Why am I more tired the more coffee I drink?

[Curemycaffeinism]

Ok, so this is basically why I joined this forum and why I want to either quit coffee or get down to as little as possible a day, though I don't think 1 cup or maybe 2 MAX would be an issue:

I have been trying to quit coffee for years because the more I drink the more tired I get and while I have read articles about this with some people verifying that this can happen I just don't understand why I've never actually talked to anyone personally who has this as bad as I do.

I usually drink between 4-8 1/2 cups a day and can't function without it but it's the worst thing possible for my energy.

Like today I only had one--4 hour work shift and I got a full 8 hours of sleep last night, but once work was over I felt TOTALLY drained like I had worked for 9 hours on like 5 hours of sleep.

Here's my caffeine intake today: woke up and had 2 shots of espresso near my bed, then another 1 & 1/2 (3 and 1/2 total at that point) with my breakfast.

Then I get to work and after 1 hour of really pretty simple work I am already crashing and need another 1 & 1/2 cups.

An hour later I am tired AGAIN and need another cup, and when I get home I am tired AGAIN and have another cup for 7 cups total.

I mean I just don't get why the more coffee I drink the more I need and the more terrible I feel, but all I know is that it's what happens.

Sometimes I will have 4 cups of coffee before work and when I get there I already need a cup BEFORE I EVEN START WORKING...and keep in mind that I only have a 15 minute commute...

Now I do take a little bit of Klonopin at night which negatively effects my sleep so that is part of the reason for poor sleep quality, but I don't take much and there's no reason that I should be so tired when I've gotten at least 6 hours of sleep or 8 like last night.

I have been suffering from this for years and there are even days I'll wake up thinking I don't feel too bad but because I am addicted to coffee I still have a couple cups and by the time I am drinking them...even if it's only 2 or 2 & 1/2, I already feel MORE tired than before.

I've even had co-workers sit with me while I have a couple cups of coffee at work and they remark to me that they can literally see me become more tired after I've had my coffee than I was before and I can feel it as well, so why is this and what can I do about it and has anyone else here ever experienced this before??

I know I need to quit or at least cut down to no more than 2 or 2 & 1/2 a day, but when I work this just doesn't seem possible so the best I can do is wait for when I don't have work and use Phenylalanine to cut down which has been proven to help with the withdrawal and when I do that I can make it through the day on just a couple cups but I'm not confident I can do this while working, so now that I am about to have a few weeks off for winter brak and I am determined to cut down as much as possible.

I am simply tired of being tired and dragging myself around all day because I'm a slave to caffeine and I remember that I had WAY more energy when I was younger and didn't drink it at all.

I just find it so odd that I've never met a coffee drinker who says it makes them MORE tired.

If anyone else can explain why this happens to me and how they would deal with the situation I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[Curemycaffeinism]

Well I've found a few good articles.

It certainly seems like one factor is dehydration as anyone who drinks a lot of coffee knows it can send you to the restroom a lot, but I also think I may be genetically predisposed to not breaking caffeine down quickly and that of course coupled with massive tolerance and reduction of sleep quality at night are also factors I think.

I know I need to cut down or quit, so if anyone has experienced the effect I do or has any extra input on how I can overcome my caffeine issues I'd appreciate it.

These might help with suggestions as I could use some motivating words to inspire me LOL

 

[Curemycaffeinism]

Looks like my post count had to be 5 so here are the links.

I swear to god I need to beat my caffeine addiction cause I am tired all the time and it's making it worse...

https://www.goviter.com/blogs/viter-blog/caffeine-can-make-you-tired-and-drowsy

https://driftaway.coffee/coffee-make-sleepy/

https://www.littlecoffeeplace.com/can-caffeine-make-you-tired

https://www.quora.com/Why-does-coff...r-so-Does-this-mean-I’m-tolerant-or-something

 

[topher]

I know that when my son was 2 I would give him hot chocolate before going shopping so he would fall asleep. He would be a nutter for about 10 minutes then crash. Are you getting any energy then crashing? Could it be the Klonopin? Have you spoken to your doctor about this? I would consult your doctor and see if it's your meds. If you are experiencing anxiety maybe coffee is a bad idea to start with?

 

[Curemycaffeinism]

I know that when my son was 2 I would give him hot chocolate before going shopping so he would fall asleep. He would be a nutter for about 10 minutes then crash. Are you getting any energy then crashing? Could it be the Klonopin? Have you spoken to your doctor about this? I would consult your doctor and see if it's your meds. If you are experiencing anxiety maybe coffee is a bad idea to start with?

Thanks for the response.

Well yes, PART of the reason for my tiredness is Klonopin, but I think that just as much if not more is my excessive caffeine usage and also the fact that for whatever psychological reasons I have trouble getting myself to keep a regular sleep schedule.

I think all those studies are enough proof that caffeine can also cause tiredness and that's a lot of what is happening along with the Klonopin also playing a role.

