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[Head of Vengarl]

Every day, usually between the hours of 2 - 4pm, I get unbelievably sleepy. My energy quickly drains away. Motivation and productivity hit rock bottom. I have to fight against the urge to close my eyes because I know I'll start nodding off at my desk if I do. I know I'm not unique in this, and that's why so many of us turn to coffee/tea/energy drinks to power through the mid-afternoon drowsiness.

During tax season I drank coffee basically all day and it was giving me shaky hands and making me feel strung out by the end of the day, so I haven't drank any since the deadline. But I'm back at the office today and goddamn I'm dying here. As soon as ~2:30pm hit I got so tired I lost all motivation to work.

So that's why I gotta know: How do you non-caffeine people function? Do you not get super drowsy in the mid-afternoon like the rest of us? Or is there some secret to powering through it naturally? Are you all on coke/meth?

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

 

[Sophia]

Cutting out the caffeine gave me a more consistent level of endurance throughout the day, at least after the initial withdrawal effects went away.

 

[jblank83]

By not ingesting a drug with a half life of 6 hours that leaves me tired when it starts to wear off.

Or by just having a nice tea around noon.

 

[thehypocrite]

Water, fruits.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Seriously, it's not that complicated. I'm constantly amazed how much coffee people gulp down.

 

[ascii42]

I'm not caffeine free by any means, but I know that once you develop a tolerance to a certain level of caffeine, consuming it's just bringing you to normal.

 

[Obliterator]

Haven't had a drop of caffeine in over 2 years. Honestly I feel much better / much more energetic throughout the day then the peaks and valley's caffeine would give me.

 

[Data West]

I quit soda in December(i dont take caffeine in any other form)

not been an inssue. just drink lots of water.

your fits of sleepiness are because your body hasnt had enough time away from caffeine and you're trying to readjust to that but if you give it caffeine again to try to sate it, it's like it resets the whole process

 

[Shadybiz]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Yep.

Caffeine is a drug like any other. You build a dependency on it over time, and you feel that it's what you need to keep you awake and alert, when the opposite is true.

That said, I have a bit of a caffeine habit myself. Will get off it...someday.

 

[thedan001]

The withdrawals combined with the body crashing mid-afternoon is rough.

Adjusting to non caffeine lifestyle takes time after being dependent on it.

After going caffeine free, it took about a couple weeks before overcoming it in my experience.

Keep it up.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

.

Also, take a small (10-15 minute) nap!

 

[HTupolev]

Flipping the question: why would someone not addicted to caffeine experience mid-afternoon caffeine withdrawal?

 

[A Dead Diehard]

Not having a caffeine dependency in the first place.

 

[Cipher Peon]

Sheer force of will!

That gives me more than enough energy all day every day!!!

 

[Skellig Gra]

Flipping the question: why would someone not addicted to caffeine experience mid-afternoon caffeine withdrawal?

Check your privilege bruh

 

[Falchion]

How big are your lunches? If I eat a huge one then I get really lethargic in the afternoon but if I go with something light then I'm fine.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Yeah. I sleep a solid 7.5-8 hours every night. In bed by 9:30, up by 5:30. Also, I don't have kids, so getting my sleep in isn't too hard.

 

[Lyn]

I think once you get your body beyond the caffeine withdrawal stage, you'll find you can manage energy pretty well so long as you get enough rest each night and eat decent meals (don't overload on carbs, etc). If possible, some light exercise can also help as part of your daily routine.

Caffeine can really hook itself into you though. I know from watching some relatives stop drinking soda. They were miserable, dealing with headaches and sluggishness for quite some time. Once they got over it though, they did pretty well.

 

[RustyNails]

 

[marink]

 

[Red UFO]

Quitting caffeine is tough and can make you feel terrible and out you in a shorty mood. Keep it up!

 

[Messofanego]

Every day, usually between the hours of 2 - 4pm, I get unbelievably sleepy. My energy quickly drains away. Motivation and productivity hit rock bottom. I have to fight against the urge to close my eyes because I know I'll start nodding off at my desk if I do. I know I'm not unique in this, and that's why so many of us turn to coffee/tea/energy drinks to power through the mid-afternoon drowsiness.

During tax season I drank coffee basically all day and it was giving me shaky hands and making me feel strung out by the end of the day, so I haven't drank any since the deadline. But I'm back at the office today and goddamn I'm dying here. As soon as ~2:30pm hit I got so tired I lost all motivation to work.

So that's why I gotta know: How do you non-caffeine people function? Do you not get super drowsy in the mid-afternoon like the rest of us? Or is there some secret to powering through it naturally? Are you all on coke/meth?

Here's the secret.

Don't get addicted to caffeine. Simples!

Sounds like you're going through withdrawal symptoms, so sounds like it's time to quit or at least ease up.

Like everyone else is saying, get some good sleep. Eat well. Drink enough water. You'll do fine. I do 14 hour shifts sometimes, never felt drained anymore than usual. It's more my caffeine-addicted colleagues who need their fix or they don't function well.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Light lunch, walk about, entertaining podcast

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Flipping the question: why would someone not addicted to caffeine experience mid-afternoon caffeine withdrawal?

I mean, that was me in the first place. I only started drinking coffee like 2 years ago because I was crashing so hard in the mid-afternoon. So it couldn't be a simple withdrawal issue.

It still happens even when I'm in decent shape and get ~8 hours of sleep.

Edit: And I drink a lot of water so no problem there.

 

[Username1198]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Yup. And I only get around 6-7 hours of sleep, but I've noticed that combo is what keeps me going.

 

[Whompa02]

water my dude

 

[Goro Majima]

Caffeine was actually causing my chronic migraines.

