Has anyone quit caffeine? I'm considering it for the following reasons:
1) I'm definitely addicted. Even if it wasn't harmful (more on that later), I've grown to dislike how much it controls me, even if it's minor. First thing in the morning, I start a pot or do the Aeropress. Then depending on how much I had at home, on the commute in I'm may be thinking about which exits have a place I can get a cup quickly. Then there's the mid-morning cup at work. Or if I'm out and about I'll need to stop and get a cup. Sometimes I'll have one after lunch as a 'pick me up.' (You may not be as addicted as I am.)
2) Everything I listen and read now tells me sleep is more important that we knew. Recovery, T-levels, etc are dependent on good sleep and enough of it. Caffeine clearly disrupts sleep. Even if you say, "I can drink coffee and fall asleep right away," that caffeine has a long half life (5 hours) and is may still be preventing you from having the restorative sleep that you need. I don't think I can drink one-cup in the morning and that's it, which is about what it would have to be to ensure there is know caffeine in my system at bedtime.
3) I quit caffeine once a few years ago doing a 'reset/detox' thing in support of my wife who was doing the same, and while there were a lot of other things going on (I didn't eat for 15 days), my mood and energy levels were completely level during the day. At the time I chalked it up the diet, but now I want to see how much quitting caffeine was a factor in consistent energy/mood levels. It was a good feeling.
4) Most of my wellness routine is pretty well dialed in. I like my mix of strength and cardiovascular training. Alcohol consumption is minimal. There's room to improve my diet, but that's always going to be something to work on. But my sleep isn't perfect. It's probably not all caffeine related, but I'm trying to optimize and improve it. Time to see if quitting caffeine improves anything.
I'm not trying to convince you to quit caffeine. I'm just wondering who else has done it and what effects they noticed. I know I'm going to have headaches and feel like crap for a few days.