Has your coffee got you down?

Coffee and caffeine, and how it really works


CAFFEINE
How to Kick Your Caffeine Addiction and Actually Enjoy Your Coffee Again

By Alan Henry, Sep 19, 2012 8:00 AM
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Caffeine can be a great pick-me-up, but it can also be really scary. Like most things, it's great in moderation, but when you get to the point of needing that morning cup like the air your breathe, it's time to admit you have a problem. Here's how to kick your caffeine addiction without feeling like crap in the process.
Stop for a moment and think about how much caffeine you consume. Your morning cup of coffee is obvious, but also consider how many caffeinated sodas you drink. Then think about how many cups of tea you have, caffeinated snacks you eat, and whether your preferred painkiller has caffeine in it. It can add up pretty quickly, and if you're not careful, caffeine can become a crutch instead of a tool.

A few years ago, I could stop by a convenience store for a 24 oz. cup of coffee at 2am, drink it, go to bed at 4am, sleep soundly, and wake up at 7am to go to work, no problems. That's when I realized that if I actually wanted to use caffeine as a tool to stay alert, or try the caffeine power nap, I couldn't do it—my tolerance was entirely too high. I decided to do something about it: I wanted my morning cup or afternoon tea to actually help me focus instead of being a lifeline to stay awake. I cut my intake back bit by bit, and in the process learned to really love coffee and tea—blends, brews, types, and styles all started to appeal to me, and in turn I'm more mindful when I pour a cup.

You can do the same, and in this post we'll share some techniques to tame your caffeine addiction and make it work for you, instead of the other way around.

Tame It or Quit It?
Whether you choose to give up caffeine entirely or just want to use it intelligently is up to you. Some of us at Lifehacker HQ have given it up, but some of us love our morning cup and indulge in an afternoon tea. What we all agree on though is that caffeine, like anything else in your diet, should be taken in moderation, understanding exactly what it does to you and why. Photo by Ellie Goodman.

There's been a lot of research into the effects of caffeine on health, and you'll find opinions on all sides as to whether you should drink more, less, or none at all. We're not going to tackle that debate here, but we will say this: if you're not using caffeine strategically and instead you're letting it use you, it's time to take back the reins. When consumed intelligently, caffeine can bring its health benefits to bear while simultaneously offering you a much needed boost. In short, your caffeine habits should be more akin to using a scalpel, not a howitzer.

Stick to the Caffeinated Beverages You Love and Cut Back Gradually
On a recent episode of the Lifehacker Podcast, a caller noted that he consumed upwards of 18 cups of coffee a day. We offered some suggestions on the show, and you've offered some tips in the past, but we also put the question to nutritionists Andy Belatti and Allannah Dibona. Here are some suggestions they came up with:

Count your caffeine. The first thing you need to do is keep track of how much caffeine you take in. Alannah suggests, "GO SLOW. Caffeine is mightily addictive, and any sort of drastic change can bring about equally dramatic symptoms. I'd begin by taking accurate note of your intake over the first few days." If you're willing to do the math, she points out, bringing your caffeine intake to a reasonable level will be much easier. You'll be able to tell where you're struggling and make adjustments, or hold at a given point without giving up and buying a case of soda. Photo by shira gal.
Cut back slowly. It may be the most obvious suggestion, but trying to go cold turkey when you're taking in a lot of caffeine over the course of a day is a recipe for disaster. At best, you'll feel miserable and power through it, at worst that miserable feeling will make you just give up. "When you're talking about 10 or 12 cups of coffee a day, you're looking at something that will take a little over a month to scale back on. I'd recommend having 2 fewer cups of coffee each successive week (10 cups a day one week, then 8 cups a day the next, 6 cups a day the following, etc.) That should help mitigate the typical withdrawal symptoms—mainly headaches, anxiety, and irritability," Andy notes. Start slow and give yourself time to kick the habit—or at least come down to a manageable level.
Change up "the usual" and choose a different coffee drink. If your usual drink at the coffee bar is a standard cup of drip or a multi-shot espresso, consider changing it up to something with the same volume but less caffeine. "Little known fact: one shot of espresso has less caffeine than a cup of coffee. When I was trying to cut back, I'd drink an americano (espresso and hot water) instead of a regular drip cup," Alannah explained. "I found the flavor intense, muddy and enjoyable, but my propensity toward caffeine shakes decreased dramatically." Photo by journeys.
Kick other caffeinated beverages. If you love your morning cup of coffee too much to give it up, but you want to cut back the caffeine you consume, look elsewhere in your diet. Do you drink sugary, caffeinated sodas in the afternoon or evening? It may be easier to switch to some other tasty, healthy alternative to soda instead. Picking something else to sip when you need refreshment can benefit your health and help you kick caffeine. If you're a fan of super-caffeinated snacks, cut back on those too—a novelty Black Black now and again is fun, but if you hit the post-lunch drag and pop one in your mouth just to keep going, it's time to give it up.
Hack Your Caffeine Fix with Some Clever Diet Tricks
Gradually stepping down is one thing, but if your problem is psychological, there are plenty of ways to trick your brain and body into thinking you're getting the fix you need. Photo by Tim Massey.

