Parting with my daily caffeine fix was something I never imagined myself doing. I love the taste of coffee – and like a lot of people, getting a Pret first thing was like a morning ritual. Before I quit, I was drinking three coffees every morning. But today, I'm one of the 1 in 5 coffee drinkers now regularly reaching for decaf.
It all started back in November 2023 when I was walking to work – I began experiencing regular episodes of heart palpitations. Whether this was entirely caffeine related or not, it was incredibly scary. I wondered: were my morning coffees taking their toll? I'd been thinking about reducing my caffeine intake anyway, after a few colleagues said going decaf had helped with their low-level anxiety.
It felt like something I needed to give a try, and so, the caffeine cut-off began – leading me to a different addiction that I did not expect.
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After weighing up my options and the potential benefits, I decided to go cold turkey and switch out my usual lattes for decaf alternatives. Before I knew it, I was a daily ‘decaffer’. I even cut out Coca Cola and switched to decaffeinated tea as a placebo, which was nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be.
Admittedly, for the first week and a half, I had a few persistent headaches and felt more tired than usual. The only way I managed to get through it was by drinking lots of water, taking paracetamol if it got too much, or sneaking in a lunchtime nap when working from home. But that all quickly subsided.
While there have been a couple of moments over the past year when I've felt like I really needed a caffeine fix (a hangover after dancing a little too hard the night before probably doesn't help), I've honestly found the switch away from caffeine pretty easy. The decaf placebo seems to always work its magic.
But the most notable benefit of going caffeine-free has been my lowered anxiety levels. Over a year ago, if I was getting ready for work, I would find myself getting worked up because I couldn’t find a missing sock, or panicking if the tube was delayed. It was incredibly easy to get stressed out, and I felt my mental state was constantly agitated – I'd go on to snap at my partner for stupid reasons. But now, I feel much calmer. Now, when I need to complete an urgent work task, I keep my calm and get the job done without the usual fireworks going off in my head.
“Caffeine acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system by acting on adenosine receptors," says Dr Jack Mao, known for Channel 5’s GPs Behind Closed Doors. “At lower doses, it can have a positive effect by releasing adrenaline, which can lead to feelings of alertness and increased energy. However at higher doses, it can cause feelings of restlessness, insomnia, irritability and palpitations, all of which are common symptoms of anxiety.”
This makes sense, as I've also said goodbye to the infamous 3pm slump, too. I used to get super tired at the office in the afternoons. But now, a peppermint tea carries me through the entire afternoon. Don’t get me wrong, there could be lots of different factors at play here – perhaps I'm eating a more balanced diet or sleeping better – but I have definitely noticed the difference as my body no longer requires an intense caffeine boost from coffee.
Of course, there have been moments where I've had a bit more caffeine than intended (like when Patrón XO Cafe Tequila decided to make a return to bars at the end of last year). After all, caffeine is found in much more things than just coffee. “Caffeine is more common than people think,” explains Katherine McCarthy, a Coffee Q-Grader at UCC Coffee. “It's found in all types of tea, coffee, many fizzy drinks including energy drinks, chocolate and even pharmaceuticals.”
McCarthy goes on to explain that coffee consumption can become a vicious cycle. “If you're working long hours or not sleeping enough, you might consume more caffeine, which in turn can result in a lower quality and quantity of sleep,” she says. This explains why I often found myself trapped in the cycle of caffeine highs and lows.
How much caffeine is in what I'm drinking?
Whether or not you want to cut down on your caffeine intake, it's good to know how much caffeine is in what you drink or eat. The average person should limit their caffeine intake to 400 mg per day. But according to McCarthy, “It is hard to talk about specific caffeine content in coffee, as it depends on a variety of things”, including:
- Blend composition (Robusta generally has a higher caffeine content than Arabica)
- Brewing method/time (higher contact time with the coffee can extract more caffeine, coffee grind will also impact as the finer the grind the higher the surface area)
- Coffee recipe (the more coffee you use in the drink, the more caffeine you can extract)
It's worth noting that nothing will ever be 100% caffeine free (the acceptable level for this is 0.1% caffeine), and that as McCarthy points out, “there is no real benefit to drinking decaf coffee because you actually lose chlorogenic acid (an antioxidant found in coffee beans) when coffee is decaffeinated – but if you're trying to cut down your caffeine intake, decaf is still a great way to drink your favourite cup of coffee.”
In the end, switching to decaf didn’t just change my mornings; it transformed my mindset. I will be sticking to decaf, and continue on this mellow journey where everything seems to flow a lot easier. Cutting down on alcohol is the next big thing to work on. Just after I’ve found a bar that will make me a low-alcohol decaf espresso martini.
