Quit Caffeine

Caffeine is a common stimulant found in your favorite sodas, coffees, teas, energy drinks and more. If used wisely, caffeine is a tool that can help you wake up and concentrate. It will increase your energy and decrease your fatigue. Use it irresponsibly and you may find yourself dependent on it, or experiencing headaches and insomnia.

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is the stimulant in your coffee, tea, chocolate and soda that reduces tiredness, increases alertness and gives you a boost of energy. It can also cause insomnia, headaches, dehydration and high pressure blood, if you’re not careful. For many, caffeine is a tool to help them wake up, perk up and concentrate. Hack its benefits, and it can help you get through the day.

Caffeine is a white, bitter substance that’s found naturally in over 60 plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves and cacao pods that are used to make chocolate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers caffeine to be both a food additive and a drug.

The amount of caffeine in your food and drink varies. For coffee and tea, the amount of caffeine per cup depends on the brand, the type of beans or leaves used, how it is prepared and how long it steeps. Coffee can have as little as two milligrams of caffeine (decaf coffee) per cup, and as much as 200 milligrams per cup. Your typical tea has about 40 milligrams of caffeine, but it can range from nine to 110 milligrams. Twelve ounces of soda pop/soft drink usually has 30 to 60 milligrams of caffeine. Eight ounces of an energy drink has between 50 and 160.

How much caffeine is too much?

The average American adult consumes 200 mg of caffeine a day. This is the equivalent of two five ounce cups of coffee or four 12 ounce colas. Consuming up to 400 mg or four cups of coffee does not cause problems for most people. But, caffeine affects people differently, depending on their size, gender and sensitivity to it. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, even moderate amounts can cause insomnia (trouble sleeping), rapid heart rate, anxiety and feelings of restlessness. Health and nutrition experts agree that consuming more than 600 mg of caffeine a day (equivalent of four to seven cups of coffee) is too much.

What are the symptoms of having too much caffeine?

Symptoms of having too much caffeine may include:

• Headache, nervousness, dizziness.
• Having “the jitters” or feeling shaky.
• Insomnia or sleep that is “on and off” throughout the night.
• Racing heart or abnormal heartbeat.
• Increase in blood pressure.
• Dehydration.

Who should avoid caffeine?

It’s not safe for everyone to have caffeine in their diet. Ask your healthcare provider how much is ok for your unique body. You may want to avoid caffeine if you:

• Have any sleep disorder, like insomnia.
• Have ulcers or GERD.
• Are pregnant.
• Are breastfeeding.
• Have migraines or chronic headaches.
• Have high blood pressure.
• Take certain stimulants, antibiotics, asthma medicines and heart medicines. These medications can have interactions with caffeine.
• Are a child or teenager.
• Have anxiety.
• Have a fast or irregular heartbeat.

Is caffeine addictive?

Many people develop a tolerance for caffeine. This means that your body adjusts and gets used to having caffeine every day. Over time, you might find that you must keep increasing your caffeine intake to achieve the desired effects of alertness and ability to concentrate.

Your body can have a dependence on caffeine, but it’s not technically an addiction. It raises dopamine, but the level is small. Illegal stimulants like methamphetamine (“meth”) and MDMA (“ecstasy” or “molly”) cause a huge surge that messes with the reward circuits in your brain. You get “addicted” to ecstasy, and “dependent” on caffeine.

How long does caffeine last in the human body?

The effects of caffeine can be felt as soon as 15 minutes after it is consumed. The level of caffeine in your blood peaks about one hour later and stays at this level for several hours for most people. Six hours after caffeine is consumed, half of it is still in your body. It can take up to 10 hours to completely clear caffeine from your bloodstream.

How is caffeine used in medications?

Caffeine is a common ingredient in many prescription and over-the-counter headache remedies, pain relievers and cold medicines. Through caffeine’s effects on your central nervous system, it helps these drugs act more effectively. It helps your body absorb headache medicines quicker.

If you are concerned about your caffeine intake, read the product label on over-the-counter medications or the information sheet that comes with your prescriptions to determine whether a medication contains caffeine. The FDA requires that the medication labels list the amount of caffeine they contain.

Caffeine is also found in some herbal products that people take as supplements, including guarana, yerba mate, kola nut and green tea extract. These products are not required by law to show their caffeine content on the label, and there is no set standard for caffeine content.

What are some tips for quitting caffeine?

Cut down slowly on the amount of caffeine in your diet. Don’t make the mistake of stopping totally. You’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms and go back to drinking coffee or soda or taking a headache medication with caffeine in it to make the symptoms disappear. This starts the dependency cycle all over again. Avoiding the withdrawal symptoms is one of the most common reasons why people continue their caffeine habit.

