Steps To Quit Caffeine

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Consumption of Caffeine is promoted as a stimulant to your fatigued body and mind. In moderation, caffeine intake is highly effective and healthy. Sometimes people get addicted to its stimulating properties and start to consume in excess to gain some extra bit of time to work or stay active. Such addiction leads to health complications such as nervousness, anxiety, muscle twitching and irregular heartbeats. In today's lifestyle, many people tend to push themselves to the limit of their ability. Many tend to use caffeine and caffeinated energy drinks to achieve that extra bit to stay ahead. Once addicted, quitting caffeine is not an easy task.

Caffeine is more aptly defined as a mood altering stimulant drug. However caffeine's mechanism of action is somewhat different from that of many other addictive drugs, such as cocaine or the amphetamines. Addiction to caffeine starts of seamlessly without being a noticeable change. However, if the consumption of caffeine increases by more than 300mg per day, the health hazards starts to kick in. It turns to addiction and requires effort to quit caffeine.

Potential caffeine addiction leads to mood altering and anxiety disorder. Intake of caffeine is not restricted to just coffee and tea, lots of colas and energy drinks are packed with caffeine concentrates that pile up without being noticed. It is important to restrict the intake of such caffeine laced energy drinks that have more caffeine content than same quantity of coffee. This misleads many people into having more caffeine than they would have noticed.

Alternates
First step to quitting caffeine and its addiction is to divert yourself with some healthy alternatives that do a similar job as caffeine. There are many alternatives such as green tea, chamomile tea etc. It is important to make the transition in a phased manner with little replacements going forward before making a big switch.

Divert
More often, people tend to depend on caffeine to stay focused for longer periods of time. You can start by diverting your mind or taking some time off each time there is a urge to have coffee or any caffeinated drink to do something that is interesting. Things like a game on mobile, checking viral videos on YouTube etc help you rejuvenate without depending on caffeine.

Diet
Many people tend to consume caffeinated drinks to beat fatigue and boost energy. There are lots of dietary options available that can boost your energy and alleviate you mood. Foremost mood alleviating and energy boosting food is banana. Other foods such as salmon, eggs, walnuts etc. help you with some extra energy and make you less dependent on caffeine. This helps you quit caffeine much easily.

Power naps
Most reasons given to consume caffeine in large quantities is to beat afternoon fatigues or to extend sleeping hour at night by few notches. You can opt for power naps in between work and even during evening breaks to help you rejuvenate and get your mind and thoughts refreshed in a chemical free way. Power naps can effectively replace caffeinated drinks by doing major part of its task. This helps you quit caffeine.

Sleep well
Major cause for fatigue and loss of energy in people is due to lack of sleep. A timely and adequate sleep is essential for you to recoup at the end of each day. Lack of sleep causes you to depend on caffeine in more ways than you can imagine. All the symptoms of lack of sleep are covered by your next day's caffeine intake. Hence, sleeping for a minimum of 6-8 hours each night helps you quit caffeine by reducing the need to depend on it.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.