The girl stopped drinking coffee and told how her body changed in 3 months

“What should I drink for a headache?” - women with migraines ask on the Internet, which prevents them from working and living a normal life. In search of magic pills for headaches, they don’t know: to avoid headaches, it’s better not to drink or eat anything at all. Refusal of which foods helps with headaches, says blogger Dr. Regina.

Headaches plague women during nervous overstrain, stress, overwork, as a manifestation of premenstrual syndrome, and lack of sleep. Sometimes they develop into a disease that has a detailed clinical picture - migraine. The throbbing pain usually occurs on one side, near the temples, forehead and eyes.

Migraines can make you very sensitive to light, sound, or even mild physical activity such as climbing stairs or brisk walking. For many people, migraines are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or decreased vision.

The condition of the blood vessels in the brain plays an important role in the occurrence of headaches. There are triggers (causes) that activate migraine through a vascular response. Many patients who have lived with migraine for a long time notice that it begins after eating certain foods.

I will name two triggers, by eliminating which you will feel improvement, relief and complete disappearance of headaches. These are sugar and caffeine.

Causes

Caffeine is one of the most popular psychoactive substances in the world and is present in many drinks and foods. Caffeine belongs to the methylxanthine class of stimulants that act on the central nervous system. He can:

speed up metabolism
increase urine production
improve digestion
increases heart rate
relax smooth muscles
increase physical performance
Helps treat certain types of cancer

However, caffeine may cause or contribute to headaches. A study found that 50% of people experience a throbbing, widespread headache during caffeine withdrawal. This is because caffeine has a vasoconstrictor effect, meaning it constricts blood vessels and reduces blood flow. With regular consumption of caffeine, blood vessels become accustomed to constriction. Decreasing caffeine dilates blood vessels. This reaction is important because blood vessels dilate before certain types of headaches occur.

Caffeine also blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, which are pain modulators. Blocking these receptors could potentially reduce the spread of headache pain. People who consume caffeine regularly have more of these adenosine receptors, making them prone to developing headaches when they stop consuming caffeine.

What other foods can give you a headache?

Neurologists identify a number of other products that can affect the occurrence of headaches:

Red wine, cheese, liver, yogurt, sour cream, yeast-containing products, and smoked fish may contain biogenic amines such as tyramine. They affect heart rate, sleep, blood pressure and can trigger reactions that lead to headaches. Monitor your reaction to these products.
Products containing flavor enhancers: sausages, ready-made sauces, marinades, confectionery, restaurant food. Thus, monosodium glutamate, due to the stimulation of certain areas of the brain, can generate foci of headaches.
Excessive consumption of table salt can cause migraines by increasing overall blood pressure. There is no need to completely give up salt, and minimizing the amount to 2–4 g per day makes sense, especially for patients with hypertension and migraines.

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Treatment

The fastest and easiest way to relieve caffeine withdrawal headaches is to consume caffeine. However, people trying to reduce their caffeine intake can use other remedies to reduce headaches.

Taking painkillers

Ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen contain compounds that block pain signals and relieve headaches. However, taking pain medications more than two to three times a week can lead to a headache known as drug overuse headache

Drink more water

Dehydration can trigger pain receptors in the skull. Sometimes even minor dehydration can lead to severe headaches.

Ice

Ice constricts blood vessels and slows the transmission of nerve signals. In one study, researchers showed that applying ice to the neck reduced pain in participants who were experiencing migraines.

Topical application of menthol

Menthol can numb the skin and reduce pain. Rubbing a few drops of diluted peppermint essential oil onto the forehead or temples can relieve headaches.

Dream

Sleep disorders are associated with many types of headaches, meaning there is a connection between sleep and headaches. Adequate and high-quality sleep usually reduces headaches. However, if you sleep too much or take sleeping pills too often, your headaches may get worse.

Acupuncture

Researchers don't know how acupuncture relieves headaches, but it may slow down pain signals and activate brain pathways that can shut them down.

