How to stop drinking so much coffee: 4 tips
Coffee alone does not usually cause damage to health, even if moderately consumed has benefits such as staying alert, improving physical performance, and provides some essential nutrients such as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, magnesium and niacin among others.
On the contrary, an excessive consumption of coffee can cause serious damage to health. Drinking more than three cups a day starts to be considered out of the recommended. That's why many people want to eliminate their consumption and begin to wonder how to stop consuming so much coffee . Let's see several tips.
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4 Tips to stop consuming so much coffee
Caffeine can be addictive, not only because of the sensation it provides when providing energy, but because in high and prolonged consumption, the body gets used to its usual doses of coffee . For this reason, eliminating its use can produce withdrawal symptoms.
So, let's see how to stop drinking so much coffee on a day-to-day basis.
1. Make the decision and have a goal
Drinking more than three cups a day begins to be an alert to consider stopping coffee. In theory we should not consume more than 300 milligrams , so if your consumption is equal or greater and you are starting to consider stopping coffee, it is important to make the determination to start a plan and follow it until you have achieved it.
It is important to understand that one objective may be to stop consuming so much coffee, that is, to minimize it, and another one may be to completely eliminate coffee consumption. That is why we have to reflect on what we want to mark an action plan.
It may be that if the consumption of coffee cups exceeds 4 a day, one goal is to reduce it to two cups. Or if the goal is to eliminate it completely, it is recommended have a real and achievable goal about the time in which it is expected to achieve . A realistic term could be between 3 to 5 months according to the amounts that are currently used.
This step to stop drinking so much coffee, is the first one we must be very clear about and then start planning the next suggestion to eliminate or reduce the excessive consumption of this drink.
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2. Gradually decrease the cups per day
Stop drinking coffee brings with it a small inconvenience that you have to know how to solve: there is an abstinence syndrome . Headache, fatigue, anxiety and drowsiness are the most frequent symptoms when eliminating their consumption.
For this reason, stop drinking coffee It must be a gradual objective in proportion to the amount that is currently consumed and the one you want to reach.
The exercise may be that if you currently consume 5 cups a day, start by taking 4 cups for 3 or 4 weeks, then reduce to 3 cups for 3 or weeks and so on until you reach the goal reached or no cup of coffee per day .
In this way, the caffeine that our body assimilates will be reduced little by little decreasing the withdrawal syndrome or even helping you not feel. If the high intake of coffee per day has been carried out for a prolonged period of time, then the body is already used to caffeine, and between each cup of coffee there has not been a proper process of the body to dispose of it from the body, it means that it has not worked for a long time without caffeine.
If the consumption is gradually decreased, the body will not suddenly suffer from this caffeine slump and after a while the body will have become used to being without it.
After having made a plan of action and reduce consumption gradually, stop drinking so much coffee will be easier than at first seemed.
3. Replace the coffee
When the consumption of caffeine is high, a good way to achieve the gradual decrease of intakes per day is replace it with some tea that contains caffeine and alternate it with one that does not contain .
Black or green tea contains caffeine so it could be taken in the morning to replace the coffee. Being hot and containing caffeine, they could help you get the same energy sensation that a cup of coffee provides. The following shots can be replaced by a non-caffeinated tea such as chamomile tea, or perhaps one of orange blossoms or relaxing herbs to help reduce the withdrawal syndrome.
A bitter chocolate or a cola drink are also good options to replace it. A cola drink has less caffeine than a cup of coffee, so it can be very helpful to stop drinking so much coffee throughout the day.
4. Perform relaxing activities
Once you have started with the plan to stop drinking coffee and begin to feel the first symptoms of withdrawal, we can resort to exercises or activities that allow us to stay in peace and that serve as a palliative to not relapse .
Walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi or meditation, are some of the activities that can help perfectly as well as helping to release toxins also serve to become aware of our body and the importance of your health and the benefits of leaving behind a habit that hurts us
Meditation also works to relieve distress that causes leaving an addictive substance and with symptoms such as headache or drowsiness.
Bibliographic references:
- Waller, J. M .; Bigger, M .; Hillocks, R. J. (2007). Coffee Pests, Diseases and Their Management (in English). CABI.
