Life without caffeine
January 22, 2015 5:31 AM   Subscribe

Gave up caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea) a month ago and it's been great, except my eyelids and entire face feel heavy in early afternoon. If you are a caffeine-free person, how do you keep your energy up?

So far, I use exercise, splash of cold water, and peppermint as wake-ups. I eat right and sleep well. Any other ideas? Might I just need more time to adjust? I have no trouble with early mornings, it's just a 2 or 3 PM slump that is a little embarrassing.
posted by little_dog_laughing to Health & Fitness (20 answers total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
Fewer carbs and more protein at lunch? I always get a post-prandial slump an hour or two after eating.
posted by tinkletown at 5:35 AM on January 22, 2015 [5 favorites]


I find it easier to stay awake when I'm doing something interesting. So, perhaps counter-intuitively, I try to do work that makes me think.
posted by d. z. wang at 5:46 AM on January 22, 2015


How's your water intake? I find hydration to be a big part of energy.

Most people have a slump in the middle of their day, usually around 2 pm. But it shouldn't feel debilitating.
posted by zennie at 5:54 AM on January 22, 2015 [2 favorites]


Here's what I'd do:

- Avoid sugar and starch at lunch and breakfast. Have just a tiny bit if you need to.

- When sleepy time happens, go out into my car, or into a bathroom stall, and close my eyes for 7 or 12 minutes (whatever feels right). I call this a "naplet". If you do it just before a short mid-day walk, so much the better.
posted by amtho at 5:55 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


The biggest thing for me has been using a standing desk and getting enough sleep. Smaller lunches help. And if your workplace will tolerate, it a 20-minute nap (less time than the average person spends getting coffee every day, probably) can do wonders as well.
posted by ropeladder at 5:58 AM on January 22, 2015


I drink coffee, but only first thing in the morning (including as I type this, in fact). If I'm crashing at 2pm, that's because I didn't get enough sleep and need to be getting more. One of the things that caffeine works for is as a crutch when you are low on sleep, so without the caffeine you may be having to face your sleep debt unaided. Some people take naps, but if there are things I absolutely need to get done, feeling tired like that is my cue to have a small snack (in case my blood sugar is low as well) and go for a walk. It doesn't magically make me less tired, but it seems to give my body enough stimulation to make it through the rest of the afternoon.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:11 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


Ten to twenty minute nap.

Or, a small piece of dark chocolate, a tall glass of ice water, and a walk.
posted by daveliepmann at 6:11 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


I drink tea (which has less caffeine) and only first thing in the morning. No caffeine after 10 AM is my rule.

One of the things that makes me sleepy is spending the whole day sitting on my rear in a typical sealed-up office. By the time afternoon rolls around, I'm in desperate need of exercise, fresh air, and sunlight. I try to take a walk in the afternoon around 2 or 3 PM - even a short stroll around the block helps a lot. So see if you can take a short walk in the afternoons.

Your lunch should be light on the processed carbs and heavy on the protein and good fats. For me, a plate of pasta might as well be a sleeping pill. Grilled chicken or shrimp and a salad with full-fat dressing and nuts gives me plenty of energy. If I want an afternoon snack, I have a handful of almonds or a piece of string cheese, not a candy bar.

Drink plenty of water. Dehydration will make you feel sleepy. Coffee and soda will just dehydrate you further - and, in the case of soda, will cause your blood sugar to spike and crash.

If you didn't get enough good sleep the night before, you might feel sleepy in the afternoon. Be sure you are getting enough sleep - most people need from 7 to 9 hours per night.

If all else fails, find a quiet room and take a little cat-nap - no more than 20 minutes. You don't want to sleep deeply, just rest a bit.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:25 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


Miso soup.
posted by janey47 at 7:03 AM on January 22, 2015


I just don't think there's anyway that we as humans AREN'T going to be tired either after lunch or in that terrible hour in the winter as it starts to get dark at like 3:30. How on earth could that be embarrassing? That's just hormones, mechanics, sugars and nature conspiring. My god, I was snoring on the office couch mid-day the other week.

I feel like after a month, you have acclimated pretty much. This is just who you are, or at least, who you are in relation to how you're currently eating, sleeping and exercising.

Giving up coffee made my ability to nap a superpower though! The 20-minute nap is life-changing. The first step would be, if possible, sticking a nap into that sweet spot.

Even better, if it's possible, is arranging your day into two days. This is much easier to do when you're off coffee. You just implement a long nap, and you have Day One from like dawn to 3 p.m., and Day Two from like 5 p.m. to midnight. I did this pretty well for a couple years and I was monstrously productive.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 7:04 AM on January 22, 2015 [4 favorites]


Best answer: I will sometimes get up and take a walk, or do something to get my heart rate up. I also have a "Get Charged" caffeine free tea from the Republic of Tea that is supposed to give me energy, so on days when I'm really feeling sluggish, I have some of that.
posted by needlegrrl at 7:24 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


Mid afternoon is totally snack time. Protein is best for lasting energy: yogurt, cottage cheese, PB or cheese & crackers or fruit, jerky (meat or vegan), nuts.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:27 AM on January 22, 2015 [2 favorites]


I'm not caffeine free but I never get a 3 o clock slump since I started eating fairly low carb lunches years ago. Salads, sushi instead of sandwiches, pizza, pasta etc.
posted by zutalors! at 7:39 AM on January 22, 2015


Best answer: - Try Avoiding Sugar

Also read the book 'It Starts With Food'

Puts into perspective a healthy diet, and why we should avoid certain foods.
posted by MechEng at 8:53 AM on January 22, 2015


I'm going through a similar issue right now. I've been a week without energy drinks right now and it feels like it's killing me slowly! I'm just trying to keep reminding myself that if I made it one day, I can make it another.
posted by LostInTime at 8:55 AM on January 22, 2015


Myself and just about everyone in my office goes through a slump between 2 and 3 pm, no matter what their caffeine intake. My coworker and I will look at eachother around 2:30 and say "Uhhggg, it's 2:30!" It's just how it happens. Snack on some protein and maybe a bit of carbs, go on a walk, stretch, etc.
posted by Crystalinne at 9:24 AM on January 22, 2015


Taking B Vitamins seems to give me a bit of extra energy (not sure how much is really just a placebo effect though).
posted by Shadow Boxer at 11:15 AM on January 22, 2015


Lemon and ginger (herbal) tea. For me, it's amazing stuff. Some of them (Twinings, for example) have licorice or fennel in, which doesn't work great for me, but the Celestial Seasonings one doesn't (and likewise the much cheaper supermarket own brand ones in the UK).
posted by ambrosen at 12:20 PM on January 22, 2015


To stimulate/maintain general alertness in college, my go-to move (aside from popping mints) was to just act alert; eyes open wide, fidgeting, rapid toe tapping... just pretending I was caffeinated could sometimes replicate the actual feeling of being caffeinated. YMMV.
posted by onehundredand80 at 8:54 PM on January 22, 2015


Stay hydrated by making sure to bring a water bottle to work to drink at your desk. Add a little bit of lemon or lime juice to the water—both the scent and the flavor are supposed to improve mental focus and boost your energy.
posted by cheerwine at 10:13 PM on January 22, 2015


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