Surprising benefits of quitting coffee that nobody is talking about?! *gasp* I know. It sounds dramatic, but honestly I haven’t seen anything that accurately reflects how much better I feel after quitting coffee.
Largely it feels like a super power, not gonna lie. You’re no longer dependent on a drink to wake you up in the morning, and while I love the smell of coffee, it’s no longer an everyday staple for me.
| What You're Looking For |
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| My Story |
| Coffee Withdrawal Symptoms |
| Coffee Fast Facts |
| Benefits of Quitting Coffee |
| Tips to Quit Coffee |
My Story
Now I never planned to quit coffee entirely. I had reduced my coffee consumption to one cup a day because of some reflux issues, but I never really intended to go cold turkey. It was only after 3 days of waking up feeling like I was a zombie that I realized the coffee I’d been using was decaf. DECAF. I couldn’t believe it.. After a good laugh I realized I’d been unintentionally detoxing from caffeine for a few days!
Would I have done it if I knew? Probably not, but after going a few days without coffee I wanted to see it through and see if there was any truth to what people were saying about living sans coffee. After over a month without it, I can definitely say that I feel a lot better throughout the day, have more energy, and have an easier time staying awake.
Withdrawal Symptoms from Quitting Coffee
Like any drug, the amount and severity of withdrawal symptoms will depend on how much you use it. As someone who regularly had 1-2 cups of coffee a day, the only symptoms I experienced were *extreme* fatigue and the occasional headache.
General symptoms include:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea
- Muscle pain
I’m not a doctor, so if you’re looking for a more in depth background on this, check this out.
Coffee Fast Facts
Benefits of Quitting Coffee
Better sleep
Easily the best thing about quitting coffee is sleep. You might be getting a decent length of sleep while drinking coffee, but in general, it's lighter and more disrupted.
I’ve found myself to be getting a lot more deep sleep, and waking up less throughout the night. I use the app AutoSleep on my Apple Watch, and the stats are so interesting to look at!
This screenshots belowgive an overview of my sleep for the end of December. The rings give you an overview of how you slept to indicate length of time asleep, amount of deep sleep etc.
As you can see - there's a lot of red, and I had been having some pretty mediocre quality sleep.
There was a glitch and I lost some data from the first week of January, but the 9th was the first day I accidentally drank decaf coffee. The 10th was rough.
But in general, when you compare December to January, it's better! That's about as strong of an argument I can come up with.
Save Ca$h Money
Have you ever sat down and calculated the amount of money you spend on coffee a week? Let alone a year?
Studies show that the average American spends over $1,100 a year on coffee - that's nearly $100 a week.
If the health benefits don’t lure you in, your wallet will!
Less bloating
Have you ever found yourself with a little bit of an upset stomach after a cup of coffee? It turns out it can be a side effect for some people who have a sensitive stomach. Since coffee stimulates the digestive tract (and can keep you… uh.. regular) depending on what you’ve been eating, it can sometimes cause bloating.
After I stopped drinking coffee that was definitely near the top of my list of benefits!
More energy
What makes you feel sleepy is something called adenosine which binds to adenosine receptors. The way coffee works is it binds to these receptors, blocking the adenosine from binding making you feel awake and alert for a few hours.
Depending on how I spaced out my coffees, I would either crash at around 1, or 6. Neither were ideal, and I was always left wondering why I was so much more tired after having a coffee (if someone can answer this please let me know!!).
This sounds super counterintuitive, but after I quit coffee I had fewer afternoon crashes, and more consistent energy levels throughout the day.
Less anxiety
Caffeine increases your heart rate, which can make your body feel more amped up and anxious. If you’re prone to anxiety, you probably already know what coffee is doing to you, but I’m here to report that you can absolutely cut out coffee and be an *awake* functioning member of society.
Tips On How to Quit Coffee
Slowly taper yourself off
If you drink a lot of coffee, don’t quit cold turkey. Instead, slowly reduce the amount you drink each day until you’re able to remove it completely.
If you’re a super heavy coffee drinker, the withdrawal symptoms are something to consider when deciding how you’re going to cut out caffeine. I only had one or two a day when I stopped, and I only felt exhaustion (and maybe a few headaches). Some family members who drank upwards of 3-4 a day felt like they were sick and had body aches (less-than-deal symptoms in a covid era lol). Consider what will work best for you!
Start on a week you don’t have much work to do
You're going to be exhausted, like very exhausted. The only way to beat it is to stay up and move around. The moment you go horizontal it’s game over. Done. You will fall asleep immediately. Because you’ll be so tired, don’t make the mistake of starting it the day before a big presentation! Your mind will be mush. Try to time it so you start on a weekend so you have at least a few days to lie around and be useless without it impacting your work too much.
Go to sleep early
You know how you normally resist the urge to go to sleep early? Don’t do that! Going to sleep early will help your body adjust to getting a good night’s sleep, and waking up earlier in the morning. This is your body’s natural circadian rhythm, and it will help your body know the routine so you get enough deep- and REM sleep.
Keep a schedule
It’s going to be so tempting to take a nap (or two), but trust me it’ll ruin your sleep. It will be so much harder to fall asleep, and you’ll be tired the next morning - and probably want a coffee. Then comes the vicious cycle of being tired when you wake up, napping, followed by not being able to get a good night's sleep. Resist the urge to nap, and instead go for a walk to perk yourself up. I’ve found that staying vertical in well lit areas is the best plan of action.
Become a tea drinker
I’m a notorious coffee drinker, and also a lifelong tea hater. I’ve been forced to change my habits since quitting coffee, and I’m here to report that it is not the worst - I’m actually starting to enjoy it. It takes a little more effort than pressing the button on my coffee maker in the morning, but I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve been having black tea so that I still have a little caffeine in my day, but it’s at a level that doesn't cause the side effects that come from the standard dose in a coffee.
Especially when you’re trying to quit or reduce your caffeine intake, having a hot cup of tea can replace that need for a coffee.
I have become obsessed with chai tea - it tastes and smells like a treat! It has a little caffeine to give you a boost, but won't wire the same way as coffee would.
Make life easier by getting a tea thermos! I tend to be more diligent with a new routine if I have the right (or fun) equipment for it. With a new thermos for your tea, you'll be sure to be more excited about it, rather than focusing on missing coffee.
Drink water
Some lesser known effects of dehydration are fatigue, and I’d argue when we’re feeling tired it could be playing a larger role than caffeine. Not drinking enough water is something we’re all guilty of from time to time, but it makes a huge difference! Even if you aren’t feeling thirsty, keep a water bottle on your desk to stay hydrated throughout the day. Once your body is used to a higher water intake, your body will start to crave it more, and you’ll find yourself reaching for it more than you thought.
The classic Stanley mug is a great option since it holds so much! You won't have to worry about getting up to refill it.
Should You Quit Coffee?
Do I truly believe you're going to read this, be converted, and put down your coffee mug forever? Heck no. Giving up coffee might not be realistic for you! You might work night shifts or have a job where you need to be on high alert and can't afford the few days of coming down off your coffee addiction.
All this to say, if you can't cut it out, cut it down! All the benefits from above will still apply if you reduce your coffee intake.
I'm not saying I would never have a cup of coffee again, but right now I'm happy eliminating it and taking a break!
How much coffee do you drink? Comment below your experience!
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