About a week and a half ago, as I went through my workout at Northwestern Hospital’s gym, I noticed my heart beating harder than normal, even hard enough to see through my shirt. I sat there and thought, am I about to die?
At first, I brushed it off because I had been working out, but then I realized that lately I had been noticeably jittery and it had been almost impossible to get out of bed in the morning. So, I did some research and found the problem.
I had been consuming anywhere between 390 milligrams and 550 milligrams of caffeine daily for most of November until the end of the first semester. From all the coffee I drank before school, Bubblers and pieces of Neurogum I had during school, and Red Bulls or pre-workout I had after school, I was pushing the cap set by the FDA of 400 milligrams every day.
According to the FDA, once you get up to around that limit, you will start to notice an increase in heart rate, disturbance in sleep patterns, and restlessness (jitters). These were all symptoms I felt, which was reason for me to be concerned. I was addicted.
Having caffeine every day isn’t a problem. But, to the extent that I was having it, it was, and had, the potential to be much worse if I didn’t stop. I was part of the 22.2% of teens in the United States who are caffeine-dependent in a way that was impacting their health.
Like quitting any habit, it was, and still is, hard. But, I began to notice some success in doing so. I started by cutting out the excessive stuff that was just flat-out unnecessary. The Neurogum during school and the Red Bulls after school were the first to go, and I noticed the difference almost immediately. I was much more tired during the school day than normal. I was at the point where keeping my eyes open beyond the sixth period was a struggle.
One of the hardest things about quitting a habit is the withdrawal you have. According to the National Library of Medicine, withdrawal is the reason why 65% to 70% of people who aim to quit any substance end up relapsing.
The consequences of quitting caffeine are much less significant than those of other substances which is why, when people do revert to their old habits of depending on caffeine, they aren’t as motivated to quit. This is what makes it so difficult. Such a small issue that causes such small problems in the present may end up laying the foundation for larger consequences in the future.
However, there are ways to beat the withdrawal. Here are some small changes that could be made, and an example of how I accomplished them:
- Start small
I didn’t just go from 500 milligrams a day to zero. I slowly removed caffeine from my day one item at a time, starting with my Neurogum, which only accounted for 8% of my daily intake. Once I didn’t notice its absence anymore, I moved to bigger components.
- Give it time
I knew I couldn’t just stop consuming caffeine and be fine. Taking off each component of my intake took longer to overcome the withdrawal. I’m currently still at the point where I’m half asleep by the eighth period. But, as I write this right now, I’ve cut over 50% of my caffeine intake from before, and just that has taken months.
- See the triggers
This one is the most important. Identify what it is that makes you crave what you are quitting, and try to avoid these triggers. Cutting caffeine from my life has left me tired all the time. The number one energy stimulant is caffeine. Rather than drinking a Red Bull, I try to get more sleep at night to prevent excessive exhaustion during the day.
Today, I am steady at only having 200 milligrams of caffeine a day. Am I still tired often? Yes. But do I feel much better knowing that I can’t see my heartbeat from outside of my shirt? Absolutely.
