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Nutrition Caffeine: Reduction versus elimination

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My personal experience with going off of caffeine was weaning myself off didn't work very well. Just stopping all together and straining all my relationships while I "detoxed" for a week seemed to feel like the most effective way... although I have been warned not to do it again.

That said I'm back on the coffee, but instead of a 2 pot a day habit it is just a cup or two in the morning.
 
Mat Fraser has an espresso machine that will set you back 9-10 grand with options. Better be some damn fine Joe.

The fact of it being a sponsor perk should help the flavor.
 
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It sounds like coffee might not be the root cause of your poor sleep. I'd start looking for other causes. What do you do for the hour before bed? What do you eat or drink in the three hours before bed? Do you have a nightly routine of shutting down for the evening? Maybe try adding in ten minutes of stretching / yoga right before bed? It could be muscle tightness, that has had all day from your workout to set in, that is causing the poor sleep.
 
Chrisdavisjr said:
I absolutely am. Thinking it might not be a bad idea to split this thread from @wespom9's post (#27) into a new thread just titled 'coffee'. @Steve Friedes thoughts? Or maybe just re-name the thread.
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I think we're relatively on topic here, not many posts to pull out into another thread, but if you don't mind taking this to a PM, send me a link to this thread and give me post numbers you think should be in their own thread and we'll continue from there.

-S-
 
L-THEANINE & THE TEA ADVANTAGE

Black or green tea contains l-theanine. This is a 'calming' amino acid. It mitigates some of the side affects of caffeine. It is also claimed by some that it mitigates any post caffeine crash.

L-theanine is also available in powder and pill form if you wish to up that side of the dosage.

Caffeine & L-theanine is widely known as a nootropic and in managing ADHD symptoms.

Example of using sparingly

(This is not to say regular consumption of caffeine can't be beneficial for some, it appears that it definitely can be)... I find that strong (eg 2 bags) black tea is an absolute game changer for my social anxiety. I don't want to develop a tolerance or a crutch, so for example in one week: I have 2 important meetings, daily meditations, and 4 social occasions. I could drink tea maybe 3 times that week - to enhance performance in the 2 meetings, and before one of my meditations. In social occasions I can simply tolerate anxiety (and if judged, find nicer people).

The reason for caffeinating before meditation is that per Andrew Huberman, caffeine can help potentiate the brain for adaptations / learning / change.

Decaf black tea heads up

I'm conscious some might choose to chase their coffee with a cup of decaf black in the light of the above. Nasty chemicals are sometimes used in the decaffeination process. Here in Britain, Clipper is a company that uses a better process.

Also if you've even been drowsy after decaf tea, now you know why (the L-theanine without caffeine).

HERBAL TEA SUGGESTION

The taste of black roobios makes it a good substition for those coming off coffee or black tea in my opinion. For those looking to replace green tea, there is green roobios.

GLYCINE A SLEEP AID

Speaking of amino acids, glycine is a healthy and cheap supplement which many have found to be a game changer for sleep. Try it before bed in some chamomile tea (stir as you drink so it doesn't settle at the bottom). It doesn't seem to cause a drowsiness hang over the next day. The only noted side affect - it can cause very vivid dreams.

with love to all
 
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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I drink a LOT of coffee. And used to have trouble sleeping.

But I find that as long as I: don't drink caffeine after 1400 and (this is the key) workout hard / go for a long walk/ruck in the afternoon, I sleep like a baby.

My theory is that raising the metabolism helps to process the caffeine. But that could be placebo/bro science.

It works for me.
 
There are some posts I love seeing pop up in the feed, like "Advice on training with a newborn baby" because I always think of the response about keeping the weight and volume low because they're so weak.
I shutter every time I see this one pop up because I'm pretty sure if I eliminated coffee, I'd have no good reason to wake up each day. What's the point if there's no coffee? ;)
 
I remember in a science show I used to watch on TV how they said that about half of the population rapidly eliminates caffeine from the system, usually before any of the adverse effects happen (insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach irritation, nausea, increased heart rate and respiration). Which allows those individuals to have the benefits of caffeine without much of the drawbacks. In the other half of the population, caffeine takes much longer to be processed and eliminated and thus can cause many undesirable effects if more than a certain amount is consumed. I would guess the amount is varied from an individual to another, but it explains why some people can drink a coffee at 10pm and go to bed even if it's their 5th cup of the day, while others get the jitters after just one strong cup.

Can't seem to find the link for the show though, plus it was in french...

EDIT: side note, I've been having anxiety issues lately for the first time in my life and I think it's mostly related to my knee issues (persistant tendinopathy) and I remember you posting about patellar issues recently.
 
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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).
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Chrisdavisjr said:
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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Poor sleep and anxiety can be caused by more than too much caffeine throughout the day. To address the issue it might take a multi pronged approach besides simply reducing or quitting coffee. The supplement L Theanine, adequate fat intake and daily meditation are necessary for me to be able to sleep and not stress, as well as avoiding alcohol and cannabis, unfortunately. It wasn’t always this way, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve had to dial it in.
 
Nate said:
There are some posts I love seeing pop up in the feed, like "Advice on training with a newborn baby" because I always think of the response about keeping the weight and volume low because they're so weak.
I shutter every time I see this one pop up because I'm pretty sure if I eliminated coffee, I'd have no good reason to wake up each day. What's the point if there's no coffee? ;)
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Less cockroach?
"The FDA’s own studies show that up to 10% of green coffee beans (and sometimes more) become infested with roaches and other insects. They are unable to process them out completely so they just get roasted and ground up with the beans"
 
q.Hung said:
Less cockroach?
"The FDA’s own studies show that up to 10% of green coffee beans (and sometimes more) become infested with roaches and other insects. They are unable to process them out completely so they just get roasted and ground up with the beans"
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This explains a lot! Perhaps my under-nourished vegan body is crying out for the minuscule amounts of insect protein I'm getting from my morning cup of joe.

I feel like there's a market out there for coffee with extra cockroach. Someone would be into that.

fulltangfitness said:
Poor sleep and anxiety can be caused by more than too much caffeine throughout the day. To address the issue it might take a multi pronged approach besides simply reducing or quitting coffee. The supplement L Theanine, adequate fat intake and daily meditation are necessary for me to be able to sleep and not stress, as well as avoiding alcohol and cannabis, unfortunately. It wasn’t always this way, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve had to dial it in.
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Thanks for the tips! I'd never thought about fat intake as a potential factor; I'll have to look into this.

I've recently taken steps to address the root cause of most of my stress recently and it's made a big difference: I'm getting to bed earlier and waking up naturally again, which feels strange. I tend to be drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day with no ill effects and it's plenty for me. I'm not relying on it to keep me focused or awake and just enjoying the flavour.
 
I decided to knock back to a small cup first thing in the morning, just to see what my energy is like through out the day, plus if my sleep patterns change. I shall journal this for my own amusement!
 
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