Did you know that 64 percent of Americans drink an average of 2.7 cups of coffee every day? That translates to about 150 million Americans drinking over 400 million cups of coffee EVERY SINGLE DAY.
People often express how they are barely alive before their first sip of coffee. As a matter of fact, every morning, fast-food drive-thrus and coffee shops are packed with people trying to get their coffee fix while they commute to work.
Now, I get it, coffee is delicious and energizing, but it’s also pretty addictive. A good number of us have realized our dependency on it and tried to quit but failed miserably.
If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re probably trying (and quite possibly failing) to quit coffee. To finally kick this addiction and improve your energy levels, keep reading.
My Coffee History
My relationship with coffee started when I was fresh out of college and a couple of months into my first corporate job. Every morning, I would grab a coffee from the company’s canteen before heading to my desk. I had always been a morning person and never needed any morning pick-me-ups throughout college.
Somehow, I picked up this habit because well, coffee is delicious and it was a way to bond with other co-workers as we got our morning started. Everyone drank coffee and I thought it added some extra razzle-dazzle to my morning.
However, after keeping up this habit every morning for several months, I ditched it altogether. My reason was pretty basic, coffee upset my stomach, and I took way too many bathroom trips to you-know-what. It just wasn’t worth it for my productivity at work. I didn’t make any special plans to quit coffee at all; I just decided to stop drinking it and didn’t overthink the whole thing. This, of course, was a big mistake.
The morning after I stopped, I felt a very noticeable ‘low.’ This was confusing because my pre-caffeinated self never really thought I lacked energy, except when I got a bad night’s sleep. For some weeks, I barely functioned within the first few hours at work until I eventually caved and got coffee. I just couldn’t do it.
The last straw for me was Christmas eve. I had been dealing with a lingering tired/depressing feeling all day and was the self-made grinch for that season. As usual, I cracked and immediately perked back up. Right then, I decided that my mood and energy would not be dictated by coffee anymore. So I started on the journey where absolutely nothing would make me crack.
The following week was miserable. I was groggy, tired, and had persistent headaches (typical symptoms of caffeine withdrawal). The days were foggy, and I looked forward to going back home before I would get to the office. I was exhausted. Yes, I googled ways to wean off of coffee, but I was unwilling to spend money on supplements or tea. I was quitting cold-turkey and figured the best way to replace my energy was to change habits that fostered caffeine-dependence.
Two months later, I was back to my pre-caffeinated self, thriving and surviving without coffee. For some, two months Is relatively quick to bounce back. However, considering that I was not a frequent coffee drinker for years like most people are, I was pretty lucky. If you are a habitual coffee drinker, this may take longer, but the goal here is to try!
Over that quitting period, here are five habits I implemented to boost my energy levels and help me ditch coffee for good.
Habit 1 : Eating a Nutritious Breakfast
I know a good number of people that skip breakfast. As a matter of fact, most coffee drinkers will have coffee as their only breakfast meal or pair it with something high-sugar. Coffee is mostly empty calories, and while you get a burst of energy, you’re denying your body the nutrients it needs to run throughout the day.
For many coffee-drinkers, the number one reason for consumption is fatigue and an overall lack of energy. The body cannot keep its engine running if it has no fuel to do its job. Skipping meals contributes to the lack of energy and eating high-sugar foods sets you up for a crash.
Coffee cannot fix what a nutritious breakfast should
-The steady bloomer
Overall, this means setting yourself up for failure, which will take you right back to coffee, and coffee cannot fix what a nutritious breakfast should.
In my quest to quit coffee, I woke up about 30 mins earlier than I usually would, to allow sufficient time to cook a healthy breakfast before work. In this way, my body was less likely to beg for some energy source before lunchtime.
Eating an overall balanced diet contributes to the sustenance of energy levels and will often eliminate the need for coffee during the day.
Habit 2: Getting Better Sleep
Now I know this is somewhat obvious to everyone, better sleep = less fatigue = less need for coffee. Simple right?
Well, research shows that most of us are not getting enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for the average adult. However, a survey for Mattress Firm in 2019 revealed that the average American gets less than 6 hours of sleep each night. No wonder we’re tired all the time!
Research also shows that caffeine delays sleep clockwork and shamefully, we drink it to fix the effects of inadequate sleep, and forget it causes lousy sleep in the first place! If you want to quit coffee, you need to start sleeping!
For me, I worked on maintaining an unwinding routine every evening to set the tone for better sleep. This included not eating right before bed, putting away technology, and meditating. Do whatever helps you relax right before bed. I’m not saying I got good sleep every night, but it definitely improved my chances of better sleep.
Habit 3: Exercise
Most people feel more energized after a workout. This is because exercise contributes to the release of endorphins in the body. Endorphins, known as the “feel-good” hormone, boosts mood and raises energy levels.
Additionally, working out in the morning can help sustain energy all day; however, not everyone can afford to workout in the morning. If morning workouts are not your thing, that’s okay because working out overall promotes better sleep, contributes to a total energy boost, and hence, decreases the need for caffeine.
During my quitting period, I had just started working out and I’d typically do a quick morning workout or stretch to get my blood flowing and always immediately felt more awake and alert.
Habit 4: Drinking More Water
Nobody is making you drink eight glasses of water every day, however, there’s a reason why health professionals recommend we drink sufficient amounts of water. Not drinking enough leads to dehydration and dehydration leads to fatigue, which can easily be interpreted as a need for something else (hint hint: coffee).
I didn’t realize how little water I was drinking on a daily basis until I quit coffee. I would usually drink about half of a paper cup of water after I finished my coffee every day and sip on the remaining half for the rest of the day. This was not nearly a quarter of the amount of water I should have been drinking for my body size.
To fix this, I went to Target and bought a huge 50 ounce insulated mug (here’s the one I got). I had always wanted one anyway and this was both an excuse to get it and force myself to drink water.
So, every morning I would pass by the coffee station in the canteen to fill my mug with ice and cold water and walk back over to my desk. Because the water was always right there in my face, I had no choice but to drink it. Surprisingly, I started noticing a significant decrease in my tiredness when I increased my water intake. Of course, this coupled with all the other changes I was making.
Habit 5: Planning Ahead
All of the tips mentioned above involve discipline and proper planning ahead of time. If this means setting your alarm, writing a reminder on a sticky note, or even building tasks like drinking water by the hour into your daily calendar, do it!
It’s easy to skip breakfast because you want an extra 10 mins of sleep or spend 3 hours browsing social media right before bed or even put off a workout because you don’t feel like it. But, be aware that these habits will keep you in an endless cycle of fatigue. If you genuinely want to quit coffee and be free from caffeine dependence, bad habits will always take you back to square one and keep you stuck there.
Quitting coffee is already a challenge; but, your chance of success depends entirely on the other lifestyle changes you’re willing to make.
Good luck!