keeping coffee effective

[RagsToRiches]

C-c-c-c-c-c-coffeeee hasdfffgj no badd-dd-dd-ddd-d effectss as you cantellfromme!!!!

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Masturbation abstination on the other hand is definately taking its toll :P

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by rocketman

to those who speculated that this could be due to sleep deprivation, i don't think that is the case. i sleep 6 hours at night and then another hour roughly 7 hours after waking up in the morning.

Some people need 5 hours, some need 8.

If you are still drowsy after sleeping 7 hours you may need 8/

[bluedragon]

Originally Posted by moonrambler

Also, if coffee's effect doesn't last long, why would people who drink a cup of coffee in the morning have trouble falling asleep?

Well, how long does the effect last for you?

People with insomnia also have trouble falling asleep, and they are not feeling very alert. So it's not necessary for coffee's positive stimulating effect to last until bedtime for it to affect someone's ability to fall asleep.

I can only speak from experience, but I know that if I drink coffee daily, I CAN become a person who is addicted to coffee (but not addicted to the point I can't quit). But I also know (thanks to my 30 day trial) that if I consume almost no caffeine (not even green tea, just a blend of it and other herbs), I feel exactly the same as with coffee. The only difference is that I can fall asleep easier, and that when I wake up, I am equally awake from the start until I go to bed, I don't need coffee to wake up, and I don't need to be sleepy to be able to fall asleep.

[FazK]

If you want to increase the effectiveness of coffee you will have to decrease your tolerance to it. Unfortunately to do this you will have to stop drinking coffee for a while.

[jeff3]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Some people need 5 hours, some need 8.

If you are still drowsy after sleeping 7 hours you may need 8/

Or 6 if you are entering a second sleep cycle before you awake.

[jeff3]

Originally Posted by RagsToRiches

All this drugs are bad m'kay stuff is sickeningly self-righteous and relies heavily on your perceived ideas about what is "natural" and what isn't. You breathe in drugs everyday, they are contained in something called "air" and there's a huge ammount of chemicals all of which affect the way your body functions.

Agreed

Drug- any substance that is mind/mood altering, this means that any food could be considered a drug due to sugars, amino acids, hormones. It's like everything else, when carried out to extremes it's impossible to implement an absolute approach.

Many drugs cause tolerance and caffeine is one of them, a constant dose at regular intervals loses it's effectiveness and must be increased or stopped temporarily to regain it's effectiveness. Caffeine is proved to enhance concentration and reaction time and it is natural, I can't believe all the vegans that are down on it. Of course it has it's drawbacks, mainly the fact that you build tolerance to it.

[bluedragon]

Originally Posted by jeff3

Of course it has it's drawbacks, mainly the fact that you build tolerance to it.

I think it's greatest drawback is the weakening of the adrenal glands over time. And the fact that it disrupts your natural concentration and creativity. Some report that while they can work faster on coffee, it's harder for them to prioritize their work and to work intelligently.

Stretching, breathing fresh air and drinking water, or water with lemon, is a much better way to wake up. And if you are still tired, then you need to sleep more, cause constantly asking more from your body will most likely get you nowhere, except faster into the grave.

There are also points you can press that increase the circulation of energy, as well as other methods of giving your body a boost.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by jeff3

Or 6 if you are entering a second sleep cycle before you awake.

Good point. May apply to me too.

[rocketman]

Originally Posted by bluedragon

There are also points you can press that increase the circulation of energy, as well as other methods of giving your body a boost.

Could you please expound on this?

Also, what is it about a lemon that drinking water with it wakes you up?

Is it just the sugars within it like any other fruit or is there some other component unique to the lemon?

