By building tolerance and genetics.
If only there was a short-acting stimulant and antidote available as a combo..
“We buy drugs” whitest kids u know : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I2AQ6FwpSrc
Anyways, in all seriousness the idea of taking something and then taking something else later to counteract the effects, not good but popular in black, gray, and white market.
I think this weekend I’ll give up caffeine, I’m a slow metabolizer.
Anyway, I gave up caffeine earlier this year and am quite happy with the results. Steady and calm energy, no frantic meandering of thoughts, no clinging to details anymore. Once every few weeks I'm craving the euphoric buzz and drink half an Espresso, but typically regret it later the same day as I'm unable to sleep and, interestingly, tend to wake up in the middle of the night for a couple of days after.
I know that energy drinks use taurine to combat some of the effects of caffeine, but I don't think it will work for sleep.
If you're that worried about sleep quality, it's baffling you have not tried cutting out caffeine altogether
However, if I have caffeine too early in the day, it makes it harder to clear my mind and sleep that night than if I had no caffeine at all.
For this reason, I aim to only have caffeine after 3pm (preferably later, depending on when I plan to go to bed).
You'd be surprised how many binge on coffee out of habit without giving a thought to how it might impact their sleep, same how many smokers still smoke despite breathing difficulties and the cigarette packages telling you in bold letters they'll give you cancer and make your willy stop working.
Vices are a tricky thing and the human brain is complex yet very susceptible to addiction and self harming bad habits.
This is a myth. Coffee has water in it. Just drink enough water from all sources.
I came across it most recently in Tom Brady's athletic health book [0]. If I remember correctly, he states that you should drink double the amount of coffee consumed to offset the dehydration effects of coffee. This is simply to emphasize the ubiquitous nature of the myth, as he is someone who has presumably been surrounded by medical professionals for most of his athletic career, and who should have known better if what you say is correct. He singles out proper hydration as a major factor in his peak performance, something he claims younger athletes ignore.
[0] https://www.amazon.com/TB12-Method-Lifetime-Sustained-Perfor...
I later tried to cut down or reduce my coffee intake. Most times I always resumed from a combination of missing the enjoyment/routine, flavour, and ability to focus. I finally at least cut out espresso shots, and mostly have a green tea in the morning and a coffee in the afternoon, and sometimes an (orange pekoe/earl gray) tea or a decaf coffee in the early evening.
The primary study that spread the idea that caffeine dehydrates is from a 1928 study with a sample size of three men[0]. It may very well be that caffeine does dehydrate, but I have yet to see overwhelmingly conclusive evidence to make such a claim as matter of fact. For now, I believe it’s safer to err on the side of moderate and regular caffeine consumption not causing dehydration to a perceptible level. This could of course be entirely incorrect, but I haven’t come across research that has convinced me otherwise so far. My understanding is the reason a cup of coffee (or tea’ does not dehydrate the consumer is because it is almost entirely water.
I think an important frying to remember is that science is a field of research and discovery, so we should try to avoid arriving at conclusions and refusing to accept differing opinions. Look at how we treated Ignaz Semmelweis for an extreme example of that type of fallacy.
[0] https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/33/2/167
More studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3886980/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11022872/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21450118/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9194998
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...
After reading the abstracts and skimming some of the studies you linked, I don't personally find the quality of evidence convincing enough to discount what seems to be a commonly reported anecdote about the effects of caffeine.
As an example, the second study makes a glaring statistical error (equating p>0.05 lack of a difference between groups with equivalence of groups) that renders the entire conclusion invalid.
The fourth study (which probably has the best methodology aside from the small sample size) actually did find caffeine has an effect on water retention.
The other studies use various indirect measures of hydration (blood osmolality and urine metabolites) where it is unclear if sub-clincical diuresis would actually impact these measures.
Probably because it’s the first thing which comes up when people complain about poor sleep.
Caffeine consumption is certainly the first thing every doc I’ve seen asked about.
You don't have to give up the taste or the ritual to cut back on the caffeine, you don't even have to give up caffeine totally. You can cut down a lot on it too.
Wow, I had never heard of this before. The chemical process for decaf had always put me off before.
From their website: [0]
> When you see the Swiss Water® name, it means your favorite roaster offers 100% chemical-free decaffeinated coffee.
You may have just convinced me to switch to decaf...
For reference for anyone interested, I used a Mochamaster filter brewer with these beans (which I freshly grind - which probably helps the taste too):
Lavazza Decaffeinated, 100% Arabica Medium Roast
This is exciting to me as I can finally wean myself off caffeine while keeping my {difficult to kick} coffee habit!
I gave up caffeine on a lark during lockdowns. Man, great decision. I've never slept better and my anxiety went way down too. I'd had no idea what that stimulant happened to be doing to my system.
I had been tapering down my caffeine consumption too, but going cold turkey had a major difference for me.
I'll caution that 3 days of pretty intense headaches were the cost, but for me, the benefits were immense.
I still go through a coffee ritual-thingy in the mornings with teas, so that is still nice to have.
Others in my family have tried this, but saw no real benefits, so went back on coffee. Your mileage may vary too. Still, I think it's worth a shot if you're having sleeping issues.
Black tea and green tea, like Earl Gray or Matcha, yes they have caffeine.
Chamomile or tea of an other non-caffeinated plant boiled in water, no.
After that, I slept much better. I could finally fall asleep, it wouldn't take me an hour to nod off. I stayed asleep, I wasn't getting up 2-3 times a night. My anxiety, which I then found out contributed to my sleep problems, that pretty much went away. I used to plan and replan scenarios in my head, come up with pithy quips to conversations that would never happen, fear saying or doing the wrong thing in imaginary conundrums.
It all just disappeared after I quit caffeine. I felt 'normal' for the first time in decades. I woke up having the best night of sleep in my memory. And then it happened the next morning, and the next.
Currently, I don;t sleep all that well, but a new baby is the culprit. I can't imagine having a newborn and being on caffeine again, my anxiety would spiral out of control. I'd be a mess for my kid, projecting things, being a jerk.
One of the best little random challenges I ever gave myself.
I drink one 10oz cup a day. Occasionally more but rarely. I do love it.
Knowing that everyone’s physiology is different, I wonder if I would generally see notable gains in quitting 1 cup a day.
I find that the people who say quitting made a difference were often drinking a pot a day. But maybe that is not true for you?
I was a regular espresso drinker, one in the morning with my wife before work and giving it up has made a world of difference. Even a coffee at 7am was impacting my sleep, I suspect I just metabolise caffeine slowly.
I can still have a tea in the morning to replace the ritual, and chocolate doesn't cause me any issues (in moderation) so I'm not 100% caffeine free, but it's made a huge difference to my sleep quality and overall mood. The first week or so felt very sluggish, but one I was sleeping properly I now feel more alert and productive without coffee than I ever did with it.
I still have one occasionally (~2 a month I guess) because I enjoy it, but I definitely notice the sleep impact that night and feel crap the next day.
I’m a fast metabolizer. I can drink coffee very late and don’t feel anything. A friend of mine stops drinking coffee after 1pm because he won’t sleep otherwise.
While I love a good coffee, the sleep cycle mess it causes isn’t worth it for me except very occasionally - this also means there is no tolerance build up. I drink on average one cup of cappuccino every 1-2 weeks, and seek out the good stuff to make it worth it. You really notice the effects too this way vs drinking it daily.