A Month Without Coffee
It has been about a month that I did not drink coffee, or any caffeine per se. The withdrawal was pretty tough, but given that I was dumping this stuff down my body for years without a break, it was much milder then expected. Everything was over in less then four days of sluggishness and a couple bad headaches. I don't even remember it now as something hard.
There were no special effects waiting for on the other side. It simply felt OK, nothing special. I am prone to headaches and the first couple weeks I often had a mild headache with a feeling that a 'bad one' is about to start, but a Tylenol was always enough to quench this, to quite a surprise. Even these headaches went away after about two weeks.
By the end of the month I started to get a sense on my caffeine-free self. The biggest surprise was to find that I can breathe, actually. Breathing through your nose is a wonderful feeling, but it was something becoming ever more impossible for quite a few years now. This was April, the top allergy time, and I went around with perfectly unclogged pathways, feeling great and quite happy about it. I have no clue why this has happened and never heard of any connection between coffee and allergies. Add to this that I usually have my coffee completely bare, so no link to say creamer.
I also noticed a better "pump" at the gym, something that is reported in medical studies and something that I was looking for. Not big of a deal, then. What is a bid deal is that I am going to the gym again, after quite a long break.
I did not lose energy, in fact I think I was more steady, motivated and also more strategic about what I am doing, choosing my priorities, avoiding getting stuck with some stupid little perfectionism. You get a good view on the things, instead of digging yourself all the way in. That, and the absence of coffee "crushes" certainly makes the days much more enjoyable!
I have decided that I will come back to drinking coffee, perhaps as a social or rare activity, and today was the first time. I will write about the nuclear consequences of that decision tomorrow.
There were no special effects waiting for on the other side. It simply felt OK, nothing special. I am prone to headaches and the first couple weeks I often had a mild headache with a feeling that a 'bad one' is about to start, but a Tylenol was always enough to quench this, to quite a surprise. Even these headaches went away after about two weeks.
By the end of the month I started to get a sense on my caffeine-free self. The biggest surprise was to find that I can breathe, actually. Breathing through your nose is a wonderful feeling, but it was something becoming ever more impossible for quite a few years now. This was April, the top allergy time, and I went around with perfectly unclogged pathways, feeling great and quite happy about it. I have no clue why this has happened and never heard of any connection between coffee and allergies. Add to this that I usually have my coffee completely bare, so no link to say creamer.
I also noticed a better "pump" at the gym, something that is reported in medical studies and something that I was looking for. Not big of a deal, then. What is a bid deal is that I am going to the gym again, after quite a long break.
I did not lose energy, in fact I think I was more steady, motivated and also more strategic about what I am doing, choosing my priorities, avoiding getting stuck with some stupid little perfectionism. You get a good view on the things, instead of digging yourself all the way in. That, and the absence of coffee "crushes" certainly makes the days much more enjoyable!
I have decided that I will come back to drinking coffee, perhaps as a social or rare activity, and today was the first time. I will write about the nuclear consequences of that decision tomorrow.
5 comments:
I've heard that you actually feel better when not on caffeine regularly...but I do love my soda, and it tastes nasty without caffeine in it. So I do it for the taste, really, it's not that I want the caffeine, I swear...
Hm, for some reason, talking about this has made me thirsty...
thank you :)
just out of curiosity, how'd u find my blog?
I never saw soda coming in caffeinated/non-caffeinated varieties! Is there one?
heh heh... very funny...
i initially wanted to totally fill that post with obscenities of the highest order... but i had a change of heart... decided to just suggest various cooking techniques to achieve best results when preparing bbq girlfriend
About six months ago I stopped drinking caffeine myself and started drinking de-caffeinated Green Tea. I had a mild headache also for about the first week, but I sleep better now. I also started exercising like you and that has helped. I actually have more energy from exercising and because it releases endorphins it makes me happier. :)
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