Caffeine Usage and Tolerance Reset Guide
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Other than water, coffee and tea are the most popular beverages worldwide, both of which contain caffeine. Caffeine is a neurostimulant which has a variety of effects on the brain and body, most notably caffeine increases attention, arousal, power output, and fat oxidation. Beyond the simple pleasure in enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, people use both beverages, as well as other forms of caffeine, for increasing focus, productivity, and to help stay awake. In moderation caffeine usage poses little risk to health and for most people caffeine usage is beneficial to overall wellness.
In this guide we discuss the psychological benefits of caffeine if used in moderation, what those dosages are, the symptoms that may arise with caffeine overuse, caffeine withdrawal symptoms, how to reset a caffeine tolerance, and recommendations on the best ways to consume caffeine.
How Caffeine Works
The main mechanism of action that explains caffeine’s effects throughout the body is that it blocks the effects of the naturally occurring neuromodulator adenosine.
Adenosine is one of four nucleoside building blocks to DNA and RNA, which are essential for all life. Adenosine mono-, di-, and triphosphates, also known as AMP/ADP/ATP, are organic compound that provides energy to many of the cellular processes vital to life. Adenosine causes sedation and relaxation when it acts upon its receptors.
The chemical structure of caffeine
Caffeine binds to some of the same receptors as adenosine, acting as competitive antagonists and in the process blunting the sedative effects of adenosine. Caffeine’s effect on adenosine changes the activity of neurotransmitters noradrenaline, acetylcholine, dopamine, and others. When caffeine is overused adenosine receptors alter in behavior away from normal and as such the behavior of the important aforementioned neurotransmitters is also changed.
If caffeine is being over used at dosages of >3 mg/kg bodyweight per day, then it takes several days or weeks of caffeine abstinence to return all systems back to normal. With moderate usage (<3 mg/kg) overnight abstinence from caffeine is sufficient in preventing tolerance formation in central nervous system adenosine receptors systems. If you don’t drink more than a couple cups of coffee or tea in a day, and you don’t drink any at night, then it’s unlikely that you have a caffeine tolerance.
Beneficial Effects of Caffeine
There’s the common saying that coffee makes the world go around, and it’s such a popular beverage because of it’s caffeine content of approximately 95 mg per cup of coffee. Caffeine is a mild and relatively safe stimulant that has a number of beneficial health effects. Because caffeine blocks adenosines sedative properties, caffeine is an energy boost for the brain and body. For most people, caffeine usage in moderate dosages at <300 mg/day has the following beneficial effects:
Caffeine improves simple and choice reaction time
Caffeine increases the speed of processing new stimuli
Caffeine increases alertness and reduces fatigue in low arousal situations such as in the early morning, when working at night, when experiencing a cold, with sleep loss, or it can even remove the sedative effects of certain drugs
With illnesses such as the common cold, caffeine can improve mood
For tasks requiring sustained attention, caffeine increases alertness and vigilance when already in a normal alert state
Caffeine eliminates the sleepiness produced by the consumption of lunch
Caffeine usage during the day reduces the slowing of reaction times seen at the end of the day, helping maintain performance levels
Caffeine at night maintains the performance of individuals as seen during the day
Fatigued people show a larger performance boost from caffeine than well-rested people.
High consumption of caffeine (2-3 cups of coffee everyday for long periods of time) is associated with better mental performance in the elderly.
Caffeine reduces depression
Caffeine improves fat oxidation and power output
The standard scientific definition of caffeine moderation is <300 mg per day. The beneficial effects of caffeine start at around 30 mg which is the amount found in a cup of green tea.
When doing performance tasks, the beneficial effects of caffeine are most pronounced when circadian alertness is low. Little evidence suggests there are any impairments following the consumption of normal amounts of caffeine, and while caffeine changes alertness levels, it does not noticeably increase or decrease distractibility.
The benefits of moderate caffeine usage discussed here are what the majority of people who use caffeine will experience. That said, everyone is as different on the inside as they are on the outside, and individual response to caffeine consumption can vary quite a bit among individuals.
