Going Caffeine Free

I have never been a big coffee drinker. I have a hand tremor (a hereditary form of essential tremor) and I was aware that drinking coffee made it worse. But it took me a long time to understand that my three or four cups of tea each day were also having an impact, and not just on my tremor.

The lightbulb moment came while chatting to a good friend of mine, who is a physiotherapist. She had been feeling generally anxious, for no specific reason, and had been experiencing heart palpitations. She told me that she had been to see her doctor to discuss anti-anxiety medication and he had asked about her caffeine intake. It suddenly dawned on her that at each patient’s house she was offered a cup of tea and that she usually accepted. She realised that this must be adding up to a lot of caffeine each day and decided to see what happened if she cut it out. It completely solved the problem! 

And so, choosing my moment carefully, I decided to give it a try. Even as someone who didn’t drink a huge amount of caffeine, the first few days were quite tough. I felt tired, sluggish and headachy. But that passed pretty quickly and a week or so later I felt amazing! I was happier and calmer, my sleep improved, and it definitely helped to reduce my tremor. And perhaps one of the biggest benefits, which I hadn’t anticipated, was that my energy levels became much more constant; I no longer experienced those peaks and troughs that caffeine creates. This solved the tricky dilemma of what to do when you’re having an afternoon energy dip and “need a coffee” but also know that this could be detrimental to your performance that evening. 

Luckily there are now some really good decaf options available, so I still get to enjoy my cups of tea and coffee! Not everyone is as sensitive to caffeine as me, but the benefits to both my wellbeing and my performances have been huge, so it felt like something that I wanted to share.