Caffeine reduction will do good for you

November 4, 2026

I’ve written in the past about my predilection for consuming caffeine through a specific energy drink. It’s been an on-again, off-again relationship with caffeine since then, but there has been an uptick recently in drinking coffee¹ and a different, more potent energy drink. It got to be so bad that on some days I was having two cups of coffee before noon and then having one, or even two energy drinks in the afternoon. This totalled to around 16-17 individual units of caffeine per week. I’m sure I’m not alone in having a consumption pattern such as this, so my goal with this post is to drive home the point to at least one person that in lieu of going completely cold turkey from caffeine, reducing caffeine intake and scheduling it more consciously will do good for you.

But what even drove me to make such a change? It boiled down to noticing the increase² at all and being concerned about what it might mean for me in the long run, both in terms of physical and psychological health. To me, it just doesn’t make sense to be that dependent on something, even if my body could theoretically handle it.

A 2013 paper on caffeine use disorder, which relies on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), lays out a set of criteria to describe the disorder as “at least the first three […] occurring within a 12-month period”³:

1. A persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control caffeine use
2. Continued caffeine use despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by caffeine
3. Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:
   • The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for caffeine
   • Caffeine (or a closely related substance) is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms
4. Caffeine is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended
5. Recurrent caffeine use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (e.g., repeated tardiness or absences from work or school related to caffeine use or withdrawal)
6. Continued caffeine use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of caffeine (e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of use, medical problems, cost).
7. Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
   • A need for markedly increased amounts of caffeine to achieve desired effect
   • Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of caffeine
8. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain caffeine, use caffeine, or recover from its effects
9. Craving or a strong desire or urge to use caffeine

Substance use disorders occur on a spectrum and according to that same paper, referring to the same criteria:

[…] a mild substance use disorder is suggested by the presence of two to three symptoms, moderate by four to five symptoms, and severe by six or more symptoms.

Based off of that mine would have been severe, though it definitely didn’t feel like it on most days; most days I was oblivious to anything being wrong at all. I suspect people are familiar with at least some semblance of caffeine withdrawal symptoms by feeling fatigued before having their daily dose, even if they’ve had a seemingly good night of sleep, but there are a few more⁴ (I’ve emphasized my own in bold):

1. Headache
2. Marked fatigue or drowsiness
3. Dysphoric mood, depressed mood, or irritability
4. Difficulty concentrating
5. Flu-like symptoms (nausea, vomiting, or muscle pain/stiffness)

There had always been that one day in a given week where I didn’t consume any caffeine, but that day was a tough one to get through because all of a sudden being in my own body didn’t feel like it did normally. A part of me had a strong belief it was because of caffeine.

It will be two months this week when I’ve managed, even at real energetic lows, to keep myself to having caffeine just six times a week. With the exception of the first week where I was still figuring out the schedule, it’s been twice on each Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday since then with every Wednesday, Friday, and weekends being off. This is the schedule that I landed on as it felt complementary on two fronts:

1. the multiple days off at the end of the week breaks any tolerance build-up over the course of the week, such that having caffeine on Monday actually produces a pleasant effect;
2. the gap on Wednesday leads to a much better weekend experience where it doesn’t feel all that bad not having any caffeine.

I was expecting several weeks of drudgery to get to any point of feeling good, but I’m happy to report that already by the second week things were looking up: having coffee on Monday felt like it used to by actually giving energy and subsequent days weren’t just more like the others, filled with thoughts of caffeine. My overall well-being has gotten to be so good because of this approach that I’m starting to slowly not remember how awful it felt at times, and sometimes it even feels like I could easily have one or two more cups over the course of the week. Though, then I remember that a large part of the reason I’m feeling this good is because of the change I made and any additional allowances are bound to lead to more.

While I’ve had success in the past with cutting out caffeine entirely, I’m glad I went with a more middle of the road approach this time around. If there’s even a sliver of doubt in you about your own habits when it comes to caffeine, then please do try starting with only one day off and working up from there, adding more consecutive days as you go. It may be uncomfortable at first and it may not seem possible, but there’s a good chance you’ll notice a marked improvement in how you feel as the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months.