I love coffee, but even more so, my body loved the caffeine I got from it. I've been a coffee drinker since my early 20s, worked as a barista, and even roasted coffee for a while. My daily intake was between 20oz to 32oz of coffee. However, after nearly 20 years of caffeine consumption, I began to feel its negative effects. Further research made me realize my dependency on caffeine was causing health issues, with the most significant being that too much caffeine would trigger a round of cluster headaches.

Curious about my baseline without caffeine and the true effect of abstaining, I decided to kick the caffeine habit. Having experienced caffeine withdrawal a few times after going 24 hours without it, I knew it was challenging and unpleasant. So, I devised a plan.

Week 1: Limiting My Intake

I limited my coffee intake to one to two cups a day, starting at 8 am and ensuring I had nothing after 10 am. I allowed myself to drink decaf in the afternoon. Impact: Surprisingly, there was no significant impact. I didn't experience headaches or tiredness. In fact, my sleep quality slightly improved.

Quitting Caffeine Cold Turkey

This is where I erred. Given the minimal impact of reducing my intake, I decided to quit cold turkey, allowing myself only a Mellow Morning drink in the morning.  Drinking the decaf did help with some coffee cravings.  

Day 1: I had severe headaches but managed to alleviate them with aspirin. Other than that, it wasn't a big deal.

Day 2: Everything seemed fine, leading me to believe the worst was over. How easy, I thought!

Days 3-8: This period was challenging. I initially thought I had a severe sinus cold, characterized by stuffiness and significant congestion. Although it might have been a coincidence, I learned that caffeine withdrawal could severely affect your sinuses. No medicine provided relief. I resorted to using nasal spray twice at night just to sleep. This unpleasant phase lasted five days.

Positive Change: Despite the hardships, my sleep quality continued to improve. I woke up with more energy and less of the usual tiredness.

Days 8-10: The severe congestion became manageable, and I could breathe somewhat better. However, fatigue set in along with a sense of haziness. Despite exercise, a general sense of tiredness persisted, leading me to take a 2-hour nap on day 11. I also experienced brain fog, making it difficult to focus at work or in general. This was when cravings for caffeine peaked, subtly suggesting, "Drink some coffee, and everything will go back to normal."

Positive Changes:  Nothing positive during this time.  

Day 12: A turnaround occurred; I started to feel normal again. The congestion cleared, and I no longer felt like a tired, thinking like a zombie.

Day 13: (April 1, 2024) - As of today, I believe the worst is behind me. I feel normal and no longer under caffeine's control.  Energy seems to be fine and not sluggish.  No more cravings either.  Just enjoying my Mellow Mornings! 

Benefits of Quitting Caffeine

It's still early days, but a big plus is I'm not dominated by caffeine anymore. My sleep has improved markedly. I wake up more rested and less groggy and find myself falling asleep faster. While it's too early to make definitive statements about my energy levels, I feel the same energy I had before quitting caffeine, without the peaks and troughs.

Quitting caffeine has been a challenging journey, but the benefits I'm beginning to notice make it all seem worth it. Here's to hoping for more positive changes as I continue this caffeine-free journey.