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Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

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Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#41

Post by kolinko »

TwoFerMaggie wrote: post #34
404mm wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, for anyone who ever tried to quit coffee, probably knows this— the period of feeling down, useless, slow, and tired after you quit is brutal for about 1-2 weeks and can last months for long-time coffee drinkers. No wonder people feel great after having coffee again. And decaf is not caffeine-free. Decaf coffee still contains about 5-10% of the original caffeine content compared to the same beans but not decaffe…

I've quit from daily 3-4 shots of espresso to only drinking it when I feel like it, which is about once every two weeks. The process was mostly without discomfort: I bought decaf beans and started cutting my coffee grounds with 50% decaf. After two weeks, 75% decaf. Then 87.5%, etc. About two months later I stopped experiencing withdrawals if I don't drink any coffee at all. Before I started cutting I would get massi…

It is most probably metabolism/genetics dependent. For me, I didn't have much withdrawals (aside from a first week), but even a month later I was insanely sluggish and it was difficult for me to function properly.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#42

Post by dherikb »

I've never been a fan of coffee, but I liked drinking it, but more out of habit than desire, and always at work (rarely at home). Years ago I started to notice terrible headaches on the weekends, and only after a long time did I manage to understand that coffee withdrawal was the cause. For me the conclusion was obvious: I will no longer take something that affects my body at this level. I have the same problem with Coke/Pepsi, I stopped taking it too.

Fun fact: on the same day I noticed and stopped taking it coffee, 5 days later I had terrible muscle pain in my lower back (I could hardly sleep). 2 days later I had no more pain. I researched later and saw that this type of pain could also be caused as an effect of caffeine withdrawal.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#43

Post by dofm »

404mm wrote: post #26
Aurornis wrote: post #14

Any mood or depression study without a control group is, unfortunately, useless. There is an interesting effect in mood related studies where every group usually improves on average, even if they receive only placebo. The real measure of any depression study is therefore the improvement above and beyond the control group. The effect is so predictable that it has become an easy way to produce studies showing positive…

Also, for anyone who ever tried to quit coffee, probably knows this— the period of feeling down, useless, slow, and tired after you quit is brutal for about 1-2 weeks and can last months for long-time coffee drinkers. No wonder people feel great after having coffee again. And decaf is not caffeine-free. Decaf coffee still contains about 5-10% of the original caffeine content compared to the same beans but not decaffe…

More like 3.75% to 6.6% at most, depending on the bean. But this is not a very good way to think about decaffeination because coffee has to be below 0.1% caffeine by dry weight, regardless of bean, to qualify as decaf, pretty much as a global standard.

A mug of decaf has about 3% of the caffeine of a mug of non-decaf coffee, at most. It is negligible as a stimulant. The only people who would need to avoid it are those with an allergy.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#44

Post by bluefirebrand »

shinycode wrote: post #39
TwoFerMaggie wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've quit from daily 3-4 shots of espresso to only drinking it when I feel like it, which is about once every two weeks. The process was mostly without discomfort: I bought decaf beans and started cutting my coffee grounds with 50% decaf. After two weeks, 75% decaf. Then 87.5%, etc. About two months later I stopped experiencing withdrawals if I don't drink any coffee at all. Before I started cutting I would get massi…

I noticed from reading threads online that I can drink 8 espressos a day and stop having espresso for several days or weeks. I make my own from ground beans of 18g. It does nothing to me, I never felt a stimulation and only taste guides my need. If I don’t like the taste even offered in restaurant I will refuse to drink it. I don’t know why I’m like that but I never understood the discomfort phases and the stimulatio…

I am not a doctor or psychologist or anything so please take everything below with a grain of salt

I was like you in my 20s, I could drink a lot of caffeine without any effects at all. I was diagnosed with ADHD around 28. At the time my doctor told me that my high caffeine intake was maybe an unconscious way of trying to wrangle with my ADHD, because the treatment for that is stimulants.

Once I started my meds, even a low dose, I basically didn't want coffee anymore. It made a huge difference in my life

Not trying to diagnose you with anything, I just always like to tell heavy coffee drinkers my story in case it might help them if they're feeling like something is off

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#45

Post by dofm »

shinycode wrote: post #39
TwoFerMaggie wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've quit from daily 3-4 shots of espresso to only drinking it when I feel like it, which is about once every two weeks. The process was mostly without discomfort: I bought decaf beans and started cutting my coffee grounds with 50% decaf. After two weeks, 75% decaf. Then 87.5%, etc. About two months later I stopped experiencing withdrawals if I don't drink any coffee at all. Before I started cutting I would get massi…

I noticed from reading threads online that I can drink 8 espressos a day and stop having espresso for several days or weeks. I make my own from ground beans of 18g. It does nothing to me, I never felt a stimulation and only taste guides my need. If I don’t like the taste even offered in restaurant I will refuse to drink it. I don’t know why I’m like that but I never understood the discomfort phases and the stimulatio…

Do you have ADHD (or think you might have?)

