I really enjoy drinking coffee. It keeps me focused at work. It’s a part of my morning ritual. It’s the key ingredient for the perfect coffee shop work session. I never really saw my relationship coffee in a bad light until I started having significant heartburn the end of last year. I didn’t even think that coffee was a major contributor until I decided to give up coffee for 1 day just to see if it would make a difference in my heartburn. And it did.
So I thought – man that sucks. I gotta give up coffee now? That’s a big part of my life! Maybe I can get used to the heart burn…but nope. Things just got worse so I had to give up coffee. It was like my body was telling me that it needed a break.
It’s been a month since I’ve had my last cup of coffee. I wanted to share with you the journey so far in hopes that it’ll inform you what to expect.
What happened when I stopped drinking coffee
Week 1: The hardest week physically
I had daily headaches and was feeling super tired in the morning. I tried giving up all caffeinated drinks, but I just couldn’t so I ended up drinking black tea.
My sleep schedule was also a little messed up during the first week. Since I didn’t have that caffeine running through my body, I’d pass out during and after work a lot. It was a bit hard for me to sleep later at night because I’d feel more awake from getting 3-4 hours of sleep early in the evening.
The one good thing out of this week was that my heartburn was 95% better by the end of the week.
I also took a look at other blogs that tracked the writer’s journey to giving up coffee (or caffeine). Majority of them faced similar physical struggles the first week in. So be prepared!
Week 2: The hardest week mentally
The headaches were gone. I wasn’t feeling as sluggish in the morning or afternoon; however, the temptation to drink coffee was stronger than the first week. I didn’t have the withdrawal symptoms to distract me so I was thinking a lot more about coffee. To be honest, I ended up eating more candy and drinking more tea to fight off the temptation. I was also still struggling to get a grasp on my sleep schedule.
What kept me going was just the reminder that I was responsible for my own health. I was draining money for doctor visits on my heartburn and acid reflux so if I decided to drink coffee again, I’d be wasting more money.
Week 3: My desire for coffee starts to plateau and my sleep improves
At this point, the desire to drink coffee became less. I had more time to evaluate how my coffee-free diet was. I identified many benefits and that gave me the mental clarity to keep moving forward in my journey.
I also got used to this feeling of feeling more tired so I built up this discipline to stay awake and only sleep when it was bedtime. My sleep definitely improved from the previous week.
Week 4: Celebrations and sustaining habits and sleep schedule
When I hit the 4 week mark, I really thought – wow…I never thought that I could give up coffee for this long. It definitely felt like an achievement.
The heartburn was pretty much gone. I’m rarely thinking about a cup of coffee in the morning because I’ve gotten used to going for a cup of tea or warm water instead. My sleeping schedule is more consistent.
Right now
I’m a little over a month now and I’ve decided to keep on going. I’m doing this mostly because of health reasons still, but the benefits I’ve seen have also contributed to my decision to keep on going. Will I pick up coffee again sometime in the future? Yes. When? I’d like to think when my acid reflux problems are completely gone. Here are some of the benefits I’ve seen after giving up coffee for a month.
Benefits of giving up coffee for a month
No more heartburn and minimal acid reflux
I pretty much feel no heartburn. I also have way less acid reflux, which is fantastic because my throat feels way less irritated.
Getting better sleep
I’ve noticed that I can go to sleep way faster because I feel more tired when I go to bed. Caffeine has an average half life of 5 hours and that can be even higher for those who don’t process caffeine well. So the less caffeine you drink (and this also depends on when you drink it), the less caffeine in your system and the less awake you’ll feel by the time you hit the racks.
Feeling less anxious and irritable
As somebody who constantly deals with anxiety and stress, giving up coffee has definitely made me feel less anxious. I feel more mentally and physically stable throughout the day. If I do get stressed from work or other things, I find myself being able to calm down and reorient my mind faster. And the surprising thing is, coffee contributes to that flight or fight response. So it can raise your stress levels by increasing your stress hormones.
Feeling more confident
This benefit was a bit more subtle because I didn’t realize how dependent on coffee I was until the 3rd week of my journey. I feel more confident because I’ve shown myself that I can stay awake and stay focused without needing something else. I have the strength to establish good habits and be more competent at things.
Saving more money
I’ve saved roughly $92 this past month by not drinking coffee (I also included energy drinks in the cost savings). Now that’s money that I can spend on other things or put into my savings account. If you think you can save more than I can, that just shows how much more financially beneficial it is to give up coffee. If you think you will save less than me, that’s also fine too because it’s money you can be spending elsewhere (maybe you want to buy that shirt or pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing for the last month).
Closing Thoughts
Giving up coffee for a month has been quite the journey. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d last this long. I definitely think that quitting coffee for a month is worth it regardless of the reason.
I share this 1 month checkpoint as a way to share what I’ve learned. I’m not trying to convince you to give coffee up (or caffeine for that matter) because it isn’t easy; however, if you find yourself thinking about it or having a real reason to do it, I hope I’ve given you some insight and expectation for starting this detoxing journey.
If you’re considering giving up coffee for some period of time, what are you most afraid of about this journey?
If you’re already past the 1 month mark, can you tell me how hard it is at the 2 or 3 month mark?
As always,
Be Confident. Stay Curious.
