Caffeine Withdrawal Can Last Up To 9 Days

I just ran across this because I have been giving up most of my caffeine. I still manage to get some each day, but I was consuming lots of it.

At the beginning of Lent, I stopped drinking carbonated drinks. I was drinking water, sugar free lemonade and iced tea (with caffeine).
Just the other day I felt I was still getting too much, so I switched to an herbal tea, though I did drink some caffeine each day.

I’ve been wondering why I feel so tired.

Here’s what I found about Caffeine Withdrawal from Johns Hopkins.

The researchers identified five clusters of common withdrawal symptoms: headache; fatigue or drowsiness; dysphoric mood including depression and irritability; difficulty concentrating; and flu-like symptoms of nausea, vomiting and muscle pain or stiffness.  In experimental studies, 50 percent of people experienced headache and 13 percent had clinically significant distress or functional impairment — for example, severe headache and other symptoms incompatible with working.  Typically, onset of symptoms occurred 12 to 24 hours after stopping caffeine, with peak intensity between one and two days, and for a duration of two to nine days.  In general, the incidence or severity of symptoms increased with increases in daily dose, but abstinence from doses as low as 100 milligrams per day, or about one small cup of coffee, also produced symptoms.

Remember to anticipate this if you make a sudden switch from drinking virtually any amount of caffeine so it won’t completely disrupt your business.