Caffeine Sensitive Individuals and Caffeinism
If sensitive to the effects of caffeine, then potential negative side effects of caffeine usage may appear at doses below 3mg/kg bodyweight per day. For others, these symptoms may appear at doses above 3 mg/kg. The main negative symptoms of caffeine which are sometimes experienced include:
Sleep loss
Increased anxiety, especially if stress is encountered
Reduced fine motor control, aka jitteriness
To feel the negative symptoms of caffeine usage, one typically has to consume amounts greater than 300 mg/day. Studies that have shown these negative effects using dosages of 6 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, or bolus doses such as 600 mg at once.
Daily intake of caffeine in the range of 1000 mg and beyond is known as caffeinism, and at these very high intakes the associated symptoms are virtually indistinguishable from severe chronic anxiety. Anyone that suffers from anxiety is recommended to keep their caffeine intake below 300 mg/day, and if especially sensitive to the effects of caffeine, then lower than 100 mg/day is my recommendation.
How Long does it take for Caffeine to Kick In?
Peak plasma levels of caffeine occur 15-45 minutes after ingestion and begin to decrease from there. The plasma half-life of caffeine is 5-6 hours. If 100 mg of caffeine is ingested, as would be found in a cup of coffee, then caffeine blood concentrations will be highest for the first 2 hours and then decrease steadily.
Metabolism of Caffeine
Most of the beneficial effects of caffeine follow a linear dose-response relationship (that is, the more given the bigger the effect) up to about 300 mg. Beyond 300 mg the beneficial effects typically flatline or even begin to decrease again as undesirable symptoms like anxiety and jitteriness may develop.
How Caffeine and Cortisol Interact
Caffeine has an effect on cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that most notably rises and falls everyday as part of the circadian rhythm. In concert with light and temperature, it’s a peak in cortisol blood concentrations that causes someone to wake up in the morning.
When caffeine isn’t used regularly, then caffeine will cause a robust increase in cortisol during morning, afternoon, or evening usage. When consuming caffeine on a daily basis, then morning caffeine usage doesn’t impact cortisol significantly but afternoon caffeine usage will elevate cortisol blood concentrations for up to six hours. Even if caffeine creates an afternoon cortisol increase, cortisol levels will drop to normal levels by nighttime.
Since it is the circadian rhythm and cortisol which plays a large part in the wake and sleep cycles of the body, it is important to be mindful of caffeine usage throughout the day and to limit usage of caffeine to time windows that won’t affect normal sleep, unless that is the desired goal. A good rule of thumb to follow is to not have any caffeine after 2 pm.
Caffeine and Sleep
The fact that caffeine reduces or removes sleepiness means that it can interfere with normal sleep. Caffeine’s interactions with normal sleep at night depend on how much is taken and when. If large amounts of caffeine are consumed shortly before bed, then for most people sleep will be disturbed.
Caffeine in these situations increases sleep latency, which is how long it takes to fall asleep, and caffeine also decreases sleep duration. The latency increasing effect of caffeine occurs in the first half of the night and reduces as caffeine is metabolized. Interestingly, people who use caffeine frequently will report less sleep disturbances than people who are infrequent users. Infrequently using caffeine makes the effects of caffeine more pronounced as less tolerance has developed, as it is with me. I am caffeine sensitive because I rarely enjoy more than 100 mg of caffeine on any given day.
Green tea is a common source of caffeine, though weaker than coffee, and it’s worth pointing out that green tea also contains an amino acid known as L-theanine. L-theanine has been shown to improve sleep quality because it helps stabilize and increase in amplitude 8-12 Hz alpha brainwaves. As the body and mind wind down at night in preparation for sleep, brainwave frequency decreases from predominately 12-30 Hz beta brainwaves to alpha brainwaves and lower. Deep sleep is characterized by strong 0-4 Hz delta brainwaves and REM sleep is characterized by strong 4-8 Hz theta brainwaves.
Green tea is a unique caffeine containing beverage because consumption of green tea in the morning or early afternoon will provide the user the same beneficial effects of caffeine that many get from coffee while simultaneously improving their sleep at night. L-theanine has also been show to reduce anxiety and to help with the jitteriness that caffeine can cause in high doses. It’s for these reasons I don’t drink coffee often and instead prefer green tea, as it’s a better nootropic compound that also improves gut health and metabolism.
