My caffeine detox: what happened 14 days later

Let’s just say my latte isn’t going anywhere.

"Don't talk to me until I've had my coffee" — Me, probably. | Photo from Pexels.com

I can say for sure I’m not alone who treats coffee as their best friend. As a college student, a cup or two (or three, really) of coffee can get me through an all-nighter, or simply give me that zing of energy for my 7AM classes. Let’s face it: we’ve all been there. However, although the pandemic has given me a chance to attend classes and do my work at the comfort of my home, I still found myself consuming two to three (sometimes four) cups of coffee per day…and, honestly, for no apparent reason. Even on weekends when I literally just slouch around the house and scroll over three apps on my phone, I’d still drown myself in coffee.

Even if coffee gave me energy, I can’t deny it also caused problems for me. A little search over at Mayo Clinic’s website showed how caffeine can affect people negatively. So, I stopped drinking anything with caffeine for 14 days—from December 27, 2020 to January 9, 2021—to see how my body would react. And I saw some pretty interesting things:

1. Better sleep

This is probably the most noticeable benefit when I did this experiment. When I stopped drinking coffee, my sleep interruptions stopped, giving me at least 7 hours of z's per night! I also know my sleep is great because during this period, I can have between 3 to 5 dreams per night (though, my dreams probably deserve a separate blog on its own, to be honest, so watch out for that).

2. More acceptable body clock

Back then, I’d sleep at around 4 or 5 AM until 12 or 1 PM. Now, I’m asleep around 10 PM and awake around 6 or 7 AM!

3. Less frequent urination

I think it’s a known fact that caffeine is a diuretic (a substance that can make you pee a lot). So I observed I didn’t have to go to the restroom as much during my 2 weeks sans coffee.

4. Better mood

I felt more positive during the two weeks without coffee. Although my grumpiness didn’t stop (more on that later), I was more than willing to talk to other people and do some tasks even if things aren’t going the way they supposed to.

5. Better Throat Health

Last but not the least, this is probably the benefit I am most thankful for! My throat health has improved! As a person with allergic rhinitis, I’d usually get a sniffle or a cough here and there and my throat would always feel dry no matter how many gallons of water I drink. In the two weeks, I felt my throat needed significantly less water and it didn’t have that dry or sore feeling, especially in the morning.

With all the good things, here are the not-so-good things:

1. Worse Headaches

Migraines and tension-type headaches are second nature to me. Although they don’t happen every day, I’ve accepted them as something normal for my body—especially when I’m stressed (my academics said hello, by the way). Going without coffee didn’t increase the number of headaches but they felt a lot worse! If my typical headaches were at a 3, they were now at a 7.

2. More Sleepy

Going without coffee may have given me a good night’s sleep but my eyes already feel heavy at around 3 in the afternoon! I had to take one-hour naps because of that which, to be honest, isn’t really a bad thing but it’s worth noting.

3. Less Motivated

In the entire 14 days, I just wanted to sleep or lie down. I didn’t want to leave my bed nor do anything productive because I kinda felt I can’t. I’m too demotivated to do anything. Unfortunately, it might appear now that caffeine gives me that ~zing~ I always needed.

4. Less Attention To Stuff

When cravings hit, my already-short attention span was really doomed. There were a lot of times within that 14-day period when I almost stopped the experiment because I craved coffee so much. It took everything in me not to reach for a cup. That affected my attention very much. Instead of focusing on what I’m doing (e.g watching a film or in a meeting), I’m too focused on keeping my cravings at bay.

5. More Irritable

Lastly, although I had better mood, I still feel irritated in most days. Like, I’m so irritated at even the small things in our house or on social media or even on people I’m talking to. There’s this common thing where you shouldn’t talk to a person unless they’ve had their first sip of coffee and that’s very true for me. Going without coffee didn’t help that at all.

So, in conclusion, I won’t be removing coffee in my life. If there’s anything this experiment has taught me about myself, it’s that, yes, I’m dependent on coffee; yes, I might be addicted to coffee; but, I need coffee to function. The most logical thing to do now is to cut back on coffee. If I can drink two to three cups of coffee per day before, I’m now limiting it to one. Just one.

Will I do this again? Definitely.

Will I suggest you do this? Sure, if you want to.

Was this experiment worth it? Heck yes!

Have you tried doing a caffeine detox? Are you now considering it? Let me know in the comments below!

Author’s note: The claims in this post are anecdotal in nature. Do not take this as substitute to medical advice. The author is not a medical professional and cannot guarantee the same effects for everyone. Please do further research before doing the aforementioned experiment and seek medical attention as needed.