Acupressure

Acupressure is a technique based on the traditional Chinese medical therapy of acupuncture. It involves manipulating a specific pressure source, which can reduce headaches by improving circulation and reducing muscle tension.

Nutritional supplements

Researchers have studied many different dietary supplements as potential treatments or prevention for headaches. They found several potentially beneficial effects:

coenzyme Q10
riboflavin (vitamin B2)
magnesium
pyrethrum

Most supplements only work when taken regularly over time.

How to deal with headaches after coffee

There are several ways to avoid headaches from drinking your favorite drink.
You need to fight a headache after it has been established why it occurs. Most often, a headache starts because there is an overdose of caffeine, and in this case, reducing its concentration helps. To do this, drink a glass of warm water. If you have a severe headache, you can additionally induce vomiting.

Blood flow will help with headaches or dizziness. Staying in the fresh air or a relaxing massage will help normalize blood pressure. It is advisable to refrain from vigorous activity and provide the body with rest.

Relaxation and relaxation in the fresh air is a great way to get rid of headaches

Taking a nap for at least half an hour can also be helpful. Sleeping immediately after drinking coffee not only relieves unpleasant symptoms, but is also considered a very useful activity: the stimulating components will not allow you to fall asleep for a long time, and together, caffeine and sleep will help relieve fatigue and restore strength.

If all of the above methods do not help in the fight against headaches, you need to take a painkiller and seek help from a medical professional.

In this case, as well as if symptoms recur frequently, it is worth reconsidering your attitude towards coffee and reducing its consumption. Don’t forget that you need to do this gradually so as not to worsen your condition.

Other caffeine withdrawal symptoms

People who reduce their caffeine intake may also experience:

anxiety
irritability
problems concentrating
trembling or trembling of the hands
fatigue and drowsiness
depressed mood
increased heart rate
nausea and vomiting
high or low blood pressure
skin hyperemia
constipation
flu-like symptoms
joint and abdominal pain
muscle stiffness

The severity and number of symptoms a person experiences during caffeine withdrawal depend on how much they typically consume and how quickly they reduce their caffeine intake.

Even people who drink only one small cup of coffee daily for 3 days may experience withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop drinking coffee.

According to one study, most people experience withdrawal symptoms within 12-24 hours when cutting back on caffeine intake and experience the most severe symptoms within about 20-51 hours. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms can last from 2-9 days.

People often describe caffeine withdrawal headaches as a widespread, throbbing headache.

Researchers define caffeine withdrawal headache as a headache that:

develops within 24 hours of the last caffeine use in people who consume at least 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per day for more than 2 weeks
pain goes away within 7 days after stopping caffeine
the condition improves within 1 hour after drinking 100 mg of caffeine

How to reduce the negative effects of coffee

Milk will help reduce the negative effects of caffeine
Despite health problems, many people find it difficult to give up coffee. And if coffee repeatedly causes you to feel unwell, you need to look for alternatives.

Coffee with milk

Milk will help reduce the concentration of caffeine and neutralize its effects.

Decaffeinated coffee

Decaffeinated coffee is a good alternative for drink lovers who want to avoid unpleasant consequences.
This banal method is well suited for those who love coffee not so much for its stimulating effect as for its taste. It tastes almost no different from natural black, but it contains several times less caffeine and does not cause such reactions in the body.

How to give up coffee - 6 tips

Due to withdrawal symptoms, caffeine restriction is an extremely unpleasant procedure that most people are unable to cope with.

In some countries, the “withdrawal syndrome” that occurs when caffeine is stopped is even identified as an independent disease, for which appropriate methods of treatment and rehabilitation have been developed.