So I just remind myself that being tired is infinitely better than the sheer hell of a migraine headache with aura. It's not the pain that gets you so much as the debilitating cold sweat nausea.

 

[TheSkullPrince]

Ice cold water.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

Every day, usually between the hours of 2 - 4pm, I get unbelievably sleepy. My energy quickly drains away. Motivation and productivity hit rock bottom. I have to fight against the urge to close my eyes because I know I'll start nodding off at my desk if I do. I know I'm not unique in this, and that's why so many of us turn to coffee/tea/energy drinks to power through the mid-afternoon drowsiness.

During tax season I drank coffee basically all day and it was giving me shaky hands and making me feel strung out by the end of the day, so I haven't drank any since the deadline. But I'm back at the office today and goddamn I'm dying here. As soon as ~2:30pm hit I got so tired I lost all motivation to work.

So that's why I gotta know: How do you non-caffeine people function? Do you not get super drowsy in the mid-afternoon like the rest of us? Or is there some secret to powering through it naturally? Are you all on coke/meth?

healthy lifestyle, pretty simple really

 

[Maximo]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Yep haha.

 

[marzlapin]

I mean, that was me in the first place. I only started drinking coffee like 2 years ago because I was crashing so hard in the mid-afternoon.

It still happens even when I'm in decent shape and get ~8 hours of sleep.

Edit: And I drink a lot of water so no problem there.

What do you usually eat for lunch?

 

[Inceptional]

Whatever happened to a good old fashioned slap to the face? If that doesn't wake you up then you need to get better sleep.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

Also, stay away from high glycemic carbs (and massive amounts of carbs in general) at lunchtime. Much of this nodding off likely has to do with your blood sugar being on a roller coaster ride after lunch.

 

[soldierblue]

I always wanna take a nap so bad.

 

[Leafhopper]

Drinking things that don't have caffeine in it?

 

[Yawnny]

Quitting caffeine isn't worth it, sucks out the meaning of life.

However, drink water.

 

[mike6467]

I'm a coffee junkie and I don't really see this, I know a lot of people do. I drink a fair amount but I also consume a ton of water at the same time. Working out makes a big difference in my energy level too. My rest days are generally harder to get through to the point where I'll go for a walk at lunch just to reinvigorate myself.

Also make sure you're not eating a massive lunch full of shitty food, because that'll cause the same kind of mid-afternoon hangover from my experience.

Edit: My advice, having come off caffeine before, is to not do it cold turkey. Just reduce your consumption a small amount every day, and when you're down to a cup, or whatever you feel is a significant reduction, switch to tea and then wean off of that.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

What do you usually eat for lunch?

Usually either a sandwich, burrito, tacos, or (less often) a salad.

 

[televator]

I only drink coffee in the morning. Late afternoon, I stick to water, nuts or jerkey (Decent jerkey. None of that slim jim shit.)

 

[Messofanego]

I mean, that was me in the first place. I only started drinking coffee like 2 years ago because I was crashing so hard in the mid-afternoon. So it couldn't be a simple withdrawal issue.

It still happens even when I'm in decent shape and get ~8 hours of sleep.

Edit: And I drink a lot of water so no problem there.

Taking up coffee because you're crashing isn't going to improve things, it'll just make your health worse.

 

[JC Lately]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Something, something, First post.

Try reducing/cutting caffeine. I cut soda down to like 2-3 times a month, and the difference in my energy level was surprising.

 

[falconxcrunner09]

Water, good nutrition, workouts, plenty of sleep?

Pretty much this. It's never a good idea to rely on caffeine.

 

[Data West]

Flipping the question: why would someone not addicted to caffeine experience mid-afternoon caffeine withdrawal?

not enough protein

 

[Widdle Puppy]

I've noticed one hit of sativa marijuana really does the trick better than anything. It is also a wonder drug if you only got a little sleep the night before and feel terrible waking up. Takes all the uncomfortable groggy stuff away. Just a single hit, nothing crazy. You'll be marginally high, well awake, and able to easily function through what was original a miserable experience.

 

[Xando]

How old are you, OP?

I mostly drink water and try to have a good sleep (6-8h) and then i have no problems getting through the day.

 

[marzlapin]

Usually either a sandwich, burrito, tacos, or (less often) a salad.

Do you notice any difference in your energy levels on days when you have a salad? Like other people have mentioned, it could be due to blood sugar fluctuations, if it's not the caffeine wearing off.

 

[Switch Back 9]

More evidence that the 8 hour workday is bullshit.

 

[xxracerxx]

I really only drink coffee in the morning and have no issues in the afternoon.

 

[Into the Light]

Every day, usually between the hours of 2 - 4pm, I get unbelievably sleepy. My energy quickly drains away. Motivation and productivity hit rock bottom. I have to fight against the urge to close my eyes because I know I'll start nodding off at my desk if I do. I know I'm not unique in this, and that's why so many of us turn to coffee/tea/energy drinks to power through the mid-afternoon drowsiness.

During tax season I drank coffee basically all day and it was giving me shaky hands and making me feel strung out by the end of the day, so I haven't drank any since the deadline. But I'm back at the office today and goddamn I'm dying here. As soon as ~2:30pm hit I got so tired I lost all motivation to work.

So that's why I gotta know: How do you non-caffeine people function? Do you not get super drowsy in the mid-afternoon like the rest of us? Or is there some secret to powering through it naturally? Are you all on coke/meth?

Same here man. I just changed my Afternoon coffee to half a cup instead of a full. just to get me through without the shakes, and sleepless nights. Its really the heavy fatty lunches, that do me in.