[helgee]

I have quit caffeine twice in the past few years with the longest abstinence being around one year. Before that I was chugging up to four double espressi per day which I replaced with decaf. The inital withdrawal was brutal with migraine-strength heachaches (including feeling very sensitive to light and nausea) on the first day and milder headaches for another week or two. I noticed small improvements to my sleep, e.g., falling asleep a bit faster, but I am a bad sleeper in general and having a newborn child did not help. The biggest benefit was not being dependent on caffeine and not consuming lots of bad coffee as a result (Starbucks et al.). I remember one instance were I was on vacation snowshoeing in the Alps. The cabin were we slept only offered coffee that was absolutely undrinkable and I had a lousy day as a result. Not great...

That being said, I am back on caffeine again because I realized that it acts as a mild anti-depressant for me. It seems to have an effect on my dopaminergic system as well and helps me focus and get stuff done. Since I started drinking coffee again, I have not had a day where I do not feel like doing anything (not even goofing off) and get nothing done at all. This happened regularly when I was off caffeine. I manage the negative side effects by not drinking coffee after 2 PM and I limit myself to three cups/espresso shots per day. Seems to work as well.