Below are several recommendations that can help you stop drinking coffee forever almost painlessly and smooth out the course of the “withdrawal syndrome”:

Slowly reduce your intake. Every day you should reduce your drink intake by 3-5% so that the body begins to gradually adapt. This will reduce the likelihood of side effects.
Drink enough water. According to American scientists, dehydration increases the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome. It is recommended to increase the intake of ordinary water by 10-20%.
To sleep more. It is recommended to sleep at least 7-9 hours, this will help cope with side effects.
Workout. Despite the development of weakness and drowsiness after withdrawal, you should maximize physical activity and consume more fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins.
Switch to other drinks. There are many drinks to replace coffee. For example, black or green tea also contain caffeine, but its dose is 3-6 times lower than in regular coffee. This will help cope with the manifestations of addiction.
Switch to decaffeinated coffee. An alternative is to replace one serving of regular coffee per day with a decaffeinated coffee drink (available from regular stores).

Thus, slowly reducing the amount of caffeine in the daily diet, in combination with other tips, helps reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms.

Why does coffee give you headaches?

Most often, cephalgia, provoked by drinking a caffeinated drink, indicates the presence of problems in the body. This usually turns out to be the result of a violation of the dosage of the composition or the rules for its preparation. Manifestations can be one-time or systematic. The severity of symptoms may vary.

If you get a headache from coffee, it may be the result of the following processes:

increased blood pressure - in the case of hypertensive patients, indicators can become dangerous. Spasm of cerebral vessels leads to disruption of blood flow, which manifests itself in the form of cephalgia and dizziness;
the result of overwork of the body - systematic use of coffee to combat sleep does not replace rest. Artificial stimulation of the heart leads to exhaustion, one of the signs of which is headache;
Abuse of sugary drinks - many people drink coffee with sugar, which leads to an increase in blood glucose levels. In response, the body begins to produce insulin, causing the systems to overstrain. In this case, the head begins to hurt about half an hour after consuming the composition;
intoxication due to an overdose - it is not necessary to drink liters of liquid to develop this condition. Just 4-6 cups of drink a day can cause a serious deterioration in overall health. Pure and strong coffee without added dairy products poses an increased risk;
ignoring the characteristics of the coffee variety - roasting, grinding and brewing of each type of bean has its own specifics. Before introducing the drink into your diet, you need to familiarize yourself with these nuances so as not to cause the accumulation of alkaloids and nicotinic acid in the tissues.

In most cases, to prevent the appearance of unpleasant symptoms, it is enough to adjust the volume of the drink or the frequency of its use. If a negative reaction in the form of a headache occurs even with minimal dosages, it is better to remove the composition from the diet before visiting a doctor and identifying the reasons for such a violent response of the body.

October 26, 2016

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Ekaterina Jensen Dietitian and nutritionist. Creator of the project “Food for Life!” I specialize not only and not so much in weight problems, but in treating diseases with the help of nutrition. I see my mission as helping people become healthy on their own. My motto: “Health - without drugs!” I believe that everything is in our hands - both happiness and health. I am an optimist, I love life and people with their exciting stories.

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I haven't drunk coffee for over two years now. This did not happen by chance. It all started in August 2014. I started taking courses in dietetics in Copenhagen. At home I had a wonderful coffee machine that made the best coffee from freshly ground beans, and regular espresso, and cappuccino, and latte. Just press the button and voila! - the divine drink is ready.

I have never considered myself a coffee drinker, and my daily limit rarely exceeded three cups. But at the courses in Copenhagen there was not only no coffee machine, but no coffee at all. I lived on a school campus where this drink was banned. Of course, I could have run to the nearest cafe, but for some reason I thought that I could live on tea. The only “but” was that I constantly had a headache. She started to get sick in the evening of the first day of training and was sick non-stop for 2-3 days until she returned home. This was repeated several times - in every study session I taught at school.

I couldn't understand what was going on. I slept 8 hours a day, ate the freshest, proper organic products, drank a lot of water, ran in the mornings and took long walks in the evenings... There was no answer.

One day I complained to a classmate about my strange headaches. She assumed it was withdrawal from caffeine withdrawal. It was VERY difficult to believe this. I don’t drink gallons of coffee, I don’t feel like drinking coffee at all. Or is it pulling? I decided to check it out. The next time I bought a paper cup of cappuccino right after arriving at the Copenhagen train station, I drank it on the way to school. And... there was no headache that day!

