Why I Gave Up Caffeine

Heart palpitations, anxiety, feeling old, achy and stiff, out of breath after walking up/down stairs, clammy palms yet always feeling cold, at 31 years old something wasn't right.

Something was getting the better of me, my threshold for anxiety was significantly lowered and my whole body was feeling it. After my morning coffee buzz I might have made it to 11 am before crashing and reaching for a can of coke or anything with a sugary kick to get me that energy boost. At lunch time I'd treat myself to another coffee or a hot sweet tea from the neighbouring coffee shop to my work. By 4 pm I was an irritable zombie.

After work I would take something fizzy with my dinner and another cup or two of tea in the evening to "unwind". This was my routine, with nowhere to go or anyone to see the one thing I found comfort in was my homemade frothy coffee. I didn't see the harm in it, it was so sweet and delicious.

Then one morning in early February I woke up feeling more uncomfortable in my own body than I had ever felt before. I didn't feel right. I walked downstairs, my heart was pounding in my chest, it felt like it was doing double time accompanied by a cold sweat. I was frightened by the rapid pounding that was ringing through my ears and right then I decided something needed to change. I have always been pretty good with my health and food choices and deep down I knew the volume of caffeine with the lack of exercise was the problem and so with lent only a few days away I decided to give up all caffeinated drinks- tea, coffee, fizzy drinks.

Here's how it went.

Exhaustion...

For the first few days I avoided total eye contact with the kettle and I didn't dare open the cupboard where the milk frother was kept, I knew my will power would be at zero and I was determined to at least make it to 7 days caffeine free.

By day 12 I was exhausted, my body felt heavy and tired and I had a constant headache. My skin had broken out and I found myself mindlessly standing in the dark kitchen in the evenings, staring at the kettle, sometimes opening the coffee jar to take a whiff.

I introduced a glass of orange juice to my morning routine to compensate for the emptiness I felt sat at the breakfast table. This went down a treat for a couple of weeks until I realised the stuff was loaded with sugar and really not that healthy so I nipped that in the bud.

Determination...

At week 3 I didn't crave that caffeine hit any more and my heart was no longer pounding in my chest yet I still found myself being tempted by the steamy minx on the counter. I still felt lost, I missed that hot cup between my hands and there was always a soft whisper in the back of my mind "just one cup wont hurt". But I persevered wanting to prove it to myself. I steered clear of coffee shops while on my breaks at work, one stumble and I knew I'd fall face first into a sweet latte.

Light at the end of the tunnel...

Now here we are on D-Day, Easter Sunday, 46 days caffeine free, my skin has cleared up, I drink 7-8 pints of water throughout the day including a cold glass of water with my breakfast which is boring but refreshing. I no longer hit that 4 pm wall of tiredness, I find I have hours of natural energy. I feel like a dark fog has lifted from my mind. My anxiety threshold has raised up higher than ever and I haven't had heart palpitations for weeks. My body no longer feels old or stiff and my mind feels more alert and switched on.

I'm proud of myself that I stuck with it and didn't cave at any of the many late night rendezvous in the kitchen. Going forward I don't ever want to let myself get into that state again. A caffeine detox was exactly what I needed!

If taking a break from caffeine is something you've thought about then I urge you to do it and stick with it, it's definitely for the better when you realise how your body and mind will feel on the other side.

I'm looking forward to having one of the hot beverages today but I think I'll stick with decaf from now on.

I'd love to hear if you have done a caffeine detox and how you felt? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Easter folks.