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Old 03-25-2019, 09:38 AM   #3361 (permalink)
Zingston
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JLarson View Post
I'm taking a more clinical approach to observing my caffeine withdrawal this time around, so a couple observations.

1. I did not quit cold turkey, but slowly weaned myself down over time. 1 week in at this point.
2. Symptoms so far have included grogginess and lethargy, as well as some headaches, most notably during day 2 last week. These I expected. As of day 3, the headache was gone.
3. Unexpected was the fact that around day 3, I started having a bit of difficulty sleeping. From day 4 to day 6, my Fitbit also noted a decrease in time spent in deep sleep. According to what I've been reading, that is a definite possibility in some cases - the body becomes very accustomed to caffeine and reacts strangely when deprived.
4. Last night, the trend reversed, and I spent 26% of my night in deep sleep, more than I've managed in the last 2 years (most of my nights are about 10% or less, one of the big reasons I'm stopping my caffeine intake).
5. I still get a bit groggy around 2 pm each day, and it does last for about an hour. Physical activity helps ease this (but unfortunately I worked a desk job).
6. Generally, I do feel more alert and spend less time stuck between feeling hyperactive and crashing. Things are at more of a steady even keel.
7. Hands have stopped shaking, muscles have stopped twitching. Expected this, but glad.
8. Thought process is less disrupted and better focused.

It's not all rosy. I miss my cups of coffee in the morning, and knowing that when the grogginess/lethargy sets in all I'd have to do is drink a cup of coffee - well, it's very tempting. But I'll stick it out and see what happens.
This concludes my update.

Regarding #5: I've altered my ingestion habits and now typically eat one meal a day. I still drink coffee in the morning and sometimes a piece of fruit, but after that, don't usually eat until dinner. Some call it intermittent fasting. It works wonders for me on a number of levels, including the 2 p.m. tired wave. It's not for everyone, but works great for me.
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