I Quit Caffeine for 14 Days- Here is what happened

It was no fun.

Coffee. It is probably the most widely consumed drug in the world. Most adults drink several cups of the ‘black gold’ a day.

It has also crept into my life over the last few years. It started with one coffee in the morning, then I started to drink one every now and then to study. My coffee consumption increased more and more until I drank about 4 cups a day. I increasingly felt how I was becoming dependent. I found it more and more difficult to concentrate without coffee.

There are different opinions on how harmful or even healthy coffee is. That’s why I wanted to get my own picture and experience for myself what coffee withdrawal feels like and began my two-week detox.

My self-experiment

Day 1: The start of the day was difficult. For the first time in a while, I had to wake up without the usual kick of caffeine. I coped with a cold shower and moved my work out into the morning to somehow get going. That worked pretty well, so I didn’t feel any adverse effects from withdrawal for the rest of the day.

Day 2: Things got pretty tough now. I got a headache, struggled to concentrate longer than 30 seconds, and felt very exhausted. I felt tired all day long and needed an extended nap to make it through the day.

I didn’t think I was so dependent on caffeine…

Day 3: I did not feel any better. Maybe even worse. It felt like I was walking around with a 10% battery charge.

Day 4:Day 4. Finally, there was an improvement in my situation. My headaches eased a little and I didn’t feel quite as tired.

Day 5–8: The upward trend continued. I felt better every day and it was easier to be productive.

Day 9- 14: From the 9th day on I felt normal again, I would say. I had the feeling that the quality of my sleep had improved. Another positive observation: my teeth became whiter. All the coffee I had consumed had also left its mark on my teeth.

I was really shocked at how addicted I was to caffeine after all. From now on, I will always insert detox phases and deal more consciously with my coffee consumption.

How does caffeine work?

To understand my withdrawal symptoms we need to look at how exactly caffeine works in the brain. Caffeine has a stimulating effect because its structure is very similar to that of adenosine, a chemical messenger produced by the body. Adenosine is responsible for signaling fatigue to the body by influencing the release of invigorating substances such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Caffeine inhibits adenosine by blocking its receptors.

I think of the consumption of caffeine as a loan of energy. You basically borrow energy from your future self.

As fatigue is inhibited, you become more energetic in the short term. Nevertheless, your body is tired and actually needs rest.

However, there are also many health benefits of coffee, which I have described in this article.

Thanks for reading!

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