Why I Quit Caffeine (as a software developer)

I quit drinking coffee and all forms of caffeine 1 year ago and it changed my life...

00:00 Why Quit?
01:14 Caffeine Withdrawal
02:30 Decaf Benefits
02:59 How Caffeine Affects the Brain

References:

[siddharth-gandhi]

Pro tip: Caffeine or not, drink loads of water. Can't stress this enough, but keep your bottle nearby. 😉

[jaywhitewood]

I also quit caffeine, now I'm doing amphetamine

[ewerybody]

Super cool to see you talking about this! This "put coffee into programmer > receive code" meme/idea is pretty widespread. A friend once quit coffee and this one sentence from him got me real deep:
"without coffee, you're just always awake."

[scottmarshall]

_me as I watch this whilst drinking coffee_ : interesting

[erniea]

Anxiety is no joke, do everything you can to help yourself naturally. I had a panic attack and anxiety for years. I absolutely refused to take the mental pills the doctor prescribed. Instead, I got healthy naturally. This was one way but physical exercise, spiritual health and good diet had more impact. I’ve been anxiety free for years now and have been enjoying my daily coffee since. But I definitely don’t drink as much caffeine as I used to.

[joshpetit]

Thanks a lot for talking about your real struggle when quitting. I had someone close to me that tried to quit and I never really understood how hard it really is. I love how you're not just using this as a way to get views but also to help impact peoples' lives positively. Wish you all the best of course, thank you

[StarcoreLabs]

I quit caffeine cold Turkey in 1998. After 2 weeks of headaches I woke up with better memory, focus, and Zen like calm. So much happier now.

[tiagosantos]

now I will have anxiety knowing that I should quit coffee xD

[EdwardCharbeneau]

I recently had the same thing happen. After years of drinking tea and coffee regularly all of the sudden I had symptoms never experienced before: extreme anxiety, PVC heart palpitations, dizziness, confusion, panic attacks, and spike headaches. I went to my primary care to set up plans to see if my heart was failing, instead she told me to get off caffeine. I was confused, having had it all my life with no problems, but followed her advice. I went cold turkey, and the following week most of the symptoms were already gone. A few weeks later the fog cleared and I felt better. Anxiety is gone, energy is up, PVCs are gone.

Going decaffeinated in moderation now.

If you're wondering, I was dring 2 double espressos a day. 1 after breakfast, 1 after dinner. Not a lot IMO.

[xinshi]

Wait is the just the creator of fireship on YouTube? Did youtube recommendation actually did something useful? This is awesome!

[fpdtosl]

"I'm not a rocket surgeon" - Jeff Delaney, highly intelligent expert developer, 2021

[Ollinho]

I quit caffeine in September 2019 and it's the best decision I had made in a long time. I:
- sleep better
- remember my dreams way more often
- consistent energy throughout the day (no peaks or troughs)
- wake up not feeling tired

The headache and brain fog I had quitting was pretty bad though, couldn't focus for a while.

[patriotlightning]

Fasting is excellent to feel like really, really calm.

[frutigermetroboomin]

I really recognize myself in the "extremely unmotivated" part. The demotivation I experience on a caffeine withdrawal is insane. It's like all minor tasks, such as putting a plate inside the dishwasher or checking my mail, become super overwhelming. It has made me realize how much our hormones (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, etc) actually matter in terms of wellbeing. It has also managed to give me a small glimpse into how a normal day for a depressed person might feel like.

[LucaFang]

I did the same thing. I quit caffeine about two years ago. I feel much better

[palkollar]

I respect you, that you share these personal issues with us! I think these kind of videos help a lot of us 🥺

[gurbux]

Nice to see some reinforcement! It's important to note that chai (tea) has a similar effect. I quit on Jan 1st this year and went back to it (once) 45 days after quitting. Hated it and never looked back. I've experience similar benefits after quitting -

1. Mental clarity
2. Emotional stability
3. Much better digestive health
4. Better, more restful sleep (feel fantastic after waking up)
5. Improved learning (related to point #4)
6. Grater consistency in all areas of life (projects, relationships. see points #1 and #2)

[zamar_roura]

Some people say it's good for your health, others say it's bad.
But all I can tell you it's I'm never going back.
Thank you Jeff for this delightful rap.

[mcp]

I quit 3 years ago and now whenever I drink caffeine, I run the risk of getting a headache. I realized I need to listen to my body when it comes to energy levels and actually rest when I'm tired instead of masking it with coffee.

[frozencode]

I once made a huge mistake of drinking black coffee before an interview... I thought I will be energetic and focused but it gave me so much anxiety that I couldn't even talk properly. I was not selected and that only amplified my anxiety and anger.