[joelr]

Originally Posted by rocketman

ok, i have been experimenting for a few months now, and have concluded that my morning cup of coffee is absolutely essential for achieving maximum mental capabilities. i know the contrary is stressed ad nauseum on this board but i personally have not been able to make it work. i have completely changed my diet and lifestyle and poured through hours upon hours of articles on sleep and energy achieving incredible gains in those realms, but i still have not found a way to naturally shake the grogginess in the morning.

i have set my circadian rhythm to naturally wake me at 5AM and i am mentally energetic for the subsequent 30 minutes after morning meditation. i also find that consumption of fruit gives me a short boost. the only other thing other than coffee which has given me sustained morning wakefulness is a workout, but this isn't always a viable option due to proximity and work demands. in every other case, i find myself groggy once again an hour after awakening and yearning to return to bed with very little mental energy. thus, i have concluded the morning coffee is an absolute necessity for me.

the problem is that each dosage loses its efficacy leading to greater and greater dependency. i was taking 1 teaspoon of instant coffee for a while and then that completely lost its effect. i suspect 2 teaspoons would have the intended effect but that then triggers an endless escalation. i would continue needing more and more just to obtain the desired results. i hadn't drank coffee for over a month before today and went back to the 1 teaspoon and as expected, the full effect had returned after the layoff. but it would be pointless to continue long on-off cycles as what would you do in the off weeks? i recall reading an article online delineating a strategy to keep the caffeine effective but i can't find it anywhere. can anyone offer some advice?

You can also try cycling your energy boosters. Find a bunch of options - water w/lemon, a cardio workout, coffee, a herbal boost, whatever works for you.
Then day 1 meditate in the morning and have coffee, day 2 do cardio instead of meditation and no coffee, day 3 use cardio, day 4 coffee etc... by taking 2 or more days off coffee you may decrease any harmful effects and your receptors will stay responsive.

Also if you sleep in on the weekend skip coffee.

[Bene]

Morning Grogginess is caused by eating late, or close to sleep. Try not eating up to 4 hours before sleep.

[Benny2]

I am to addicted to coffee to make any suggestion. Funny before I served in the Marine Corps I never drank coffee because it upset my stomach.

[bluedragon]

I drank some coffee during a trip at a mountain resort, and I report that it had no effect on me except for making me more restless. On 2 of 3 mornings however, I drank black tea and I felt much better.

I would honestly like to enjoy a cup of coffee, but it would need to have other benefits except for the taste. Taste is not enough if it makes me feel restless and it deprives me of valuable nutrients and causes undue stress on the internal organs.

I recommend that anyone who loves coffee try drinking hot cocoa instead. At least, it makes you happy and supplies you with equally valuable antioxidants and other good substances.

[supremum]

Yeah, like someone else said previously, you have to decrease consumption. And you really won't get the same effect with fruit and exercise and all that "natural" s***. If the alternative "healthy" substance still alters the mind the same way, the brain doesn't care WTF it is. If you increase your endorphins artificially (i.e. through consumption), your brain will continue to decrease receptors. Thus, dependence where-ever you look.

Originally Posted by Gabo

I'm very sorry that you think you need drugs to live efficiently.

Wow, way to put caffeine into a very broad and misrepresented category. We're talking about caffeine, not cocaine. I'm sorry you get the two confused sometimes.

[rocksupreme]

Originally Posted by supremum

Wow, way to put caffeine into a very broad and misrepresented category. We're talking about caffeine, not cocaine.

I think a lot of people consider caffeine a drug. In one conception, any substance that causes changes in brain or body chemistry is a drug. In that sense, caffeine fits the bill.

However, it's important to realize that almost anything humans ingest could be labeled a drug under that definition. All foods have chemical properties and effects on the body. That includes every macro- or micro-nutrient we know of. Taking fish oil to reduce inflammation is no different than taking aspirin to thin the blood or caffeine to stimulate blood flow.

If you've ever had a craving for pizza, your body was telling you that it wanted something in pizza. Perhaps it wants lactose from the cheese, lypocene from the tomatoes, or a hormonal kick triggered by a memory associated with eating pizza. In any case, you will be eating that pizza to satisfy a chemical "need" in your body. Thought the effects of long-term and consistent pizza consumption may not rival those of cocaine, the the scenario isn't all that different.