Ask HN: stopping caffeine
So, I stopped drinking coffee for two days and I'm sleeping 10 hours per night. I used to wake up naturally after about 7 hours of sleep. Anyone else had this when they stopped? (I used to drink more than 1L per day)
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I would definitely have a headache after stopping that much caffeine.
For me, when I've quit in the past, I tried variously ginger squash, herbal teas and just water (hot or cold).
I tend to drink more caffeine drinks when I'm bored as a break from work and because they are available.
(My ex was career military. When he was a trainer at NTC, the part-timers would show up and drink soda all day and alcohol at night, which didn't help their bodies adjust to/cope with being 3000 feet above see level in a hot, dry climate. Lots of folks ended up in the ER for dehydration and heat exhaustion.)
I quit caffeine a year ago and I went through the same symptoms. I slept for 10 hours a night for 3 or 4 days and then my sleep cycle went back to normal.
After quitting, I realized that it amplified my anxiety levels in many social situations. It also put me in sort of a strange state-of-mind where my emotions seemed dull (I'm comparing now to then). In a way, it made me more of a compliant person.
I also can remember my dreams almost 3 or 4 times a week when I'm using not caffeine. I still drink it once in a long while, but it doesn't really start up the cycle anymore (I don't keep drinking coffee or pop on a regular basis).
http://projectb14ck.org/how-to-reset-your-sleep-schedule-ser...
This was posted a while back. I found it a very interesting approach.
Good luck.