When I worked full-time at an office, I always looked forward to the occasional afternoon break to grab a coffee drink with a colleague. I viewed it as a special treat – a chance to get away from my desk, chat with a friend and get an energy boost.
Before I knew it, my special treat became a daily habit to get through the day. On days when I couldn’t get away, I paid someone else to bring the coffee to me.
At first, it seemed like a harmless quick energy fix, but what I didn’t know was that treating myself with caffeine was worsening my fatigue and overall well-being. My “treat” fostered a daily cycle of energy highs and lows.
Here’s what I learned about late-afternoon caffeine and why it may actually increase your fatigue, plus tips to help you drop your late-afternoon caffeine habit.
Caffeine Depletes Essential Nutrients
If you haven’t read Stacy’s blog post from earlier this month about energy metabolism, she explains how the body converts our food into nutrients for energy. It’s well-known that caffeine is a diuretic which means it increases fluid loss, and, with the fluid, increases the excretion of B vitamins and certain minerals. [1] If these nutrients continue to be depleted because of our daily caffeine intake, it can lead to muscle weakness, brain fog and persistent low energy levels.
Caffeine Disrupts Sleep Quality
Caffeine has a half-life of 5 – 6 hours, which means that it stays in your body hours after its consumed. A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine [2] found that consuming caffeine even 6 hours prior to bedtime may double the time it takes to fall asleep and reduce total sleep time by more than 40 minutes. It concludes “…if experienced over multiple nights, [caffeine] may have detrimental effects on daytime function.”
Therefore, even if you’re able to fall asleep quickly after consuming caffeine, it may reduce sleep quality, so you’ll wake up less refreshed. This may lead to you wanting more caffeine the next morning.
Caffeine Leads to Dehydration & Digestive Issues
As mentioned above, caffeine acts as a diuretic which leads to fluid loss. If you’re not refreshing yourself with water throughout the day, this can lead to mild dehydration which, in turn, can lead to fatigue.
For those with sensitive digestive systems, caffeine can also irritate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, which may cause bloating, acid reflux or other GI symptoms.
If you would like to reduce your dependency on late-afternoon caffeine, here are some tips you can try today:
Move & Breathe for a Natural Energy Boost
You can increase your alertness naturally by moving and breathing to boost circulation and oxygen flow. Moving includes stretching, walking outside or around the office or doing a few squats. Box breathing, also known as 4-4-4-4, is a simple technique where you inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4 and hold again for 4.
Even a 5-minute mindfulness meditation can reset your nervous system and improve focus, which keeps stress from draining your energy. The best natural energy boost? Combine deep breathing while walking outside!
Decrease Caffeine Gradually & Stay Hydrated to Reduce Headaches
Gradually stepping down your caffeine intake can help avoid headaches from withdrawal.
To cut back gradually, reduce your caffeine intake one or one-half cup at a time until you are only consuming your caffeine in the morning. Substitute your afternoon coffee with black and/or green tea (both of which have caffeine, but less than coffee) for several days. Once you feel stable, substitute again with herbals teas or electrolytes. Staying well hydrated throughout the day is another key to avoiding withdrawal headaches.
One note of caution if you choose electrolytes: Watch the amount of sugar included as you don’t want to trade one habit (caffeine) for another (sugar). One good brand of electrolytes is LMNT https://drinklmnt.com/ which contains a small amount of stevia. A good goal to aim for is to drink plain water without any additives as the bulk of your daily liquid intake.
Eat Good-Quality Protein at Every Meal
Eating protein at every meal, including breakfast and snacks, will help you stay satiated longer and even out any energy crashes you may experience after reducing your caffeine intake. Examples of good protein snacks are hard-boiled eggs and beef jerky sticks.
If your energy level takes a few days to even out, you may be tempted to reach for something with sugar to give yourself a quick boost, but you could be trading caffeine for the blood sugar rollercoaster. Choose a protein snack instead. If you need help avoiding sugar, read our Sugar blog series here. [Add link to 1st Sugar blog]
Going Cold-Turkey
If you choose to go cold-turkey to break your afternoon habit, just know that the first few days might be rough. Peak withdrawal symptoms occur 20 – 51 hours after completely stopping caffeine [3], so if you’re only letting go of afternoon caffeine, your symptoms may be less.
If you’re like me and notice that your late-afternoon caffeine “treat” may be doing more harm than good, take heart! Cutting back your caffeine consumption while incorporating these easy steps will give you the energy to finish your day strong.
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