I drink a lot of coffee. Two cups in the morning, a latte or other form of espresso-based drink in the early afternoon, and another cup in the late afternoon if needed, to be exact. Sometimes I think I drink way too much, but then again I don’t know how I would function if I didn’t drink as much as I do.
The suggested amount of caffeine intake a day is about 400 milligrams or four cups. Although I usually drink that much on the daily, sometimes I find myself sneaking in an extra cup or two. Because caffeine is such an integral part of my life, it makes perfect sense why I would stop drinking coffee for a week, right? Here are my experiences doing just that.
Monday
After not sleeping much Sunday night I woke up exhausted Monday morning. I would have loved a cup of coffee to get my day started, but sucked it up and went on with my day without any caffeine in my system. By my first class at 11:45 a.m. I was feeling pretty exhausted and could definitely take a nap, but somehow made it through the day. I found that moving around helped keep me energized, but once I sat down, I felt like I could fall asleep right then and there. Doing my homework that night was a struggle to say the least.
Tuesday
I slept in a little before going to the gym so I felt like I could take on the day without coffee thanks to the extra sleep I got. This did not last for long, however. I could barely stay awake for my two back-to-back lectures that afternoon. That evening, I had lots of work to do and felt that I wouldn’t be able to do it without at least some caffeine so I made myself a cup to tea which somewhat helped me stay awake.
Wednesday
By the middle of the week I thought I would do anything for a cup of coffee. I had to wake up to my unused Keurig and felt like it was mocking me. I soon found a glimmer of hope to alleviate my constant state of fatigue in the form of a Yerba Mate can. These caffeinated beverages seem to be much healthier than Red Bulls or other energy drinks and are not coffee so I decided to try one. Within ten minutes or so I felt so much better and actually awake for the first time in a few days.
Thursday
The previous day I stocked up on the Yerba Mate drinks and had one when I woke up. I did the trick and I could actually stay awake for my Thursday classes without feeling like I could fall asleep at any second. Doing my homework that night was much easier as well and I actually felt like I was producing high-quality work.
Friday
I decided that this was the last day without coffee for me. Although the Yerba Mates work, they’re not coffee. And I love coffee.
The takeaway: Coffee is great and no one should stop drinking it if she doesn’t want to. It isn’t worth it. Trust me. Plus, there are so many health benefits to caffeine in moderation including reduced rates of certain cancers and stroke, making your morning cup of Joe taste that much better.