I seriously thought - do I even need this “magic” drink if I react so strongly to its absence?

As you know, information about coffee is very contradictory. Sometimes coffee is useful, sometimes it is harmful, sometimes it invigorates, sometimes, on the contrary, it reduces energy levels and worsens sleep. Either coffee fights aging, or it leads to faster wear and tear of both the brain and the body as a whole... The forest is dense!

I also read articles from people who gave up coffee. And they all unanimously claimed that they began to feel more energetic. I wanted to try this for myself. Most of those who gave up coffee wrote that they needed at least two months to experience all the delights of life without coffee. I set a deadline for myself - three months. And the experiment began.

At that moment, I was driven primarily by curiosity. I wondered how my life would change after quitting caffeine. And secondly, I really don’t like being dependent on anything. And the fact of coffee addiction was obvious - a day without caffeine guaranteed headaches and poor sleep. I really didn't like it.

I didn't expect it to be easy. Previously, when I gave up sugar, I had already experienced all the “delights” of fighting addictions: headaches, poor sleep, irritability, fatigue... Similar symptoms were not long in coming this time. The first week was simply terrible! My head hurt. In the morning I could not tear myself away from the pillow, and in the evenings, although I was tired, I could not sleep. When I finally fell asleep, my sleep was restless. I woke up 100 times a night.

I was constantly irritated. Absolutely everything infuriated me: any weather, children - my own and strangers, neighbor's dogs who tried to get into our garden, drivers on the roads, salespeople in stores, my husband and all his relatives, the number of which, as it seemed to me at that time, had increased incredibly... The only desire was to drop everything to hell, drink my only cup of coffee a day and finally sleep normally, and not stagger from corner to corner, trying to muster up the remnants of willpower to do something useful either around the house or at home. work (costs of own business and a free schedule: you can’t force yourself - no one will force you).

I was ready to break down a thousand times. The miracle coffee machine stood in the most visible place and smiled ominously at me, saying, what, dear, maybe you’ll give up your stupid experiments? All you need to do is press a button to get rid of the torment...

I still can’t say for sure what prevented me from breaking down in the first two weeks. They were the heaviest. I'm surprised I succeeded.

After two weeks, something clicked and my body rebuilt itself. The headaches disappeared, I stopped wanting to kill everyone around me, and I suddenly began to sleep well at night. But with sleep another metamorphosis occurred. I fell into a very deep sleep with my children as early as 8 pm! This didn’t go anywhere, because it’s in the evenings that I write best; evening time is reserved for working on my blog. In addition, all my nutrition clients also prefer to consult in the evenings, when their households have gone to their bedrooms. Therefore, the schedule “I go to bed at 20:00, get up at 4:00” was absolutely not suitable for me.

I started sleeping during the day to be in shape for evening consultations. Daytime naps could last up to three hours! Sometimes I set the alarm, but I didn’t have the strength to get up.

I lived in a strange, half-asleep state. Nothing hurt, but my strength decreased significantly. I continued the experiment in the hope that my energy levels would soon recover. And so it happened!

After another couple of weeks, the drowsiness began to subside. I no longer collapsed in the evenings, I slept for only an hour during the day instead of three, and there was another clear plus: my energy was constant throughout the day. I lost the desire to take a nap after lunch; in the morning I woke up before the alarm clock and managed to do a bunch of things. There were no such crazy jumps as after a cup of coffee, but there were no subsequent falls.

Coffee activates the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. They are the ones who give a surge of energy, for example up to about. But then the effect of caffeine wears off, and we fall not to our original zero level, but to minus. With each cup of coffee it becomes more difficult for us to get to the point, and then we fall lower and lower. This explains the fact that people who have been drinking coffee for years can easily drink a couple of cups before bed and still fall asleep. Another question is that the quality of their sleep leaves much to be desired. But this is a topic for another article.

