Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCaffeine AlternativesManagementQuitting CaffeineFAQ
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Caffeine Alternatives
Management
Quitting Caffeine
FAQ
Caffeinewithdrawalcan happen to people who habitually drink caffeinated beverages. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms vary from person to person, but can include headaches, fatigue, lack of energy, and more.
Caffeine is a chemical substance usually found naturally in some plants and can be used as a stimulant for thecentral nervous system. While coffee is the most popular form of caffeine, tea and caffeinated sodas are also quite common.
This article explains the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal and introduces caffeine alternatives to give you the energy boost you’re looking for. It also addresses how to quit caffeine and deal with caffeine withdrawal.
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Is Caffeine Addictive?Even though it is popularly known as anaddiction, caffeine is not necessarily addictive. Caffeine causes a small increase in dopamine, which isn’t enough to cause an addiction. Because coffee makes people more alert than normal, caffeine is more of a stimulant.
Is Caffeine Addictive?
Even though it is popularly known as anaddiction, caffeine is not necessarily addictive. Caffeine causes a small increase in dopamine, which isn’t enough to cause an addiction. Because coffee makes people more alert than normal, caffeine is more of a stimulant.
Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
If you frequently consume caffeine, you may develop tolerance to its effects, which can lead tophysical or even psychological dependence. After you stop consuming caffeine, you may experience what’s known as caffeine withdrawal syndrome.
Caffeine withdrawal symptoms vary from very mild to extreme levels. The consequences of caffeine consumption increase with each daily dose. Even the sudden end to caffeine intake in small amounts causes withdrawal symptoms.
Headaches
Studies have shown that the occurrence of a headache is about 50%.Symptoms usually appear 12 to 24 hours after abstinence from caffeine, peak at 20 to 51 hours, and may go on for two to nine days.
During caffeine withdrawal, your body becomes more sensitive toadenosine. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger in the brain that relaxes you and makes you feel sleepy. Caffeine competes with adenosine, occupying the adenosine receptors.
Over time, your body produces more adenosine receptors in response to caffeine. Once you take caffeine out of the equation, adenosine can fully utilize all the receptors—old and new. Headaches and migraines can happen during caffeine withdrawal because adenosine binds to the receptors in the networks that trigger these attacks.
What Is Caffeine Withdrawal Headache?
Fatigue
Fatigue can be one of the more enduring caffeine withdrawal symptoms, lasting for up to a nine or 10 days.
Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for this symptom. Getting enough sleep, however, can help combat the effects of fatigue from caffeine withdrawal and make you feel more refreshed at the start of your day.
Drowsiness
Caffeine is a stimulant. It helps you feel more alert and energized. When you stop using it, you’re not getting the stimulus your body is used to. This can cause you to feel drowsy.
When you don’t have caffeine in your system blocking adenosine receptors, your body’s natural response to adenosine is to get sleepy.
Poor Concentration
Caffeine can boost concentration. It can make you feel sharp and more focused. When your brain isn’t getting that perk from caffeine, you may find it difficult to concentrate. You may also have a hard time concentrating when you’re experiencing other withdrawal symptoms.
Depression
Adepressed moodis one of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal.Symptoms are a loss of interest or pleasure in things that once made you happy. It’s not the same as depression, however. In clinical depression, the symptoms last nearly every day for at least two weeks.
If you regularly consume caffeine and then stop, you’re not getting the stimulant your body has become used to. Not having this boost can make you feel down.
Some scientific research suggests that because caffeine is a stimulant, it can actually protect against depression—up to a certain dose.
People who do have depression may want to avoid heavy caffeine use on a long-term basis. Not only can excessive caffeine intake make depression symptoms worse, but so can caffeine withdrawal in people with caffeine use disorder.
Anxiety
If you’re going through caffeine withdrawal, you may noticeanxiety, which can happen due to physiological and psychological reasons.You might also feel anxious simply because you’re stressed about not getting your morning cup of Joe.
One scientific study found people who use large amounts of caffeine on a regular basis reported experiencing higher levels of anxiety and stress when going through caffeine withdrawal.
Irritability
Irritabilityis a common caffeine withdrawal symptom.You may find that you have less patience than normal and are easily annoyed.
Caffeine stimulatesdopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps you feel happy.When you stop getting that feel-good boost from the combination of caffeine and dopamine, you may feel moodier than normal.
Like the other withdrawal symptoms, irritability, too, will pass after your body readjusts.
Nausea and Vomiting
Gastrointestinal symptoms of caffeine withdrawal include nausea and vomiting. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s especially important to stay well hydrated.
Other Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
Other symptoms of caffeine withdrawal include:
Verywell / Joules Garcia
Natural caffeine is usually found in natural substances such as coffee, cocoa, tea,guarana, and yerba mate.
