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How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

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Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#51
post #26

"Drink coffee and then take a 15 minute nap.". Advice like this makes it hard to take this article seriously. It's also a little thin on the data. Sure, it's an article on caffeine, so it'll rank on the geek sites, but do you feel richer or empowered after reading it? I used to drink about 5 cups of coffee a day. I stopped cold turkey and life didn't seem worth living. So I scaled back to one cup of really really FUC…

Actually for the money, you can do better than Kopi Luwak or Jamaican Blue Mountain.

Cup of Excellence winners are always good, though it may be more expensive than Blue Mountain. I was given a sample to roast once. Something like $40/kg _green_. Otherwise just sample various beans from a speciality roaster.

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#52
post #7

Anti-caffeine bloggers are so annoying. There is nothing wrong with caffeine, it pretty much drives the modern world. Caffeine is a highly successful and safe nootropic and I'm convinced that people who tell you to stop it are the same people who would tell you to stop masturbating, or to take cold showers, or to sleep without a mattress. There is no good reason to stop caffeine. If you want an extra boost, just drin…

There seem to be genetic variances in how well you deal with caffeine. Some people definitely have problems with it. 23andMe claims a slightly increased risk for heart attacks for me in relation to caffeine, though I don't think it is so bad. But I do have a problem with caffeine. (According to 23andMe, I am a slow caffeine metabolizer - I suppose that means that I can't gulp down 8 cups without side effects, like some people claim doing).

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#53

I cut caffeine out of my life completely when I went to see a psychiatrist about my anxiety problems and she told me one cup of coffee was enough to trigger a panic attack. A year later and I still don't consume it. I sleep better, go to bed and wake up on time, and have much more manageable energy levels throughout the day. Just because it's socially accepted doesn't mean it isn't one hell of a drug. (If you want a…

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Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#54

I cut caffeine out of my life completely when I went to see a psychiatrist about my anxiety problems and she told me one cup of coffee was enough to trigger a panic attack. A year later and I still don't consume it. I sleep better, go to bed and wake up on time, and have much more manageable energy levels throughout the day. Just because it's socially accepted doesn't mean it isn't one hell of a drug. (If you want a…

It appears from the article that caffeine increases anxiety in people with anxiety disorders. There is no evidence that it does so in the general population. I am a heavy coffee drinker for the last 30 years. Never had a panic attack and never had any problem sleeping.

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#55
I used to be addicted to caffeine. If I didn't have some before lunch I'd get a terrible headache. So I used caffeine pills to control my dosage and step off gradually.

One big benefit, I find that my hands are much steadier now. Helps tremendously when soldering.

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#56

I tried for years to give up an 8+ cup a day habit. The first few times after a few days of no coffee I would be literally falling asleep at my desk at work. Recently I went on a long vacation, and though I was drinking coffee, it was no where near as much as usual, and even that trickled off completely during the last week. At that point I thought I may as well try stopping completely - it was hard, but it's been ab…

I hit snooze 17 times a row and I don't touch coffee. Maybe I should start? :)

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#58

I cut caffeine out of my life completely when I went to see a psychiatrist about my anxiety problems and she told me one cup of coffee was enough to trigger a panic attack. A year later and I still don't consume it. I sleep better, go to bed and wake up on time, and have much more manageable energy levels throughout the day. Just because it's socially accepted doesn't mean it isn't one hell of a drug. (If you want a…

I've noticed a similar effect. Its not particularly powerful, but if one is prone to tense up then it can be just enough to push on over the edge.

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#59
I quit caffeine cold turkey about 6 weeks ago. I was drinking one cup a day in the morning, and the odd afternoon cup.

My energy level skyrocketed about a week after I quit. I was waking up an hour earlier on average with no alarm clock, and wasn't groggy like I normally was.

Then Yesterday AM I had a cup in the morning to see what it was like, and I was a productivity madman. Definitely wont be going back to the daily cup, but I think once every couple weeks to get some crazy work done will be a great little trick up my sleeve!

Re: How To Break Your Daily Caffeine Habit And Use Coffee Strategically

#60

If you're breaking a caffeine habit doesn't that imply that you are no longer drinking coffee? That's sort of like saying you are giving up on nicotine but will only have a smoke every now and then. My thinking is you either embrace you vice or avoid it — no?

Abstinence is not the opposite of habit.
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