And yes, caffeine would be better for me not to use at all which is why I am trying to quit or at least get down to know more than 2 cups a day which I'd think should be fine.

Yes, I usually do get a lot of energy then crash, but how I respond to the caffeine seems dependent on some other factors like how tired I was to begin with before using it.

I have some white-coat phobia lol, so I prefer not going to see my regular doctor unless I absolutely have to, but I've spoken to MDs before.

I know I just need to do my very best to use as little caffeine and also as little Klonopin as possible, it's just how I will go about doing it that is the question, but I have some ideas already.

 

[Thehomemakers]

I think you can use decaf coffee as there is no caffeine and you shouldn't feel tired or sleepy.

 

[Thehomemakers]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, DejaVu Sans, sans-serif]It's interesting that with or without caffeine, coffee is rich in biologically active substance.that contributes to its taste, color and aroma. [/FONT]

 

[Thehomemakers]

Caffeic acid is found in coffee, as its name might suggest, however it is chemically unrelated to caffeine and shares none of its stimulant actions in the body. It is a member of a large class of chemicals found in coffee called phenols.

 

[Thehomemakers]

Caffeinated coffee can increase blood pressure and may pose a health threat to people with cardiovascular disease; fortunately, decaffeinated coffee does not pose this risk. So drink up and enjoy a good night's sleep with the knowledge that your cup of decaf is effectively protecting your brain and body.

 

[Thehomemakers]

Moreover, it's interesting how decaf coffee is made of: Decaffeinated coffee is coffee from coffee beans that have had at least 97% of their caffeine removed.

There are many ways to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Most of them include water, organic solvents or carbon dioxide.


Coffee beans are washed in the solvent until the caffeine has been extracted into it, then the solvent is removed.


The beans are decaffeinated before they are roasted and ground. The nutritional value of decaf coffee should be almost identical to regular coffee, apart from the caffeine content.

 

[Thehomemakers]

It's not hard to find decaf coffee today and it's as healthy as normal coffee. You can find a top list of instant coffee here:

http://thehomemakersjournal.com/instant-coffee/
http://thehomemakersjournal.com/best-low-acid-coffee-brand/

 

[Curemycaffeinism]

It's not hard to find decaf coffee today and it's as healthy as normal coffee. You can find a top list of instant coffee here:

http://thehomemakersjournal.com/instant-coffee/
http://thehomemakersjournal.com/best-low-acid-coffee-brand/

Thehomemakers: no offense, but I started this thread because I have a real issue which, though it might be unusual, isn't as simple as replacing with decaf.

I have a sort of OCD and anxiety disorder where I get anxiety over concerns of being too tired, which are probably exacerbated by taking Klonopin, then I drink like 8 cups a day which somehow leads to me feeling not only WAY more tired than if I hadn't had any, but also cause my anxiety to worsen.

If it was as easy as switching to decaf I'd have done it by now but when I try to quit cold turkey I get MASSIVELY exhausted and depressed for upwards of 2 weeks and I'm non-functional and I eventually give in. I'm going to try a VERY slow taper as it's the best thing I can think of.

I feel like you have kind of hijacked my thread to talk a lot about decaf and it wasn't what I intended, even though I know you mean well.

What I REALLY wanted was an actual scientific explanation for why a person who drinks way too much coffee might find it making them MORE tired in the end, and while I found SOME reasons I have still been unable to get a truly good explanation or find someone else who has experienced the same thing.

That's the reason I started this thread and also why I joined this forum: because I wanted to find other people who'd experienced this issue of feeling MORE tired the more coffee they drink, and who could explain exactly WHY this is scientifically possible.

Thanks

 

[Curemycaffeinism]

Well I'm gonna make yet another strong attempt tomorrow to start weaning myself off of caffeine.

I wish more people on here had experienced what I do with feeling much more exhausted and worn out on a daily basis with caffeine as a major culprit or knew someone who had who you could reference.

If anyone has, PLEASE respond.

One thing that seems like it should be an obvious answer, is that too much caffeine in one's system probably really messes with one's sleep quality, and since I always have some in my system I think I never really get the quality REM sleep I should and then I'm more tired so I drink more coffee than I should and the cycle continues.

Obviously my anxiety and depression issues play a roll, as well as the fact that I take Klonopin and have TERRIBLE sleep hygiene and don't wake up regularly at the same time or go to sleep at the same time which I know I need to change.

I remember when I was in high school and didn't drink coffee I had WAY more natural energy than I do now.

I'm still trying to see if there is anyone on this forum who thinks they feel like they have LESS energy when they drink coffee then when they don't or knows anyone who feels that way or can explain the phenomena.

Is there anyone else on this forum who finds the caffeine crash to be a problem or who thinks they are more tired now that they drink coffee than they used to be when they were caffeine free and who has any tips to how to completely quit coffee and stay off it??

Thanks

 

[Ter99344]

I haad this effect too i think its cause your body is trying to be in equilibrium.