Caffeine is a drug that naturally occurs in numerous plants. Because it is found in plants, it has been considered both a food and a drug. You can find caffeine in a number of different edible things, namely energy drinks (that is a given), soda, chocolate, tea, and coffee. Now you can even get caffeine in pill form and gum. With how accessible caffeine is, it has become easy for people to become prone to a caffeine addiction.
It may seem that consuming caffeine is only pros, but that is not the case. Caffeine is flooded into your bloodstream and stimulates your spinal cord, brain, and your entire nervous system. This is what gives you the high, are your nerves being messed with. While your nerves on end, you are not nearly as tired and you can focus better.
# WeanThis is a good way to break the addiction with the migraines from withdrawal. So, say you normally have two cups of coffee a day, try cutting it down by a fourth or third every two or three days. You do it like this with any amount you usually have.
# Cold TurkeySo, this method is more painful the weaning method. This one lets you feel the full force of the withdrawal symptoms. It is a faster detox than the weaning, but the headaches can be almost crippling if the addiction is bad enough. It can also make quitting more difficult because you want relief from the withdrawal.
You want to try going for this method if you have a long weekend or a work/school vacation so you can just laze around the house if your headaches or other symptoms.
# Green TeaGreen tea is fantastic for cleaning your body of toxins. So, if you are you taking the weaning approach, replace the loss of coffee black tea with the same amount of green tea. If you take the cold turkey approach, try drinking green tea regularly so that you can get through the detox that much faster.
# WheatgrassIf you are trying to quit caffeine, try drinking wheatgrass instead. As strange as it sounds, wheat grass has been found to give you energy like caffeine does, but without the sudden crash, you can get. The wheatgrass gives you an energy boost because it has iron, chlorophyll, vitamins A and C and E, and magnesium. Wheatgrass is also used by a number of holistic doctors to help a person go through detox whether from caffeine or dropping alcohol.
# Yerba MateWhether or not this really works on a scientific basis or is purely placebo is unknown, but whichever it is, it helps. The yerba mate is extremely low in caffeine and can increase your efficiency and creativity while giving you energy without the sharp crash that the end of a caffeine hype can.
# Change the Drink
One of the reasons that people become so addicted to caffeine is the atmosphere and sounds that a cafe provides for work and studying. This is not something you have to give up if you stop drinking caffeine. You can still enjoy a warm drink at a cafe. Get a hot cocoa or a kind of tea. Try a steamer or maybe some hot cider.
# CarbsCarbs can sometimes be helpful, but for this, you want to be a little careful. When getting breakfast before work or school, get a breakfast that is low in carbs, but high in fiber and protein. The carbs in the food can tire you out because it takes energy to break the carbs into sugars. If you eat protein and fiber, you will be full for longer and it will not take nearly as long for the energy to get into your system.
# Milk-based DrinksIf your favorite coffee drink is a latte, there are ways that you can get the enjoyable feeling of warmed milked flowing down your throat without the caffeine. Instead of a latte, you can get lattes made with different kinds of tea. If tea lattes are not your thing, that is not an issue either. You can try some hot chocolate (careful of the high sugar content), or hot vanilla almond milk.
# NapsTaking 20-minute power naps around half past two in the afternoon (or whenever in the afternoon you find yourself able) is the best thing you can do to replenish your energy with a coffee drink or other pick-me-up.
# Move AboutIf you have a desk job, you are most likely sitting around for most of the day. If that is the case, then you should get up and take a walk every now again. Being in one place too long, in one position, can make you tired. So after every hour or hour and a half, take a walk around the office, go to the drinking fountain, go to the bathroom, whatever. Just get moving to wake yourself up again.
# Set GoalsIf you are weaning off of the caffeine, set little milestones for yourself. Little things like skipping a coffee after work, or the mid-morning shot of espresso. And then reward yourself with a snack or little treat after each one. If you hit every milestone of that week, then go bowling or watch a movie with a friend or significant other.
# Be CarefulWhen cutting back, you do not want to get a little surprise. So when you are buying a canned or bottled drink, read in the ingredients label to make sure that there is nothing in it that can give your system a little shock.
# DecafIf you like the flavor of coffee and do not want to miss that, then enjoy some decaf coffee. Or even better yet, there are herbal teas that you can get that taste like coffee but are caffeine free because they are herbal. Not only that but also, if you are weaning off, then start decreasing the number of regular coffee grounds and replace that amount with decaf.