If so the difference when you are not drinking coffee might be more disorganisation/inattentiveness/impulsivity etc. rather than being less stimulated.

I have learned that I can have four Aeropress brews per day (about 12.5g coffee per cup) and it makes me calmer, more focussed and more able to be organised. I would notice discomfort and jitters at maybe six in a day. But I can fall asleep an hour after drinking one; it has little effect on my sleep and it may even make it a little easier for me to initially fall asleep.

And then I can have nothing the next day and be fine; I only notice withdrawal on day three maybe.

The reason is, it seems, I have otherwise very unmanaged "inattentive" ADHD. (Which is a stupid name for it; I don't have the slightest problem paying attention to things that capture my interest)

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#46

Post by dofm »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #44
shinycode wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I noticed from reading threads online that I can drink 8 espressos a day and stop having espresso for several days or weeks. I make my own from ground beans of 18g. It does nothing to me, I never felt a stimulation and only taste guides my need. If I don’t like the taste even offered in restaurant I will refuse to drink it. I don’t know why I’m like that but I never understood the discomfort phases and the stimulatio…

I am not a doctor or psychologist or anything so please take everything below with a grain of salt I was like you in my 20s, I could drink a lot of caffeine without any effects at all. I was diagnosed with ADHD around 28. At the time my doctor told me that my high caffeine intake was maybe an unconscious way of trying to wrangle with my ADHD, because the treatment for that is stimulants. Once I started my meds, even…

I just volunteered the same suggestion. I am undiagnosed "inattentive" (but it's as obvious as hell, in retrospect) and I clearly self-medicate with caffeine; I used to have an awful coca-cola problem and now in my fifties I like to take a bit of care over my coffee.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#47

Post by TwoFerMaggie »

felix-the-cat wrote: post #32
404mm wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, for anyone who ever tried to quit coffee, probably knows this— the period of feeling down, useless, slow, and tired after you quit is brutal for about 1-2 weeks and can last months for long-time coffee drinkers. No wonder people feel great after having coffee again. And decaf is not caffeine-free. Decaf coffee still contains about 5-10% of the original caffeine content compared to the same beans but not decaffe…

I needed to quit drinking caffeine and my wife decided to just start transitioning me onto decaf without telling me, each week mixing a little more into the regular coffee bean cannister until it was basically 100% decaf. It worked really well, as I didn't find out I'd been drinking 100% decaf until she told me about it.

I had the same process as you (see my comment) and it was much better than quitting it cold turkey.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#48

Post by TwoFerMaggie »

deanc wrote: post #22

Anecdotally, multiple folks have said to me they don't drink coffee because it makes them anxious. Enough for me to take notice.

There might also be adverse effects on one's sleep quality, even if they only drink it in the morning:

> In fact, none of the sleep researchers or experts on circadian rhythms I interviewed for this story use caffeine.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jul/06/caffeine-coffee...

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#49

Post by bluefirebrand »

dofm wrote: post #46
bluefirebrand wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not a doctor or psychologist or anything so please take everything below with a grain of salt I was like you in my 20s, I could drink a lot of caffeine without any effects at all. I was diagnosed with ADHD around 28. At the time my doctor told me that my high caffeine intake was maybe an unconscious way of trying to wrangle with my ADHD, because the treatment for that is stimulants. Once I started my meds, even…

I just volunteered the same suggestion. I am undiagnosed "inattentive" (but it's as obvious as hell, in retrospect) and I clearly self-medicate with caffeine; I used to have an awful coca-cola problem and now in my fifties I like to take a bit of care over my coffee.

Yep, inattentive here too

It goes undiagnosed because we aren't hyperactive problem kids in classrooms, and if we're lucky enough to be interested in the subjects we can excel in school

If you're anything like me you've been called lazy a lot in your life when really you're just too bored by stuff to engage with it?

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#50

Post by skillina »

bondarchuk wrote: post #3

> Participants first abstained from coffee for two weeks before being reintroduced to either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee in a blinded trial. So it could easily just be cessation of withdrawal symptoms.

Adding caffeine pill and placebo pill groups would be interesting.
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