Unfortunately, too much caffeine consumption could cause anxiety, dizziness,insomnia, restlessness and shakiness, fast heart rate, dehydration, headaches, and dependency.
Try Going Caffeine-FreeLooking to cut back on your caffeine intake? Try some of these caffeine-free beverage options:Chicory rootcoffeeMaca root powderDandelion root teaLemon waterHerbal or rooibos teaSmoothiesGolden milkCarob powder (a replacement for cacao powder)Cordyceps(a fungi that is regarded as an energy booster)
Try Going Caffeine-Free
Looking to cut back on your caffeine intake? Try some of these caffeine-free beverage options:Chicory rootcoffeeMaca root powderDandelion root teaLemon waterHerbal or rooibos teaSmoothiesGolden milkCarob powder (a replacement for cacao powder)Cordyceps(a fungi that is regarded as an energy booster)
Looking to cut back on your caffeine intake? Try some of these caffeine-free beverage options:
I Tried Swapping Coffee for Dandelion Tea. It’s About Balance
Here are some alternatives to caffeine that can still give you the energy boost you’re looking for.
Increase Physical Activity
The goal is to get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week. It’s best to break up exercise throughout the week instead of doing it all at once.This may translate to 30 minutes of activity on five days out of the week.
Adopt Healthy Eating Habits
What you eat determines, to some extent, how you feel. However, it’s not just about what you eat, but also how you eat. Here’s how you can increase energy levels through eating:
Get Good Sleep
Not getting enough sleep or getting poor-quality sleep can leave you feeling tired and lethargic throughout the day. Everyone’s sleep needs are different, but most adults need about seven hours a night.
Sleep conditions likesleep apneacan cause disrupted sleep and may wake you up multiple times during the night. Heavy snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea and warrants a visit with a healthcare provider or sleep specialist.
When you wake feeling well rested, you won’t need that caffeinated beverage to get you going in the morning.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Carrying extra weight around means your body is working harder. Your energy levels go down when extra weight causes your heart to work harder and increases blood pressure.
Reduce Stress
Unfortunately, stress is an unavoidable part of life. Stress can cause your energy levels to plummet and can lead to depression. If you’ve got low energy and a lot of stress in your life, managing your stress can help you get your energy back up.
Tips for managing stress include taking regular physical activity breaks,meditating, taking time off, and doing things you enjoy.
How to Manage Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
Caffeine withdrawal symptoms can be managed rapidly with caffeine. If you’re starting to feel the effects of caffeine withdrawal, even a small amount of caffeine can help counteract them.
If you’re staying away from caffeine altogether, here are other fixes for caffeine withdrawal symptoms:
How to Quit Caffeine
The most important tip toquit caffeineis to reduce your caffeine intake gradually. Quitting abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms.
Caffeine withdrawal happens because your body has become dependent on a substance. Over time, you work up a tolerance to this substance, and, with time, you can wean your body off it. While the timeframe can vary, it can take about 10 days to fully be free of the effects of caffeine withdrawal.
Here are some tips for how you can quit caffeine and prevent withdrawal symptoms:
Summary
A sudden cessation of caffeine consumption can lead to withdrawal. Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal include headaches, drowsiness, depression, and anxiety. It’s best to cut back consumption slowly to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you regularly consume large doses of caffeine, there could be long-term negative effects. Long-term use of caffeine (more than 4 cups of coffee a day) can cause sleep problems, anxiety, ulcers, irritability, headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and other symptoms.In most cases, these effects go away when you cut back on caffeine consumption or stop using caffeine.
People who have anxiety should avoid caffeine as it can make anxiety symptoms worse.
Also, people with diarrhea should avoid consuming caffeine, especially if the drink is sweetened with certain sugars. Caffeine can have alaxativeeffect and lead to diarrhea, as canartificial sweeteners, like sorbitol.
Learn MoreThe Effects of Caffeine on Teenagers
The more caffeine you consume, the longer it will take for it to get out of your system. Caffeine has a half-life of about four to six hours, but that can range from one-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half hours.The half-life is the amount of time it takes for your body to eliminate half of the caffeine you consumed. So if you had a cup of coffee containing 100 mg of caffeine, after about five hours, you would have roughly 50 mg left in your system. After another five hours, you would have about 25 mg remaining, and so on.
The more caffeine you consume, the longer it will take for it to get out of your system. Caffeine has a half-life of about four to six hours, but that can range from one-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half hours.
The half-life is the amount of time it takes for your body to eliminate half of the caffeine you consumed. So if you had a cup of coffee containing 100 mg of caffeine, after about five hours, you would have roughly 50 mg left in your system. After another five hours, you would have about 25 mg remaining, and so on.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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