To successfully reduce your caffeine intake, gradually reduce the amount of coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks you have each day. Begin to substitute cold caffeinated beverages with water. Water is a healthy choice and satisfies the need for drinking a liquid. Water also naturally flushes caffeine from your body and keeps you hydrated.

If you are a coffee drinker, gradually switch from regular coffee to decaf. First alternate between decaf and regular, then slowly change to more decaf and taper off regular coffee. Gradually reducing your caffeine consumption over a period of two to three weeks will help you successfully change your habit without causing withdrawal symptoms.

10 Health Benefits of Living Caffeine-Free

1. Less anxiety

Feeling increasingly anxious lately? Too much caffeine may be to blame.

Caffeine comes with a burst of energy, which is what most of us use it for. However, that energy also stimulatesTrusted Source our “fight or flight” hormones. This may cause an increase in anxiety, nervousness, heart palpitations, and even panic attacks.

Those who are already prone to stress and anxiety may find that caffeine makes their symptoms a whole lot worse. Additionally, higher caffeine intake hasbeen linkedTrusted Source  to increased chances of depression in adolescents.

2. Better sleep

Your caffeine habit could be affecting your sleep. Studies show that daily coffee intake can alter your sleep cycle, causing restless sleep and daytime drowsiness. This can be especially true if you consume caffeine less than six hoursTrusted Source before heading to bed.

Besides a more blissful and undisturbed night’s rest, those who are caffeine-free may find it takes them much less timeTrusted Source to fall asleep in the first place.

3. More efficient absorption of nutrients

If you’re not a caffeine drinker, your body may absorb some nutrients better than those who do partake. The tannins in caffeine can possibly inhibit some of the absorption of:

• calcium
• iron
• B vitamins

This can be especially true for those who have a very high caffeine intake, imbalanced diet, or older ageTrusted Source. Consuming no caffeine at all can help ensure you’re getting all of the nutrients possible from your diet.

4. Healthier (and whiter!) teeth

There’s no fighting it: Coffee and tea can stain teeth. This is due to the high level of tannins found in these drinks, which cause buildup and discolored tooth enamel. The acidityTrusted Source in caffeinated drinks like coffee and soda can also lead to enamel wear and decay.

5. Balanced hormones for women

Women may especially benefit from going caffeine-free. Caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, and soda can alter estrogen levels.

A 2012 studyTrusted Source found that drinking 200 milligrams (roughly 2 cups) or more of caffeine per day elevated estrogen levels in Asian and black women, while white women had slightly lower estrogen levels.

Changing estrogen levels can be particularly concerning if you have an increased risk for conditions like endometriosis, breast cancersTrusted Source, and ovarian cancersTrusted Source. While caffeine isn’t directly linked to these conditions, high estrogen levels is associated with the causes.

Caffeine has also been shown to worsen certain menopause symptoms.

7. Balanced brain chemistry

It’s no surprise that caffeine has an effect on mood. All of those “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” slogans are on mugs for a reason.

Caffeine can alter brain chemistry in a similar way that drugs like cocaine do, and researchers agree that caffeine does fulfill some of the criteria used to measure drug dependence.

People who don’t consume caffeine don’t have to worry about the addictive qualities of it, whereas people who decide to wean off caffeine or stop drinking it completely may experience withdrawal symptoms or temporary changes in mood.

Withdrawal timeline If your body is dependent on caffeine, you may
experience withdrawal symptoms in as soon as 12 to 24 hours. How long these
symptoms last depends on how much caffeine you drink, but it can be anywhere
from two to nine days, with symptoms peaking at 21 to 50
hours.

8. Fewer headaches

Caffeine withdrawal is a real thing. One of the most common and unpleasant side effects of caffeine withdrawal is headaches. And it may not take a few days for one to show up.

Ever notice how you get a headache if you’re too busy for your morning cup of coffee? This is only one symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Others include:

• brain fog
• fatigue
• difficulty concentrating
• irritability

Even if you’re not experiencing withdrawal right away, a 2004 study found that caffeine intake is a big risk factor for developing chronic daily headaches.

9. A healthy digestion

Caffeine intake can come with a host of unpleasant digestive issues. Coffee creates a laxative effectTrusted Source that stimulates the bowelsTrusted Source. Consuming especially large amounts of coffee can cause diarrhea or loose stools (and even incontinenceTrusted Source).

Additionally, caffeinated beverages may playTrusted Source a role in developing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

10. You may age better

If you’re concerned about aging, you may benefit from not consuming caffeine. Caffeine interferes with collagen formation by reducing collagen synthesisTrusted Source in human skin.

Since collagen has a direct effect on the skin, body, and nails, not sipping that morning cup of coffee could mean less wrinkles for you.