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Michael Pollan on habitual caffeine use

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downwardsfromzero said:
...Sometimes I round things off with a mug of a high-theanine variety which is so relaxing during the daytime that I usually have to take a nap after drinking it.
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What are a 'high-theanine variety'? I thought that green yea is generally high in theanine but according yo wikipedia and this study there seems to be more in cheap loose black tea.

My own caffeine habits are to start the day with some Yerba mate after breakfast. I've thought that mate didn't effect the mineral absorption negatively as black or green tea does when taken together with food, but now when doing sore reading on the subject it seems like it's almost as bad. Being vegan I like to get as the minerals (like iron) as I can. Now I have tho think about changing my morning drink :)

Then at the middle of the day I always grind my home roasted coffee beans for one cup of drip coffee. That is as close to a daily ritual I have.
 
2 cups of coffee/day for me, 3 if I need to push through tiredness. Used to do one day with caffeine, then 1 - 2 days off. It was effective for avoiding tolerance and without withdrawal effects. 2 days on is enough to put me in withdrawal (mild of course) the next day.

Does anyone else get problems with insomnia when using L-theanine? I used to use ~200mg with no issue (and really appreciated it), now 100mg will consistently cause me to wake at 2 - 3am. I have very few issues with sleep otherwise.
 
murklan said:
downwardsfromzero said:
...Sometimes I round things off with a mug of a high-theanine variety which is so relaxing during the daytime that I usually have to take a nap after drinking it.
Click to expand...

What are a 'high-theanine variety'? I thought that green yea is generally high in theanine but according to wikipedia and this study there seems to be more in cheap loose black tea.

[...]
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Sorry, missed this question until now...

Basically I tried out the range of teas from my favorite local tea merchant and there was one particular single estate Ceylon black tea that consistently seemed to nearly knock me out instead of perking me up a bit like most other good black teas do. Thus the claim that it's a high theanine variety is speculative until backed up with an analysis. And so I hope people will forgive me for sticking my neck out a bit far with that.
 
Between reading this discussion here, another one elsewhere, and having two coworkers talking about trying to quit caffeine it was on my mind. Two months ago I decided to quit it mostly just to prove that I could, to see if it was tough, and see if I actually felt any different or if people were just patting themselves on the back over quitting what they perceived to be a bad habit.

I found completely quitting coffee drinking didn't work as I needed another beverage but didn't want to drink anything else. I switched to drinking decaf instant coffee which allowed me to continue the drinking habit though I would say I have cut down on drinking even that as well. Firstly, I had no withdrawal symptoms as far as I could tell. From being a heavy coffee drinker for the past several years and moderate for years before that to essentially cold turkey and I didn't really notice anything negative. I think day 3 I took a late afternoon nap and other than the change was quite imperceptible at first.

After not too long I began to pick up on a pattern though, I was falling asleep much faster at night and I was waking up feeling well rested. Yes, my sleep absolutely changed for the better. I had no idea caffeine was affecting my sleep so much, I mostly did this to prove to myself that caffeine wasn't all that big a deal but found out it had been affecting my sleep quite significantly. The biggest negative change is I don't get to lay in bed listening to relaxing videos at night anymore, I just get in bed and go to sleep. When I wake up too, I seriously feel fresh, I was so used to those days where I woke up feeling like a zombie I thought that's just how I was in the morning some days, turns out not. I've been getting up and I've been feeling good. I really can't recall not feeling above average in the morning for the last 2 months, that's pretty amazing to me.

I have decided I will still allow myself caffeine before a morning workout or physical activity if I want to go hard, otherwise I plan to stay away from caffeine from now on except when specifically called for, no habitual use. I don't plan on going around and telling everyone they need to quit caffeine now, but boy am I happy I tried quitting it myself. Thanks to everyone in this thread for being part of the discussion that sparked me trying this change!
 
RowRowRowYourBoat said:
Between reading this discussion here, another one elsewhere, and having two coworkers talking about trying to quit caffeine it was on my mind. Two months ago I decided to quit it mostly just to prove that I could, to see if it was tough, and see if I actually felt any different or if people were just patting themselves on the back over quitting what they perceived to be a bad habit.

I found completely quitting coffee drinking didn't work as I needed another beverage but didn't want to drink anything else. I switched to drinking decaf instant coffee which allowed me to continue the drinking habit though I would say I have cut down on drinking even that as well. Firstly, I had no withdrawal symptoms as far as I could tell. From being a heavy coffee drinker for the past several years and moderate for years before that to essentially cold turkey and I didn't really notice anything negative. I think day 3 I took a late afternoon nap and other than the change was quite imperceptible at first.

After not too long I began to pick up on a pattern though, I was falling asleep much faster at night and I was waking up feeling well rested. Yes, my sleep absolutely changed for the better. I had no idea caffeine was affecting my sleep so much, I mostly did this to prove to myself that caffeine wasn't all that big a deal but found out it had been affecting my sleep quite significantly. The biggest negative change is I don't get to lay in bed listening to relaxing videos at night anymore, I just get in bed and go to sleep. When I wake up too, I seriously feel fresh, I was so used to those days where I woke up feeling like a zombie I thought that's just how I was in the morning some days, turns out not. I've been getting up and I've been feeling good. I really can't recall not feeling above average in the morning for the last 2 months, that's pretty amazing to me.

I have decided I will still allow myself caffeine before a morning workout or physical activity if I want to go hard, otherwise I plan to stay away from caffeine from now on except when specifically called for, no habitual use. I don't plan on going around and telling everyone they need to quit caffeine now, but boy am I happy I tried quitting it myself. Thanks to everyone in this thread for being part of the discussion that sparked me trying this change!
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That's interesting. But can i ask how much coffee you where drinking during the day?
 
abecedarian said:
At some point I decided I was old and I'd try to stick to decaf in the evenings. mMmM French Vanilla
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But is't old people known for odd coffee effects? I've met many that have no problems with sleeping after having coffee late. My friends mother even gets up in the night for a cup!
 
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