I've come to the conclusion that this must be the price to pay for quitting caffeine - a moderate but consistent level of energy instead of strong, inconsistent bursts. So the next month passed. And a month later, a surprise awaited me: I noticed that my overall energy level began to gradually increase. It still remained constant throughout the day, but it just became MORE. I completely gave up daytime sleep, got up at six, went to bed closer to midnight, and was more alert than ever before. The game was definitely worth the candle!

Please note that I did not replace coffee with other caffeinated drinks such as strong black tea. No, the experiment was carried out in its pure form. No caffeinated tea. Only herbal tea and water. I also didn’t “catch up” with sweets and starchy foods to comfort myself. Sweets can also give you energy boosts. I knew about this, and did not exchange the awl for soap.

More than two years have passed since then. During this time I drank coffee several times. There was even a ten-day period when I drank 1-2 cups of coffee a day every day - we were with a group in the mountains of France, and there was nothing there except coffee and water. To my surprise, I got used to this drink quite quickly, I had to take my will again and give up coffee. True, the body’s reactions were no longer as severe as at the very beginning. There was drowsiness and a desire to spit on everything and drink a cup so as not to sleep on the go... But I managed to overcome myself in just a few days.

Besides these ten days, I sometimes drank a cup of coffee for taste, but there were almost always consequences. You can read more about this on my blog.

What is the status today? I have never regretted my experiment. All my suffering paid off in a big way. I've never had so much energy. Perhaps in very early childhood, which I no longer really remember. I still wake up at six in the morning, manage to do a lot of things, daytime sleepiness has left me forever, and my loved ones never tire of being amazed at how I manage to do everything.

Therefore, I can say one thing - try it too! If you have difficulty lifting your head from the pillow, can’t imagine mornings without coffee, and in the afternoon you want to either fall asleep or kill the entire office, I suggest living a couple of months without caffeine.

To make this easier for you, I am sharing practical recommendations that I hope will make your life easier:

· Be prepared for the fact that it will not be easy. The first two weeks you may have a headache, your mood will deteriorate, your sleep will worsen... Remember that this is NORMAL. There's nothing wrong with you, that's the way it should be. If there are no such consequences, then this is also normal. Just be glad that you avoided these troubles.
· In the first two weeks, it is permissible to drink green tea with reduced caffeine content. These varieties include, for example, jasmine tea and milk Oolong. The body reacts not only to the withdrawal of caffeine, but also to the withdrawal of coffee itself. Therefore, if you become completely nauseous, drink weak green tea.
· To avoid dying from fatigue for days at all, I suggest drinking ginger tea or a smoothie with fresh ginger. Ginger invigorates no worse than caffeine, but at the same time it has only beneficial properties. And this is undeniable, unlike coffee.
· Warn others that your bad mood in the next couple of weeks has nothing to do with them.
· Tell your loved ones about your experiment. I suggest calling this an experiment, and not giving up coffee. This will make it easier for those around you, and for yourself, to accept the changes. It is easier to adhere to the intended plan when there are no strict restrictions “forever”, “now never”, “refusal” (underline as appropriate).
· Before giving up, hold out for at least a month and a half. This period of time is necessary for all positive changes to appear. If you give up early, you will defeat the purpose of the whole idea. In less time, you will not understand anything and will simply waste both time and energy.
· For the purity of the experiment, after two months I suggest trying a cup of good, freshly brewed coffee . You will immediately understand by the sensations exactly HOW you react to it. And then decide whether to return to this drink, or whether to continue living without it. Personally, after my first cup of coffee, which I drank after three months of living without caffeine, I was only once again convinced of the correctness of my chosen path: I felt VERY bad.
· When the addiction goes away, if you wish, you can always treat yourself to a cup of coffee or black tea. After all, the main thing is getting rid of addiction . And if you live quietly for a month without coffee, and then at the airport you succumb to the temptation of the smells from a coffee shop and order yourself a cappuccino, well, okay! Enjoy and move on with your life. No coffee.