I love coffee; in fact, if someone told me a year ago that I would take a break from coffee for an indefinite amount of time, I would have told them they were crazy.
But here we are. At the time that I am writing this, I have not had a cup of coffee for two months (insert shocked face here). While I would never say that I am giving up coffee forever, I have decided to take a break from drinking it.
Here’s Why I Decided to Take a Break from Coffee
My body had become too dependent on it. I am one of those natural weirdo’s who does not like to think about having a dependency on anything. So, for me, the fact that I needed coffee to function signaled that it was time for a break.
I am a very calm and even-keeled person, but I started to notice that in the afternoons, I would get a bit jittery and anxious.
My go-to was to grab an afternoon cup of coffee. My usual morning cup of coffee turned into an afternoon coffee to pick me up after lunch, and then the occasional evening coffee to prepare me for my hour plus drive home.
As you can see, I was drinking way too much coffee. Which pushed me to the decision that it was time to take a break.
Why This Might Be An Issue
Coffee is a stimulant which means it can affect our central nervous system. What this results in a raised level of cortisol (the stress hormone).
While the taste is fantastic, the problem with this is that drinking coffee at 4:30 pm on a Tuesday is not good for your circadian rhythm. Drinking coffee late in the day and overly stimulating your central nervous system can affect your sleep pattern.
After time, I noticed that I had a tough time falling asleep at night, and if I fell asleep, staying sleep was an issue. It took awhile to realize that it was because of my high level of coffee consumption, because for years I drank coffee in the afternoons, and it did not bother me.
I always believed that coffee was more beneficial than harmful due to it being rich in antioxidants. This belief made it hard for me to accept that it might be time for coffee and me to take a break from each other.
Taking a Break
It’s not you, coffee, it’s me. After realizing that one of my favorite things was causing some not so great side effects like being unable to get a full night of rest and feeling unable to function without it; I started my break. This was not easy, because how does one go from drinking 2 – 3 cups per day down to none?
I did not do it cold turkey. I decided to take the approach of cutting back. For the first week, I got rid of the evening cup of coffee, for week two, I got rid of the after lunch cup, and finally, on week three, I got rid of the morning cup resulting in no coffee at all.
How Did It Feel?
The first couple weeks felt fine. I noticed that I would feel tired earlier in the evenings, but this was not necessarily a bad thing because before I started my coffee detox, I felt wide awake all evening. I found myself falling asleep earlier, and actually being able to sleep throughout the night.
The most significant change I noticed, was that I felt tired in the mornings for the first week or so after giving up coffee. To combat this, I decided to drink more water. In the mornings, I drink warm water with lemons. This seems to help me out a lot, and now that I am two months in, I feel energized and able to function without coffee.
I will not lie, I still love the smell of coffee, and my nose perks up when my coworkers make their morning cup, but so far, I have been on the straight and narrow.
Coffee Alternatives
• Warm lemon water
• Herbal caffeine free teas like chamomile teas
• Decaf coffee if you’re craving the taste, but want to skip the caffeine like the Instant Herbal brand with dandelion
Afternoon Coffee
If you are reading this and trying to decide whether or not to take a break, or you are not planning to take a break from coffee. I highly recommend eliminating the late afternoon/evening cup(s) of coffee to allow your body to settle into its natural circadian rhythm. You will thank yourself when you wake up refreshed in the morning.
Take It One Step at a Time
As I mentioned above, I did not do this cold turkey. If the thought of taking a break from caffeine scares you take it little by little. The approach of eliminating coffee slowly worked well for me, and you do not want to shock your body.
In some cases, coffee withdrawal can cause tiredness and headaches. Easing into your break might help to eliminate some of these unwanted side effects.
If you must have caffeine, try teas like green tea, or matcha tea. Trader Joe’s sells matcha powder that you can use at home to make yourself a cup of tea. These options have far less caffeine than a regular cup of coffee but may help to give you a boost.
When Your Break Is Over
The decision of what to do when your coffee break is over should be entirely up to you. Coffee has some great benefits when consumed in moderation, but, the key is moderation. The same way you eased into taking a break from coffee, should be the same way that you ease back into drinking it.
I am not sure when I will have my next cup of coffee again, but when I do, I will certainly try not to overdo it. I plan to limit myself to no more than one cup of coffee per day.
Drop a comment below, and tell me about why you are taking a break from coffee or have taken breaks in the past.