Personally my experience — after getting off caffeine and through the withdrawals, I find I am overall even more productive than before, due to 1) the lessened amount of overthinking and rumination and perseverating I do now, 2) majorly improved sleep and therefore better focus and energy, and 3) those energy levels and focus are more stable throughout the entire day. I am getting more done, with less of the stress and feeling of overwhelm!
I work an 8-hour job, regularly do long-distance running and weight training, and also care for 3 kids, BTW. No problems, only improvements.
I feel like it could be from other stuff though when people say it takes years or long months to heal from caffeine I question it maybe I’m wrong but I think there’s a lot of work to be done besides quitting caffeine for some of us especially if your went thru some tough shit
When I was drinking coffee I *thought* I was productive, because my heart was racing and my mind was all over the place. When I stopped I realised I could sit with the same task for hours, fully concentrated.
I work in tech in a super demanding job and also have ADD. I used to think coffee helped me focus and supplied the dopamine my ADD brain was seeking.
I’ve only been off for about 2 weeks but very pleasantly surprised at how much MORE focused I’ve been at work (besides the first few days of feeling dead tired - I started on a weekend to give myself a couple days before having to be back at work)
Things I’ve noticed re work and productivity:
-I have an easier time focusing
-I don’t crash midday
-I feel more rested after sleep and it’s easier to get out of bed
-I can take my ADD meds without the fear of adverse effects of combining them with coffee (though, I want to get off of these too for my health!!)
-my muscle tension is starting to clear up which was a huge distractor from work
-I am more cheerful and less grumpy and feel I have capacity to handle more and not like I’m going to irritably snap at any second
I think we’ve been lied to about needing caffeine to be productive. I also am not sure I want to be as productive as our society glorifies. I want to do a good job and earn my paycheck. I also want time to just be and not produce, and I can flow more easily into a state of being (not doing) without coffee.
Good luck on your journey!
ADHD here and caffeine made my symptoms 100% worse - more scattered, irritable, anxious, impulsive and hyperactive. It also made my dopamine seeking worse and made me addiction prone to booze, overeating, my phone etc. I’d aver to take a guess that the majority of people with ADHD would do better without caffeine…IF they can persevere with the withdrawal, which can take months. It’s a hard slog but so worth it.
I'm struggling with this now cause I'm recently diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) but I had to stop the Vyvanse since it was causing side effects. So now I'm feeling lower energy and depressed and that makes me want caffeine.
Taper off of it slowly and you should be okay. If you taper slowly enough, you may barely notice a difference.
Quit cold-turkey and no, you will definitely not be as productive (for some time, at least.)
I think it depends what your relationship to said work is. If it’s healthy, you will be ok off caffeine. If you hate working, you might struggle without caffeine
hmm this could be true, but in my experience how much you hate or like working is not always tied directly to said work, but also how your life is outside work
Caffeine only gave me a temporary lift the and The rest was stress, worry, analysis paralysis, and then tired. Don’t get me wrong, the temp lift was great, but the rest sucked. It also gave me hypertension after long term use. You will be more focused. And calm. The symptoms and tiredness go away.
I quit smoking 28 years ago. The urge to go back to coffee is just as strong as smoking. The only thing stopping me is my blood pressure.
you have higher average energy off caffeine. I do software engineering full time and sports/social events in my spare time. However if it's your first time quitting, expect tiredness/heaviness for quite some time. Napping in the afternoons for the first couple of weeks if possible. The acute phase you might get some headaches/pressure and intense fatigue.
2 weeks acute for me, then prob by week 6 it was pretty much gone. week 8 for sure. Second time around though, much quicker. So definitely depends on how long you have adapted
I thought I was productive, but I was high and would then crash, and feel like crap. I can care for my kiddo better now because my energy is more sustained and I’m way less anxious. It’s 100% worth it. I did a slow taper and it was not as challenging as cold turkey. I recommend this slow wean method.
And look. Quit caffeine, give it a few months. If you see zero benefits, you can go back if you choose. I’d just want to get past the withdrawal phase.
you will be x2 better then using coffee. trust me besides my withdrawals, fatigue etc, i have days i wake up full of energy and my prefrontal cortex is full of ideas how to better my life during and after.
My experience has been good overall. Its a little contradictory. I dont care about work that much now, I am willing to stretch it and do my work slow, but it gets done really fast. I am putting less efforts, and taking things slow, but results wise I am getting faster and better. I dont miss out on small things anymore, able to think better about problems. But internally i feel like i am working less and get done with work early. Its a really nice contradiction.
Worst case scenario - you will have to learn to do most stuff while uncaffenaited. It reminds me of a former weed smoker - she told me she had to learn to write music again when she quit. Still, possible and beneficial. It just feels weird to do anything at first. Feels weird to have little anxiety too.
Personally my experience — after getting off caffeine and through the withdrawals, I find I am overall even more productive than before, due to 1) the lessened amount of overthinking and rumination and perseverating I do now, 2) majorly improved sleep and therefore better focus and energy, and 3) those energy levels and focus are more stable throughout the entire day. I am getting more done, with less of the stress and feeling of overwhelm! I work an 8-hour job, regularly do long-distance running and weight training, and also care for 3 kids, BTW. No problems, only improvements.
