{"id":1230,"date":"2020-05-07T00:09:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T05:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?p=1230"},"modified":"2023-02-18T02:04:37","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T07:04:37","slug":"the-benefits-of-not-drinking-coffee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/the-benefits-of-not-drinking-coffee\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Not Drinking Coffee"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re anything like the 90% of Americans that drink caffeine daily, you probably can\u2019t imagine a life without caffeine. However, the benefits of not drinking coffee can be so great, looking into a coffee substitute may be worth your while! So, what are the benefits of not drinking coffee?<\/p>\n

The main benefit of not drinking coffee is higher natural energy levels. After some likely difficult withdrawals, you will find it much easier to start each day without a cup of coffee. Additionally, stress and anxiety levels will decrease significantly without caffeine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are plenty of caffeine alternatives that can help you to wake up without coffee.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we\u2019ll cover in this article:<\/p>\n

1.First, I’ll give you a quick run-down on the basic science behind caffeine. This will help you to better understand what this drug is doing to your brain, so you can decide for yourself if it’s actually worth it. I’ll keep this section simple and easy to follow, I promise!<\/p>\n

2. Next, I\u2019ll tell you a bit about my own history with caffeine. I\u2019ve had a bizarre love\/hate relationship with caffeine over the years. Caffeine addiction snuck up on me, and quitting caffeine came with intense caffeine withdrawals from headaches to heart palpitations.<\/p>\n

3. Then, we\u2019ll discuss the pros and cons of caffeine. Caffeine can be a great supplement for many people; but for those of us with anxiety, sometimes its better to opt for one of the caffeine alternatives.<\/p>\n

4. Also, I\u2019ll give you a few options for a coffee substitute and caffeine alternatives. Sometimes a coffee substitute means less-caffeinated options, sometimes it means quitting caffeine entirely. You can feel this out for yourself and ultimately make the decision to either quit caffeine or to simply consume less of it.<\/p>\n

5. Finally, we’ll wrap it all up and review the benefits of not drinking coffee. Life without caffeine has massively<\/em> improved my quality of life. I’ll tell you how quitting caffeine has helped me, and how you can quit caffeine for the same benefits.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get right into it!<\/p>\n

How Does Caffeine Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let’s start with some quick science (nothing too complex, I promise). How does caffeine work?<\/p>\n

When you wake up each morning, a neurotransmitter called adenosine begins to accumulate in your brain. These neurotransmitters bind to receptors in your brain, making you feel fatigued and tired. The longer you\u2019re awake, the more adenosine transmitters bind; making you need sleep. Each night, your adenosine levels decline, allowing you to wake back up in the morning feeling well-rested and ready to take on the day.<\/p>\n

The chemical structure of caffeine is similar to that of adenosine, and so when we drink caffeine throughout the day, the caffeine will compete with the adenosine to bind to these receptors. Unlike <\/em>adenosine, however, caffeine affects the human brain in a very different way. Rather than feeling tired and fatigued, when caffeine binds to these receptors, your brain activity will be heightened; <\/em>And because it is competing with the adenosine, less adenosine will be able to bind, and you will not feel the usual sense of fatigue that being awake should bring on.<\/p>\n

In other words, caffeine seems to trick the brain into believing that it does not need rest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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My Story of Caffeine Dependence and Caffeine Withdrawal<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve always had a tendency to drink like a fish, no matter what it is I\u2019m drinking.<\/p>\n

As a kid, my mom used to make iced tea on a daily basis; this would tend to be my go-to drink. I definitely drank more iced tea than I did water. What neither myself nor my mom considered, however, is that there\u2019s about 27mg of caffeine in just ONE cup of iced tea.<\/p>\n

The result, unsurprisingly, was that I developed a caffeine addiction without even being aware of it.<\/p>\n

I never would have guessed that I was addicted to caffeine, because when I heard \u201ccaffeine,\u201d I thought \u201ccoffee,\u201d which I didn\u2019t drink.<\/p>\n

Around early high school, when I first started to experience anxiety, one of my symptoms was heart palpitations.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t make the connection until many years later, but caffeine (or rather, caffeine withdrawal) was likely the culprit here.<\/p>\n

Now, this was so long ago that I can\u2019t say for sure <\/em>whether the anxiety and heart palpitations were from drinking too much caffeine or from quitting <\/em>caffeine. But I\u2019m confident that caffeine played a role in this.<\/p>\n

Perhaps my mom stopped making iced tea, or I stopped drinking it for a while, and my body was suffering from caffeine withdrawal without me even realizing it; dramatically exacerbating my anxiety symptoms.<\/p>\n

In my adult life, I came to depend on caffeine again to help me get through long work hours.<\/p>\n

I loved the \u201cboost\u201d that caffeine gave me; it actually seemed to decrease<\/em> my anxiety after drinking it\u2026 I felt more sociable and better able to interact with people.<\/p>\n

Over time, I realized that my anxiety (something I had long since learned to control) would resurface if I skipped my daily cup of coffee for a day or two. This shouldn\u2019t be news to anyone who drinks coffee regularly; you\u2019re not \u201cyou\u201d before your daily dose of caffeine.<\/p>\n

With every cup of coffee, I was ending my \u201cwithdrawal\u201d phase and resetting my addiction to caffeine. I\u2019ve personally never had \u201ccaffeine anxiety\u201d from drinking<\/em> coffee, but I definitely felt more anxious on the days when my body was craving<\/em> it.<\/p>\n

When I finally decided to quit caffeine, I had terrible caffeine withdrawals that last for about two weeks. For two nights I had extremely uncomfortable heart palpitations while laying in bed trying to fall asleep.<\/p>\n

For me, this was the final sign that I needed to live a life without caffeine.<\/p>\n

The Pros and Cons of Caffeine<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I prefer life without caffeine since the benefits of not drinking coffee are immense.<\/p>\n

However, I do feel the need to be fair<\/em> to caffeine. There are some benefits of caffeine that can justify its use for many people. The benefits of caffeine, however, must be weighed carefully against the negative effects of caffeine.<\/p>\n

Here are the main points I\u2019ve noticed:<\/p>\n

Pros<\/strong><\/h3>\n