Is 200 mg of Caffeine a lot?
For the average person, 200 mg of caffeine in a day, either taken at once or spread out across 2+ usages, is a moderate amount of caffeine. 200 mg of caffeine would equal about 2 cups of coffee or a few cups of tea.
For a sensitive individual, 200 mg of caffeine can be a significant amount that may cause unpleasant side effects such as anxiety and jitteriness. I’m caffeine sensitive myself, especially if I drink coffee on an empty stomach, and I know that if I have more than 100-150 mg of caffeine at once I become shaky, experience symptoms of low blood sugar, and in general feel unwell. One reason I am caffeine sensitive is because I don’t use large amounts of caffeine often. I drink green tea around 4-5 times a week but even with 3 cups of green tea throughout the day I don’t ingest more than ~100 mg of caffeine.
Since caffeine takes 15-90 minutes to reach peak blood concentrations, I recommend only having one caffeine containing beverage at a time and then waiting to see how you feel. I only recommend the usage of foods that naturally contain caffeine like coffee, tea, or yerba matte, and I advise avoiding high-dosage caffeine containing beverages that are full of sugar, artificial flavors and colors, and other chemicals of questionable nature. The research is clear that when consuming caffeine as found naturally in food products such as coffee and tea, it’s rare to experience negative side effects and most people will intuitively control their caffeine intake to maximize the positive benefits.
Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
Caffeine withdrawal symptoms are generally the same as those experienced by caffeine sensitive individuals. The main symptom is headache, followed by increases in anxiety and generalized fatigue. Since the adenosine receptors are recalibrating from the removal of caffeine, extra drowsiness and feelings of low energy may be experienced.
Unless a severe caffeine tolerance has developed, caffeine withdrawal is typically fairly mild and lasts a few days at most. If large amounts of caffeine (>3 mg/kg bodyweight per day) have been consumed for months without break, then caffeine withdrawal will be more severe and can be quite difficult. Most people are able to control their caffeine intake to maximize the benefits while limiting the negatives, but for those whose caffeine usage has gotten out of hand, resetting their caffeine tolerance is highly recommended for overall health reasons
How to Reset Caffeine Tolerance
Heavy habitual caffeine usage leads to an insurmountable tolerance in which more caffeine usage no longer leads to any useful effects except for it’s ability to delay sleep. To reset a caffeine tolerance, the two main methods strategies are to reduce caffeine usage slowly over time, or to completely stop caffeine usage over a period of time. Let’s examine each.
Weaning off Caffeine
The first method available for resetting a caffeine tolerance is to slowly reduce caffeine usage over the course of 2-6 weeks. If consuming 600 mg of caffeine daily, then reducing caffeine usage by 100 mg per week until reaching zero would cause little if any withdrawal symptoms. Once no caffeine is being used, staying at zero usage for a few weeks is recommended. Caffeine’s effects on adenosine receptors in the brain are not yet fully understood and it’s likely best to cycle off from caffeine from time to time in order to return to normal baseline brain activity, and this goes for all users.
While weaning off caffeine it’s also useful to narrow the consumption time window. If coffee is normally consumed anywhere from 6 am to 6 pm, narrowing these hours to 8 am to 12 pm will create less of an impact on cortisol and be beneficial for the overall circadian rhythm.
Quitting Caffeine Cold Turkey
The second method for resetting a caffeine tolerance is to stop all usage of caffeine immediately. While quitting caffeine cold turkey is the fastest method in resetting a caffeine tolerance, it’s also the most likely to produce noticeable withdrawal symptoms. Some individuals don’t do well with weaning off things slowly and though the withdrawal effects may be more severe, they may be most successful with a complete halting of all caffeine. If quitting caffeine dead stop, then a tolerance may be gone in as little as one week, though it’s typically best to stop caffeine usage for 2-6 weeks before reintroducing caffeine back into the diet in moderation.
