Weeks ago, I found it hard to fall asleep at night. Even though I was able to get to sleep, I would normally wake up within 3 hours. Sometimes, even worse, I would stay awake all night. This issue freaked me out because I never had this kind of experience before.
I had mentioned to my Japanese teacher that I bought a coffee marker which she instantly pointed out maybe that was the reason I could not sleep. I did not believe that at the moment because I thought my body had already got used to caffeine. I was drinking coffee like water since I was 15, and this was where my confidence came from. Nevertheless, I tried not to drink any coffee in the evening. Surprisingly, my sleep problem was improved though I was still only getting 3 hours of sleep time.
Days ago, I decide to free myself from caffeine entirely. Everything worked out fine. I finally could get a perfect 6 hours of sleep time. Being able to wake up in the morning never made me so happy. I t was almost a luxury that I got a total of 10 hours of sleep time the next day. They were some of the most relaxing days this year.
However, I soon realized other issues. First, the strong headaches. It felt like a hangover, but more painful. I gained 2 kg almost instantly. I became more sensitive to pain than before. Also, my productivity stayed at a low level as if I lost all my motivations. I guessed all of them were no more than withdrawal symptoms, so I waited several days. Unfortunately, most of the symptoms remained except for the headaches.
I do not have too much time to do experiments on my body because there are so many tasks I have to deal with. Thus, I decide to end my “quitting caffeine cold turkey” today and drink coffee again. I have to admit in the past 9 months I went too far in abusing caffeine. Nor only coffee, but I also intake caffeine though energy drinks and caffeine pills. I was overdosing on caffeine every day, and easily doubling the safety limitation. If there was an important event, I would push myself even further.
Now this is the outcome I made – I became a broken man without caffeine. I am not sure whether this “damage” is permanent, but definitely a warning.