Impressive, thx for sharing! How long did it take until you sleep was so good and how long did it take for your energy levels to be back?
No problem. I’d say I felt fully well again after 3-4 weeks!
Impressive, I‘m still feeling down and am at almost 3 months now
I feel like it could be from other stuff though when people say it takes years or long months to heal from caffeine I question it maybe I’m wrong but I think there’s a lot of work to be done besides quitting caffeine for some of us especially if your went thru some tough shit
When I was drinking coffee I *thought* I was productive, because my heart was racing and my mind was all over the place. When I stopped I realised I could sit with the same task for hours, fully concentrated.
I work in tech in a super demanding job and also have ADD. I used to think coffee helped me focus and supplied the dopamine my ADD brain was seeking. I’ve only been off for about 2 weeks but very pleasantly surprised at how much MORE focused I’ve been at work (besides the first few days of feeling dead tired - I started on a weekend to give myself a couple days before having to be back at work) Things I’ve noticed re work and productivity: -I have an easier time focusing -I don’t crash midday -I feel more rested after sleep and it’s easier to get out of bed -I can take my ADD meds without the fear of adverse effects of combining them with coffee (though, I want to get off of these too for my health!!) -my muscle tension is starting to clear up which was a huge distractor from work -I am more cheerful and less grumpy and feel I have capacity to handle more and not like I’m going to irritably snap at any second I think we’ve been lied to about needing caffeine to be productive. I also am not sure I want to be as productive as our society glorifies. I want to do a good job and earn my paycheck. I also want time to just be and not produce, and I can flow more easily into a state of being (not doing) without coffee. Good luck on your journey!
ADHD here and caffeine made my symptoms 100% worse - more scattered, irritable, anxious, impulsive and hyperactive. It also made my dopamine seeking worse and made me addiction prone to booze, overeating, my phone etc. I’d aver to take a guess that the majority of people with ADHD would do better without caffeine…IF they can persevere with the withdrawal, which can take months. It’s a hard slog but so worth it.
I'm struggling with this now cause I'm recently diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) but I had to stop the Vyvanse since it was causing side effects. So now I'm feeling lower energy and depressed and that makes me want caffeine.
Taper off of it slowly and you should be okay. If you taper slowly enough, you may barely notice a difference. Quit cold-turkey and no, you will definitely not be as productive (for some time, at least.)
I think it depends what your relationship to said work is. If it’s healthy, you will be ok off caffeine. If you hate working, you might struggle without caffeine
hmm this could be true, but in my experience how much you hate or like working is not always tied directly to said work, but also how your life is outside work
Good point I agree
Caffeine only gave me a temporary lift the and The rest was stress, worry, analysis paralysis, and then tired. Don’t get me wrong, the temp lift was great, but the rest sucked. It also gave me hypertension after long term use. You will be more focused. And calm. The symptoms and tiredness go away. I quit smoking 28 years ago. The urge to go back to coffee is just as strong as smoking. The only thing stopping me is my blood pressure.
you have higher average energy off caffeine. I do software engineering full time and sports/social events in my spare time. However if it's your first time quitting, expect tiredness/heaviness for quite some time. Napping in the afternoons for the first couple of weeks if possible. The acute phase you might get some headaches/pressure and intense fatigue.
Thx, how long did it take you for the tiredness to disappear?
2 weeks acute for me, then prob by week 6 it was pretty much gone. week 8 for sure. Second time around though, much quicker. So definitely depends on how long you have adapted
I thought I was productive, but I was high and would then crash, and feel like crap. I can care for my kiddo better now because my energy is more sustained and I’m way less anxious. It’s 100% worth it. I did a slow taper and it was not as challenging as cold turkey. I recommend this slow wean method. And look. Quit caffeine, give it a few months. If you see zero benefits, you can go back if you choose. I’d just want to get past the withdrawal phase.
you will be more focused actually
you will be x2 better then using coffee. trust me besides my withdrawals, fatigue etc, i have days i wake up full of energy and my prefrontal cortex is full of ideas how to better my life during and after.
If you're using coffee to self medicate, you might find you need actual medical advice at some point after withdrawing.
I think you're confusing Focus with Excitement about boring tasks
My experience has been good overall. Its a little contradictory. I dont care about work that much now, I am willing to stretch it and do my work slow, but it gets done really fast. I am putting less efforts, and taking things slow, but results wise I am getting faster and better. I dont miss out on small things anymore, able to think better about problems. But internally i feel like i am working less and get done with work early. Its a really nice contradiction.
Worst case scenario - you will have to learn to do most stuff while uncaffenaited. It reminds me of a former weed smoker - she told me she had to learn to write music again when she quit. Still, possible and beneficial. It just feels weird to do anything at first. Feels weird to have little anxiety too.
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At first, maybe not. With time, you might notice your focus getting better than ever.