The Importance of Ritual
Drinking coffee or tea every morning creates a daily habit, and the enjoyable ritual of brewing a steaming cup may be one of the reasons why it’s tough to break the habit of using caffeine. In this case, the ritual of brewing a cup of coffee or tea can be used to one’s advantage. If a heavy coffee drinker, brewing green tea doesn’t break the ritual but provides only about 1/3rd of the caffeine that coffee does, while also having the aforementioned heath benefits that go beyond just those of caffeine. Brewing a cup of decaf coffee also works, though it contains <10 mg caffeine per cup. Mixing regular and decaf coffee into a blend is one way to brew coffee of certain caffeine concentrations.
While rare, if dealing with a caffeine tolerance as a tea drinker, switching to a non-caffeinated peppermint tea for example is a great option. Peppermint tea is tasty and fantastic for brightening the mood while improving gut health.
The Coffee Bean Method
Another effective way of weaning off excess caffeine consumption, more specifically from coffee, is to use coffee beans.
Instead of brewing less coffee day by day, quit coffee cold turkey and have a few coffee beans available at all times. If caffeine withdrawal symptoms appear, simply eat a single coffee bean and move on. At the beginning many coffee beans may be eaten, but fairly quickly into the reset they’re only rarely or no longer needed and the caffeine tolerance is gone. To make it extra effective, eat dark chocolate covered coffee beans! The theobromine found in chocolate is similar to caffeine in effect but functions differently metabolically and won’t affect a caffeine tolerance reset.
Want a Better Coffee?
Coffee can be made better with the addition of a few herbals that support cognition and energy metabolism while have general synergistic effects on health and longevity. I call this herbal coffee blend a dark mocha, learn more about how cacao, cinnamon, chaga mushroom, and cistanche will revolutionize your relationship with coffee.
Switch from Coffee to Tea
While coffee has a bunch of wonderful health effects when consumed black and with no sugar, it’s often a vehicle for more sugar, cream, and calories to enter into the body. Coffee can also overstimulate the digestive system to hurry on up, negatively impacting normal gut motility unless constipated (which requires examination in and of itself).
Because of it’s lower caffeine content, green tea is a gentler way to enjoy the benefits of caffeine while reducing the negatives like increased anxiety and jitteriness. Additionally it’s really easy to add other herbs to green tea and create herbal tea blends that can be used for various medicinal effects. In general I recommend you check out the herb section of this website and explore the many uses and health benefits of herbs more!
I purchase my green tea from two places, Mountain Rose Herbs and Pique Tea.
Mountain Rose Herbs has a bunch of different types of green, white, black and other teas, as well as many other herbs which can also be brewed into tea. For green tea simply heat water to 170 F (75C), pour, and let steep for 5-8 minutes.
My favorite way to brew green tea is part of a vitality blend which also includes ginger root, Siberian ginseng, and Reishi mushroom. All the products from Mountain Rose Herbs are organic and are very cost-efficient.
If convenience is the ultimate goal, then Pique Tea sells tea crystals in small packets which are incredibly easy to use and can be dissolved into hot or cold water. I like their ginger green fasting tea and matcha green fasting tea, available separately or together. Pique Tea has dozens of different teas available in their unique tea crystal packets at different quantities, and even if you primarily brew your tea using using loose ingredients like I do, having some tea crystal packets on hand comes in handy more often than you’d think. Use WILDFREEORGANIC for 5% off at checkout
I hope you found this guide on caffeine and how to reset a caffeine tolerance useful. Overconsumption of caffeine can lead to undesirable effects and many people who overuse caffeine feel trapped because they don’t want to experience the withdrawal symptoms which can be quite unpleasant. If you know someone who is searching for guidance on how to reset a caffeine tolerance, please share with them this guide, they’ll be glad you did!
References:
Smith A. Effects of caffeine on human behavior. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2002;40(9):1243-1255. 10.1016/S0278-6915(02)00096-0
Lovallo WR, Whitsett TL, al’Absi M, Sung BH, Vincent AS, Wilson MF. Caffeine stimulation of cortisol secretion across the waking hours in relation to caffeine intake levels. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2005;67(5):734-739. 10.1097/01.psy.0000181270.20036.06
Juneja L. L-theanine—a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 1999;10(6-7):199-204. 10.1016/S0924-2244(99)00044-8
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