The right way to consume caffeine?

Caffeine is one of the most used drugs in the world. What most people do not know is that they may be misusing the drug. Caffeine will be more beneficial if consumed occasionally rather than relied on from a day to day basis. The more strategic approach to consuming caffeine will involve reserving caffeine for when a boost is really needed and lower intake when caffeine is consumed. Complete breaks from caffeine should be taken if necessary: this practice is commonly known as cycling.

Daily caffeine consumption causes withdrawal when caffeine is not consumed. A case study concluded that the amount of caffeine, and number of days of consecutive consumption did have an affect on withdrawal. According to a trial, occasional caffeine consumption will decrease the withdrawal symptoms that can occur when caffeine is consumed daily by limiting the number of consecutive days that caffeine is consumed.

Common withdrawal symptoms included headaches, fatigue, sleepiness and even depression and anxiety. The withdrawal symptoms that can occur after only several days of caffeine consumption are very unpleasant and would make it very difficult to go without caffeine. While a very easy cure to these unpleasant symptoms could be to just drink more coffee, that can lead to overconsumption of caffeine.

Overconsumption of caffeine has many negative effects that can occur when someone increases the size of their daily dose. Those that drink too much caffeine per day felt nervous, jittery, and had increased stress levels. Additional side effects can occur when more caffeine is consumed to avoid the negative effects of withdrawal or make up for the energy boost lost from tolerance.

Caffeine was associated with insomnia symptoms in a trial and it was found that high caffeine consumption led to non-restorative sleep. Non-restorative sleep means that although you could still fall asleep after consuming too much caffeine, however, your body is not truly able to rest. Caffeine is consumed for its energy enhancing effects, however, if it is having negative effects on sleep it will be counter beneficial by doing more harm than good.

Habitual caffeine consumers will fail to receive an increase in energy levels and boost in performance. Caffeine was found to only negate the negative effects of withdrawal and result in little net energy gain when the same amount was consumed regularly in a trial.

Caffeine can be cycled by typically taking a two to eight week break, cycling for increased energy levels after daily consumption and getting rid of withdrawal symptoms can be beneficial, however, it is not necessary for performance benefits. Cycling caffeine will be most beneficial in feeling the full effects while consuming less caffeine when consumption is resumed and eliminating withdrawal.

A good approach to increasing the effectiveness of caffeine could be to reduce daily caffeine intake, occasionally taking an additional dose for performance benefits, and take caffeine breaks when experiencing a loss in benefits to achieve a similar goal.

References

McGill. “HOW DRUGS AFFECT NEUROTRANSMITTERS.” https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_m/i_03_m_par/i_03_m_par_cafeine.html

Reuters. “ ‘Americans Are Drinking a Daily Cup of Coffee at the Highest Level in Six Years: Survey.’” 7 Mar. 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-coffee-conference-survey/americans-are-drinking-a-daily-cup-of-coffee-at-the-highest-level-in-six-years-survey-idUSKCN1GT0KU.

Evans, Suzette M., and Roland R. Griffiths. “Caffeine Withdrawal: A Parametric Analysis of Caffeine Dosing Conditions.” ASPET, 1 Apr. 1999, https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/289/1/285.short?casa_token=KhRkrpjDw5sAAAAA:90hZk99HPMoiH-IOVsuhMyKMa9A3QOob6FebDCUqgmXelrrw2kB2XkOCUi1clN5CkVThSdmIDnYp.

Phillips-Bute, Barbara G., and James D. Lane. “Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms Following Brief Caffeine Deprivation.” ScienceDirect, 31 Dec. 1997, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938497003843?casa_token=gCX4PpVJVgwAAAAA:Ci-zGwBAusMve459SKKPnBtH5HfkxcBSbRMFwqtrtktXOlPx2ogdHvdjVLYiBs6KxVj-bPV7Vw8#BIB5.

Spritzler, Franziska. “9 Side Effects of Too Much Caffeine.” Healthline, 14 Aug. 2017, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-side-effects.

Chaudhary, Ninad D., et al. “Caffeine Consumption, Insomnia, and Sleep Duration: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample.” ScienceDirect, 10 May 2016, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900716300454?via%3Dihub.

Sigmon, Stacey C., et al. “Caffeine Withdrawal, Acute Effects, Tolerance, and Absence of Net Beneficial Effects of Chronic Administration: Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity, Quantitative EEG, and Subjective Effects.” Springer, 1 Jan. 2009, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-009-1489-4.

Filip, Aleksandra, et al. “Inconsistency in the Ergogenic Effect of Caffeine in Athletes Who Regularly Consume Caffeine: Is It Due to the Disparity in the Criteria That Defines Habitual Caffeine Intake?” MDPI, 4 Dec. 2020, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/1087/htm.

GMD. “Should You Be Cycling Caffeine?” 2021, https://www.gmdcanberra.com.au/blogs/news/should-you-be-cycling-caffeine#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20looking%20to,you%20feel%20the%20effects%20more.