Coffee is probably one of the most amazing beverages the aroma, taste, color, everything about coffee is just amazing. So why did I quit it?
I used to be a person who relies on coffee every day, right from waking up in the morning and working late nights, I drink around 3 cups of coffee each day. Lately, I realized I was too much reliant on coffee not only as a snack but also to be productive, like every time I feel tired or If I am staying up late I'd grab a cup. Coffee is delicious it makes me feel awake and good but knowing I relied too much on it pissed me off.
Before I share my experience of quitting it let's see what happens internally when we drink coffee.
What does coffee do to our body
Coffee contains caffeine which acts as a stimulant to the nervous system. When caffeine reaches your brain, the first thing you notice is alertness. You'll feel more awake and less tired. To understand how this happens let's see about another chemical in our body called adenosine.
Adenosine is a chemical that promotes sleep. Caffeine blocks Adenosine, that's why we feel more awake when we drink coffee. It also increases Dopamine levels making us feel good and happy.
How I did it
Firstly, I tried quitting coffee 2 times before this attempt and ended up going back to it. So this time I did a little research before starting and I found out two ways of quitting. One is by going cold turkey meaning you just stop doing it right away, and another way is slowly reducing the amount of coffee you drink day by day or week by week, and eventually, after a few weeks or months, you can completely get rid of it.
And I also saw on the internet where people are doing these kinds of things like a 30-day challenge, where the idea is to stick to whatever you trying to do for the next 30 days alone, rather than trying to do that forever right away. It kinda made sense, as thinking of doing something for the next 30 days seems easier than doing it every single day. Also after that 30 days, the chances of making it a habit are much higher.
For me, the 30 days challenge seemed to be interesting so, I did a 30-day challenge on quitting coffee.
My experience on Quitting Coffee
The first few days were the most difficult ones as the urge to drink coffee was so high than ever. And also my parents were regular coffee drinkers making it even difficult for me. In the beginning, there was some tiredness, headache and, importantly there was this feeling of missing something in the day. All these symptoms were there on and off for the first week.
It was after 10 days when all withdrawal symptoms went away. The tiredness disappeared, my sleep got better, and best of all, my productivity started to improve. After 30 days I was able to get rid of coffee completely and I don't even think about coffee.
After all, just knowing that I don't rely on coffee for my productivity, makes me feel better.
If you want to try quitting coffee, my tip for you is to be prepared to face the fatigue.