7 weeks ago I decided to give up caffeine. At first, my family and friends (and even I) thought I was crazy. Why would I give up the one thing that gets me through the stress of college? Well, after the chaos of finals week came to an end last semester, I decided enough is enough. I was having way too many cups of coffee a day and sometimes pairing it with an energy drink. I came to the conclusion that my body is too dependent on a chemical and I wanted to see if it was possible to still operate as a human being without caffeine fueling my every move.
Week 1
I thought I was going to die. I can honestly say, I have never been so tired in my life. Along with the fatigue, I also had the worst migraine. All throughout the first week, I was tempted to quit my little experiment and go get a venti iced coffee from Starbucks – but I kept on.
Week 2
My migraine finally turned into a dull headache. Halfway through the second week, I finally started to notice slight changes. I started to sleep all the way through the night, and I also became less tired during the afternoon nap hours. I finally stopped doubting my decision to give up the thing I used to be in love with – caffeine.
Week 3
This is the week where I saw the most improvement. I had so much energy! I never thought it would be possible without a few shots of espresso. My body had also developed a sleep schedule. I would get tired at the reasonable hour of 11 pm rather than 2 am, and I would automatically wake up around 8. Now, I was already a very positive person, so you can imagine my excitement when I realized my mood was even more positive than before. Within only three weeks, I noticed so many huge differences that I had to continue.
Week 4
By the time week 4 came around, I was thinking that nothing else would change. I was wrong. By cutting out all caffeine from my diet, including lattes, frappuccinos, soda and energy drinks, I was also cutting out all that added sugar. So for four weeks all I had been drinking was water and decaf green tea and I lost about 5 pounds. I was baffled that all this could happen by only making one simple everyday change.
Week 5
By the fifth week, spring semester was in full swing and I realized that I was doing well in all my classes without my little super chemical. I had to find a balance between staying hydrated and staying active in order to maintain the level of energy I found over winter break.
Week 6
Now I am at week 6 and have no intentions of ever being dependent on caffeine again. I am still in amazement of what my body is capable of without being dependent on caffeine. Quitting caffeine was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has helped with my sleep, mood, PMS, and overall health. I can’t imagine ever needing caffeine ever again.