Wharrgarbl Part Two (I time things poorly or "I picked the wrong day to stop sniffin' glue")

[feren]

So it's 0432 and I'm one of only two warm-blooded beings on the office floor right now. Actually, come to think of it, the other creature on the floor is a contractor. Even though he's working on my project I don't know if he counts as a warm-blooded creature for that very reason... but I digress. As I was saying, it's 0432 in the morning and I've been awake since my alarm went off forty-give minutes ago at 0345. I went to bed sometime around 2145 last night, so I have something akin to 6 hours of sleep. At least that's how the theory goes. I'm sure tarinfirepelt can relate to the sort of confusion I have about sleep schedules when things like this happen, even if he doesn't have a lot of sympathy for me.

But that's just the problem: I haven't had a sleep schedule so much as I've had a toss-turn-wake-wander-return-to-bed-lather-rinse-repeat schedule. So, I've been working to combine a bit of the advice of markvd and ottr, the main thrust of which is to change a few of my habits. Namely? Cutting out the soda and caffeine that's been the mainstay of my diet for the last year. Monster energy drink? Gone. Diet Pepsi? Gone. Coffee in the morning? Gone (or at best replaced with decaf).

This will be my second day without caffeine. Like a complete idiot I quit cold-turkey on Tuesday night, which made yesterday Day One. I believe that had some hand in the "wharrgarbl" aspect of my day (a 12 hour shift full of dogjawed mouthbreathing project managers and last minute requests and outages certainly didn't help any, either; nor does the state of the house and the impending arrival of my parents on their way back to Minnesota).

I really hope that in a week or so all the withdrawl symptoms cease and, more importantly, I'm able to start sleeping through the night again.

You better

Comments

[brianblackberry.livejournal.com]

Right now because I am sick with a throat that feels either clogged or scratchy I drink a lot of diet coke, because it feels so good gong down (and amazingly when you burp it too) when I have a cold like this. hate the idea of so much caffeine though, explains why I am sleeping 3-4 hours a night right now.

[midwestcougar.livejournal.com]

Good luck kicking the caffeine habit. I tried once. I lasted about two months. Then the terrible headaches kick-in. Might help to quit cold-turkey in the short-run, but like a smoker... the cravings come back.

[steelhelix.livejournal.com]

Managed to give up soda, but I just couldn't force myself to go away from tea. Cut back heavily on my caffeine intake, but it never really went away.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Not a week. Months. Expect it to take months.

I did it about six years ago and I still remember how hard it was. :,

[ya-wot-aver.livejournal.com]

Some reason you decide to give up caffeine completely instead of just watching the amount and timing of your consumption?
Not that it's a bad thing...

[gypsypet.livejournal.com]

I'm a terrible terrible caffiene addict, but I did manage to cut waaaaay down for several months. Trying to work my way back down again as we speak.

I had TERRIBLE headaches, and I got really snappy there for a while. The headaches still come on sometimes.

I did figure out that I had a much easier time going through the day with no infusion if I just gave in and had coffee in the morning. That seems to be my main thing.

I can say though that it is worth the trouble, because I do feel better when I stay off the caffiene for the most part, and you really do sleep better, and wake up less during the night.

The things you want to watch out for is it means that you cannot CANNOT have caffiene a few hours before bed anymore once your dependence is broken, because it WILL jack your butt up like you wouldn't believe. And also, if all of the sudden you hit it heavy again (alas, like I've been doing the past few weeks), it can really cause some stomach aches and really bad headaches. (But I won't lie. It's like sweet mana from heaven.)

Good luck; people joke around about it but it is a really hard habit to get out of.

[steelhelix.livejournal.com]

Why, oh why, did you have to give up caffeine when things like THIS are coming out. Breath spray with caffeine! Three spritzes is more than an energy drink!

[wolfbrotherjoe.livejournal.com]

I remember the withdrawal symptoms when I did this ... 8? Years ago. It's worth it to be free of the caffeine, though, and to be able to work off of your own devices.

Plus, you get an added bonus: When you really need to stay awake - the caffeine actually works.

Ugh. I'm worried about my caffeine intake this past semester... I love school and learning, but I think it's bad for me...

[tarinfirepelt.livejournal.com]

Sympathy? Why should i have sympathy? I get the best comic material when you are half loopy! =) ;)