Try Half-Caf. It may sound awful to coffee fans (and depending on how you prep it, it can be,) but switching from fully caffeinated brews to half-caffeinated ones lets you drink the same amount of fluid while cutting the amount of caffeine you ingest in half. Combine this with stepping down the volume of coffee or tea you drink, and you're making serious progress.
Fall in love with the Cafe Diablo. This is a personal favorite of mine, and a trick I've used to keep my caffeine intake in check. When you really need that afternoon cup of coffee, go for it, but instead of all coffee, make a half-cup of hot cocoa and a half-cup of coffee. The end-result is less caffeinated than a full cup, and really delicious. Watch how much sugar and milk you add, and you can even go 3/4 cocoa and 1/4 coffee instead. Just don't get hooked!
Switch to a low or no-caffeine alternative. Andy suggests Teeccino, a popular herbal tea that roasts up and is served like coffee, but is caffeine-free. You might also try roasted barley tea, or mugicha in Japanese (available at your local asian market, or online.) Roasted barley tea is often sold with other ingredients to boost its flavor (if you can get chicory, try it!) and don't have the tooth enamel-eating issues that other hot drinks often have. Both options ideal for people who can't have caffeine for medical reasons, but even switching one or two cups of coffee or tea with it can help cut your caffeine intake without forcing you to give up the psychological comfort of a hot cuppa. Photo by Richard Masoner.
Drink water. The benefits of hydration are well documented. We've busted the myth that caffeinated beverages don't hydrate you before, but this is about cutting caffeine. A little water—even flavored waters with citrus, fruit, or other flavorful mixers—can replace the volume you normally take in with soda. Our own Adam Dachis mentioned that his sister—who sings—has been known to just enjoy a hot cup of water instead of coffee or tea. Hot water is a popular performer's trick to keep your voice in prime condition, and is sometimes taken with a little lemon or honey to add flavor. If a hot cup is all you want, give it a try.
Try Tea Instead
Tea is another diet trick to help you cut down on caffeine, but it deserves a little more attention. My two caffeinated beverages of choice are coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. Even some of us at Lifehacker HQ who very closely watch our caffeine intakes are willing to enjoy a cup of tea from time to time, and you can too. The key is to learn a little about tea, and which teas have the most caffeine in them and which have the least.

We've laid out coffee and tea side by side before, but one thing is clear: if you're drinking coffee all day, or tossing back sodas, any tea will represent a cut in your caffeine intake, and can bring in some of caffeine's alertness and focus benefits without the crash you get from a sugary, caffeinated soda or a quad-shot espresso. Our coffee lover's guide to tea is well worth a read if you want to get into tea, but here are some critical points:

Black teas have the highest caffeine content, usually upwards of 60-70 milligrams (mg) per cup. Much of this depends on the blend and the steep time though—shorter steeping can get you a cup of black tea with 20mg per 12oz cup, but deeply roasted, long-steeped black tea can push 100mg per cup. That's still a bargain, compared to a cup of drip coffee, which can come in well over 100mg.
Green teas fall in the middle, averaging around 30-40mg per cup, again depending on blend and brew. Green teas usually don't push past 50mg, but lightly steeped pots can come in close to 10mg. Photo by Joe Hall.
White teas usually have the least amount of caffeine, partially because the plant is harvested at a young age and the leaves are very lightly roasted. White teas carry between 5-30mg per 12oz cup.
Herbal teas vary depending on the herbs that go into them. You'll have to do your homework on this one—some herbal teas (which aren't technically tea because they have no actual tea leaves in them) like Rooibos (aka Red Bush) has no caffeine, but Yerba Mate on the other hand has more caffeine than coffee.
Again, these numbers aren't perfect, and you can read more about the nuances that come with the type, blend, and roasting of different teas at Adagio Tea here and The Frgrant Leaf here. Granted, they both sell tea so they have a vested interest, but the data is legit.

Also, keep in mind though that an average 12oz coke only has about 20-25mg of caffeine, so a one for one switch from soda to tea isn't a good idea. If you're considering tea as a substitute for coffee, you'll be decreasing your caffeine intake with the same volume intake. If you're considering tea as a substitute for soda, you'll still need to cut back. In either case, tea is a tool to help you cut back, not an overall replacement.

Fight Caffeine Withdrawl with Exercise
Andy noted one more creative suggestion: exercise. " One of the best ways to conquer caffeine withdrawal symptoms is to get some sort of exercise for 20 - 25 minutes. Exercise unleashes a flood of endorphins, which often helps to curb headaches." While you probably can't just go for a run or hit the treadmill every time you crave a soda or a cup of coffee, it's true that exercise—especially regular exercise—has mental and emotional benefits as well as immediate benefits like Andy noted. Photo by Mike Baird.

Additionally, if you're looking to tame instead of eliminate your caffeine intake, a little caffeine can go a long way when it comes to exercise. Cutting back and getting your habit under control can offer you a valuable tool to make your workouts more effective. Just make sure to stay hydrated.

You don't have to give up caffeine entirely to get your intake under control. You may be ingesting way more caffeine on a daily basis than you think you do. Maybe you want to have more control over how caffeinated beverages make you feel. Whatever the reason is, you can get back in the driver's seat and learn to love your coffee and tea instead of feel like you're in an abusive relationship with it, all without feeling like death for weeks or months to get there.

Andy Bellatti, MS, RD is a Seattle-based Nutritionist and the author of the nutrition blog Small Bites. You can follow him on Twitter at @andybellatti.

Alannah Dibona, MA, MS, is a Boston-based Nutritionist and wellness counselor, and the woman behind mindbodysportconsulting.com.

Both graciously volunteered their expertise for this story, and we thank them.

Title image remixed using Markus Genn (Shutterstock) and Szymon Apanowicz (Shutterstock).