Six Months Since I Quit Coffee

I can’t believe, it’s been six months since I quit coffee! I made it happen, and I am not going back!  The benefits of life without coffee are a lot more than those when drinking it.  That said, I don’t think coffee it’s the devil that you have to avoid at all cost. I might use it in micro doses, when dealing with jet lag or when my toddler has another sleep regression.

Let’s talk about the changes I observed six months since I quit coffee:

SLEEP!

My sleep quickly became stellar and continue to be this way.  Prior to giving up coffee, I would have at least two days a month where I would have hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. Now, I fall asleep easily, even when I water fast.

Studies show that some people have difficulties metabolizing caffeine. It’s not only coffee that you drink close to bedtime, but the amount of coffee you consume throughout the day. There are a few genes that can make breakdown of caffeine slower. It can affect your NREM sleep, ability to fall asleep, and the depth of the sleep. These studies just match my experience perfectly. 

ENERGY LEVELS ARE EVEN AND SUSTAINED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

At first, I thought my energy levels would be forever sluggish, but once I got through about three weeks, my energy returned.  I had to help it with magnesium supplementation, but within days, I felt awake and full of energy first thing in the morning. In fact, my energy has been even and sustained throughout the day. There is no afternoon slump, and no feeling of wired but tired.

I documented my withdrawals here:

YOU GET A BETTER READ ON WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS

Caffeine tends to mask the real health issues you might have. If you drink coffee each time you feel low on energy or can’t get focused, your body can’t signal to you that there is a disease creeping up. Being coffee free allowed me to tune in to my body and have a better read on what it needs. 

When I quit coffee, I noticed that I was feeling a mental fog that went way beyond the coffee withdrawals.  I started adding magnesium, and voila, within days, my mental fog resolved. I was probably deficient in magnesium and would have never known if I continued drinking coffee. 

Check out my YouTube video here on how to quit coffee:

MY TEETH AND SKIN IMPROVED

My teeth routine didn’t change at all, and yet my teeth color has improved. They are noticeably whiter.  

My skin tone got lighter, and the skin just feels fresher and healthier, to the point that people notice it and complement me on it.

ESSENTIAL OILS CAN REPLACE THE RITUAL OF GETTING COFFEE

I replaced the ritual of stepping out for coffee with a ritual of smelling essential oils.  Normally when things at work were becoming stressful, I would step out for coffee.  These days I step out with an essential oil. 

I discovered this by accident. My customer brought me a bottle of essential oil, and it was sitting on my desk for months.  One of these days I was fighting with the urge to get coffee and I opened the bottle of the essential oil and got completely distracted by the aroma and forgot about coffee. And that’s how new ritual was born. I use peppermint for focus and concentration, citrus for energy, and lavender to relax.

NO NEED FOR AFTER WORK OUT NAPS

Within 30 minutes after working out, I would be very sleepy, and I would have to either drink more coffee or take a nap.  I tried addressing this by supplementing with potassium, it got a little better, but didn’t really eliminate the problem.  I don’t understand the mechanism, but when I stopped drinking coffee, I could work out first thing in the morning, and I didn’t feel tired and sleepy thereafter. These days I run at 6 A.M., do yoga and go on with my day and no need for after work-out nap. 

MY DIGESTION IMPROVED AND HEARTBURN WENT AWAY

Because coffee is so acidic, it can make your stomach lazy and produce less of its own acid. Then when it comes to digesting real food, you may be bloated and feel it takes forever to digest your meal.  I used to drink coffee on an empty stomach in the morning for most of my adult life. Couple years ago, I started feeling heart burn as soon as I finished drinking my morning coffee. It wasn’t a major heart burn like I experienced during pregnancy, but noticeable enough, to feel relieved when it was gone. So yes! My heartburn went away when I gave up coffee. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

So, six months since I quit coffee, of course, coffee still tastes great!!! If I could drink it without paying any price, I certainly would. 

But! I had to do away with it due to my autoimmunity, and other problems. Now that I am free from it, I am certain many of my problems were associated with coffee consumption. If you are a coffee lover, but have some chronic health issues, you may want to give a try and see how you do without coffee. 

Big City Mom