Addicted to caffeine? Here are 7 tips to cut back.
400 billion is a very big number. It’s also the number of coffees consumed each year by people around the world. In North America alone, it’s estimated that 80% – 90% of adults have caffeine on a regular basis.
Though it’s believed that moderate caffeine consumption may be linked to some health benefits (including lower risk of some diseases, cancers and strokes), too much caffeine isn’t a good thing.
Most experts recommend no more than 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine per day, which works out to between 2 and 4 cups. According to the Mayo Clinic, heavy caffeine consumption may cause:
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Upset stomach
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors
With most of us not getting enough sleep – and with sleep being critical for muscle recovery – the symptom of insomnia is of particular concern for many exercise enthusiasts.
To that end, here are seven tips for cutting back on caffeine:
- Monitor intake. Using a journal, your phone or a piece of scrap paper, keep track of the amount of coffee, tea and soda that you consume on daily basis. This will help you get a better handle on the situation and give you a starting point.
- Take it slow. Gradually reduce your caffeine intake by reducing coffee consumption by 1/2 cup per day. Quitting cold turkey isn’t sustainable – and it can result in painful withdrawal symptoms like headaches.
- Replace caffeinated drinks with a cup of caffeine-free herbal tea. Or even water. It’s important to replace an unhealthy habit with a healthier one to help fill the void.
- Switch to decaf coffee. There are many great and delicious decaf flavors. Alternatively, you can try watering down your caffeinated coffee to reduce your intake.
- Cut brew time. You can reduce the caffeine in tea by brewing it for less time. Or, you can pour out some of the tea and replace it with hot water.
- Watch for other caffeine sources. Beyond coffee, tea and soda, caffeine can also be found in other products. There’s some (but not much) caffeine in chocolate, and quite a bit in many pharmaceuticals. Two Excedrin tablets, for example, contain 130 milligrams of caffeine. That’s more than a cup of a coffee.
- Plan accordingly. As you gradually decrease caffeine consumption, your body may experience withdrawal symptoms. For that reason, it’s best to make cutbacks during lower-stress periods in your life.
Most of all, know that a low-caffeine life is possible. And, it’s great! I don’t consume caffeine, and yet I have tons of energy and jump out of bed in the morning. No caffeine needed. 
If you have any tips to reduce caffeine consumption, please share them in the comments below!
Hooray! I fall right in place a 3 cups/day!
Funny! I gave up caffeine for a New Years resolution and I’ve been off it for over a month now. I definitely feel better and have more energy throughout the day, and most nights I sleep better too.
Davey, you’re right about #2. If you go from 1 or more cups of coffee a day to none, you can expect headaches and dizziness for the first 3-5 days. I like a challenge so this is what I did. Stay strong – it does go away and you do feel great afterwards.
If you can’t handle that, I would say it’s better to not skip days when reducing your intake. My friend was doing it at the same time as me and he found that if he took 3-4 days off and then had even a bit of diet Pepsi, it was almost like starting back at day 1 again. So reduce your intake each day for 1-2 weeks and then stop completely and avoid all major sources.
Water is a great replacement drink, and I also found the lemon cleanse drink (fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper, filtered water, a tablespoon of dark organic maple syrup) is quite nice too and will make you feel great. It does have some calories you’ll have to account for, but I also found it curbed my hunger cravings too.
Lastly, remember that caffeine is a drug! It can take 2 weeks or more to leave your system, and like they always say…21 days to break a habit, so give yourself the time you need.
I always think back to the advice about an apple being better to wake you up and make sure to tell people who drink coffee just to wake up that there is a healthier alternative
Hi, First let me say…love your work! I went for a Dr’s appointment yesterday to recheck my thyroid levels. While being questioned about my diet and caffeine intake I mentioned that I drink green tea daily, about 1 Tbl spoon of green tea powder with a flavored, sugar free drink mix and coffee maybe once a week if even that. I even stopped drinking sodas and I was a Coca Cola drinker. The Dr. laughed and said, “coffee is the best”. I stopped drinking coffee on a daily basis a couple of years ago after getting really sick one day at work. I had not eaten anything but I did have some coffee. That morning changed my coffee routine instantly! I could hardly bare the smell of it for the next couple of weeks. Mind you that I work at a hospital and the nurses thought I was crazy! Anyway, I do notice that I don’t have the caffeine crash like I did when I drank coffee all of the time. Keep up the great work helping us to be healthy!
I agree that cutting back on caffeine is important. However my heart is in a major flutter over seeing Jesse Metcalfe (soon to be Christopher Ewing on TNT’s Dallas) as your model of the day!!!
Whenever I have the option to quit caffeine. I always do it cold turkey. The intense withdrawal headaches I suffer are usually what I use to tell myself not to drink anymore because Caffeine is a drug that’s just as addictive as Heroine. Alas then I get a job that requires me to work 3 overnights a week as well as shifts during daylight hours. So I need my caffeine. One day I’ll get a job that lets me work according to my circadian rhythms.
I decided and cut ALL my consumption of caffeine a day to another. I can only say it was an ENTIRE WEEK of a severe headache, I do not indicate anyone for such an attitude.
There are go side effects of caffeine. For example, for diabetics the caffeine actually helps the body process insulin.
im on my fourth cup of coffee as i type this.i have cut down-by drinking green tea-ginseng tea-or an herbal tea-in the afternoon-works for me.
I just moved and since I accidentally took decaffeinated coffee with me, I started off having about 2 weeks with low caffeine. Now I don’t drink any coffee, coke or anything of the like, I switched to stretching juices with plain tap water.
As someone who is a regular coffee junkie, I just loooove that stuff, I still have to admit that at the moment I sleep better lots. I only need 7 hours per night as opposed to 10-12 hours some weeks ago.
I drink 1 energy drink can a day is that bad?