happens.
 
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