My first 7 days of no caffeine
This isn’t the first time I’ve given up caffeine, but hopefully it’s the last! The first time I did this, I gave up both caffeine and alcohol for just over 5 months, was walking a mile to and from work each weekday, and doing 30+ pushups almost every day. The results were great! My autoimmune issues seemed to be less rampant (psoriasis), I lost about 15 lb at that time, I could do more pushups by the end of the 5 months, sleep was easy (I would go to fall pretty easily and I’d wake up at exactly the same time each morning with no alarm clock), and I was very clear headed.
So why did I ever stop? I don’t really know! They say “old habits die hard” and this was very true for me!
This time, I’ve started by just giving up caffeine (I have enjoyed some alcohol this week). In the last year, my weight has been up and down (I’m now 12 lb heavier than where my best was in the last year), my sleep has been irregular, and before I started this, I was drinking 2 tall energy drinks a day!
So I decided, one week ago, to give up caffeine cold turkey and write logs every day. I originally kept them on Facebook, so they’re quite scattered, but I went through my Facebook wall and found them all so I can share them in one spot, here.
I plan to continue logging my progress with no caffeine on Medium.
August 25, 2018 (Saturday)
6:31pm
This is the umpteenth time I’m putting myself through caffeine withdrawal.
Day 1: headache. Lazy. Lethargic. I napped in the middle of the day. Overate a little bit.
It’s cool. By day 14 (I will make it) I’ll be better off.
August 26, 2018 (Sunday)
10:15pm
Caffeine withdrawal day 2: low energy. Lethargic. Overall not too bad, but mood is overall lesser than I’m used to. Objectively a great day though!
August 27, 2018 (Monday)
9:29am
Caffeine free, day 3:
I woke up at 8:30am today, instead of 7:00am as planned, but it was because my phone died, so my alarm never went off (it wasn’t fully on its charger!!! That’s a failure on my part.)
Getting up was easy. It’s not like I got up earlier and eventually left bed at 8:30. Nope. I woke up and was immediately able to get out of bed.
My head feels clear. We’ll see how it serves me today.
9:18pm
The evening of day 3, no caffeine. It’s 9:18pm and I’m sleepy at a normal hour.
Oh, and I even read a bit tonight after hanging out with a friend. Good times.
Good night!
August 28, 2018 (Tuesday)
2:55pm
Day 4, no caffeine. Focus levels are better than the previous 3 days for sure.
I’m alert, awake, and clear headed.
August 29, 2018 (Wednesday)
8:56am
Day 5, no caffeine. I woke up at 7am with no alarm… but I went to bed after 12am so I decided to sleep for an extra hour and 15 min.
It seems my internal alarm clock is beginning to work again though!
August 30, 2018 (Thursday)
8:43am
Day 6, no caffeine.
I went to sleep last night after 3am (I was out late, drunk on philosophy) I woke up today with no alarm clock at 8:30am.
Circadian rhythm is getting in shape.
I feel great! Will I be tired later? Yes, probably. I only got about 5 and a half hours of sleep. I plan to sleep at a normal hour tonight.
No caffeine seems to let me take a hit to my sleep and still be alright.
5:00pm
Day 6, no caffeine 5pm. Productive, not sleepy despite only getting 5 and a half hours sleep. Not irritable. Generally chill. Neat.
8:44pm
No caffeine, day 6, 8:44pm. I’m tired and will go to bed at a normal hour. I’m a healthy kind of tired. I can fall asleep, but I can also clean up the bathroom (I have the energy for both, simultaneously).
August 31, 2018 (Friday, Today)
No caffeine, day 7. Sleep last night was easy once I put my phone down at around 10:30pm (no insomnia-like symptoms). I slept like a baby. I woke up at 8:30am from my alarm, after 9 hours of catch up sleep.
I’m already cleaning up and preparing my day (after having been up for only 6 minutes).
Conclusion
Today isn’t quite over, but I had a good night’s sleep last night, and I anticipate my first great caffeine-free day since starting this challenge. I feel clear headed, I have no craving for caffeine this morning. I ate some bananas to hold me over until I eat a big lunch. I started work early (I usually start at 10am, but today I started at around 9:15am. I am taking a short break to compile this blog post).
Looking back on the week, I remember how unmotivated and ill I felt last weekend. I got nothing done. I didn’t even play video games. I honestly wanted to do nothing.
As we get to the end of this week, you can see from my logs, I was able to focus again, I am sleeping better, and my overall mood is high. I feel great, actually!
I anticipate this weekend not being like the last, and that I’ll actually get a lot of things done and in order. We’ll see (keep an eye out for future logs).
I recommend giving up caffeine. 10/10
Another log I want to do is upon completing a checklist of health and self care related items each day. Keep an eye open for that, too!
