How to have more sustainable energy? Caffeine to blame?

I am not married and have relatively few obligations outside my 45-50 hour work week but find myself completely exhausted each and every night when I return home from work and I know it's a common complaint and wondered if any of you have addressed this problem. Here is my typical workday routine.

Get up, sixish, do the usual shower and work prepareness and drink about a 10-12 oz. cup of coffee and arrive to work between 7:30-8:00. The mornings are my best as the coffee seems to carry me thru most of it and I get the most done. I'll have a diet Pepsi with my lunch but the afternoon typically is filled with a cycles of tiredness and somewhat rebounding energy but never the same as to the morning level. I'll typically have another cup of coffee, maybe eight ounces in mid afternoon but it does not have nearly the effect as the morning cup. I'll work until typically 5:00-5:30 and usually get home around six where I will feel absolutely dead to the world. Often times I will take a 30-45 minute nap but it doesn't seem to matter, I'll feel dead for most of the early evening although usually rebound slightly as the evening progresses and can't seem to get to sleep until after 11:00 and so only sleep roughly six hours a night. On the weekends when I can I'll sleep much more, maybe 10 hours a night and typically drink less caffeine as well.

Anyhow to get to the point, what can be done to have more after work energy and do you think caffeine is to blame? Any of you used to drink a good deal of caffeine and quit? What are your experiences with that? Right now I don't know how I could survive the mornings without it but would give up a bit of the morning energy buzz to have something more even and sustainable to carry me thru the day.

A lot of people exercise in the morning. I have done this and it helps me.

JM-99

Try limiting all caffeine after noon or so for a couple of weeks. Also check your diet--sugar is horrid at this. Have a healthy lunch (I know...), veggies and protein--go easy on the carbs. Sounds like you're sugar-crashing a bit, perhaps.

As for sleep--set a schedule and stick to it every day. It's amazing how much this has helped me (thanks to my kids--up at 5:30 every day, no matter what). Also avoid naps in the evening as they make it hard to go to sleep. Don't do anything in bedroom except sleep--specifically NO WORK. Work somewhere else. Personally I like to read a bit before bed. A hot bath helps if I'm really stressed.

Oh, they say alcohol can keep you up also. I find that to be true, so limit alcohol consumption also.

Exercise in morning is good. Also, consider going for a walk at breaktime instead of having coffee. It does more good and is better for you.

I hope this helps. It helps me--with 2 kids sleep is important (of course I'm up late grading papers and writing this...)

Coffee is dehydrating; it takes out more water than it puts into your body. You could be running into a state of dehydration in the afternoon. Try replacing the midafternoon cup of coffee with water or some non-sugary beverage.

I've noticed this myself and the midafternoon water helps somewhat. I also do half-caff when I can.

When I used to work a regular job, or went to school, I pretty much felt the same no matter what I did. In high school I was up at about 6 AM, out the door 6:30, came home about 4:45PM, and felt dead to the world come weekends. All of the jobs I've held were pretty much the same scenario. In fact, I really had little or no energy even going as far back as kindergarden, except when school wasn't in session. It was only after I was laid off in 1990, and stopped adhering to any kind of a regular schedule, that I realized what the culprit was. I just wasn't a morning person. Unfortunately, both school and all of my jobs required me to get up at an hour that my body was telling me I should be sleeping. Moreover, it was an artificial situation to keep to the exact same schedule each day. Some days I might have wanted to sleep 12 hours, others not at all. I couldn't do this because of my schedule requirements.

Ever since becoming master of my own schedule, I find I have much more energy than before. Now this isn't to say I have an abundance of energy. I don't. I probably suffer from a mild form of chronic fatigue syndrome. Hot weather (that's anything over about 50°F to me) makes it worse. At least now I'm functional. Before I remember it always being a struggle to get through a week of work or school. Even worse, without summers off to recharge I wouldn't have been able to get through it at all.

Now you may or may not be a night person like me but there are other factors at play. Having a job you detest definitely makes you very tired. Having nothing to look forward to after work (i.e. no girlfriend or social life or hobbies) adds to it. Even something like having lunch can make you feel tired. I used to hate having lunch because I didn't feel like working after eating. I would rather have just skipped lunch and left half an hour earlier but my boss said no. Maybe that's part of the problem. Just skip the formal lunch hour (or half hour) if your boss lets you but keep a few small snacks by your desk if you get hungry. I might also suggest to avoid excessive amounts of sugar in your diet (can cause crashes), and foods heavy in fat (definitely can cause lethargy). Oh, and have others have said exercise definitely helps. I agree. I'm dragging my behind lately because I've been lazy about riding my bike. I feel much better when I cycle at least 3 or more times a week.

Its possible that you are having a difficulty with "sleep apnea".

I did, for years and my symptoms sounded a lot like yours.

Basically, your air passage relaxes at night and closes off the air way. Your body recognizes the need for air and "gasps", thus waking you up a little. This can happen as often as 120 times per hour (about every 30 seconds). It means you would be sleeping very, very lightly. Basically, after a whole night in bed, you've had no real sleep.

The sneaky aspect of this is the person that suffers from sleep apnea is usually completely unaware of it themselves. I know. I was this way. The only reason I found out about is that my wife noticed it for years and would comment on it to me.

I finally got treated and it basically saved my life. Now I have lots of energy and don't need to use caffeine at all. Although, I still drink one cup of coffee first thing when I get up.

If you live alone, this could definitely be your situation and you'd never know. You could try leaving a recorder on by your beside and listening to yourself in the morning. If you have apnea, you should be able to hear it.

Jumpmaster said:

A lot of people exercise in the morning. I have done this and it helps me.

JM-99

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yes, try this first. especially if you get little or no exercise at all.

could change your life.

I recently cut back on my caffeine consumption a lot. at first it had a lot of impact on me, but a colleague suggested to drink a lot of cold water (2 liters a day). it helps, when just starting you will need to go to the toilet a lot, but after a few weeks you get used to it.

A good way to make sure you drink 2 liters is to get a 1 liter nalgene, drink 1 in the morning, and 1 in the afternoon.

So far it worked pretty good for me, I now limit my caffeine consumption to (mostly) just nightshifts.

Like others have said, it sounds like it could be a sugar drop. Sugar in the morning wears off in a couple of hours and leaves you feeling down. I drink strong coffee with sugar and creme, and sip it all day long.

OTOH... Cronic fatigue can also be a sign of circulatory problems. My story: I was finding my self tired after the smallest exertion. I finally realized I may have had a problem when I ran out of breath just talking to a friend. I went to the doctor. The cardiologist found I had a faulty valve that was letting my heart pump only 25% of it's normal volume. Some quick open heart surgery to repair the valve and now the valve works great and I'm back to normal.

By "quick" I mean the surgery was on Wednesday and Saturday I was at home and walking 1 mile and a half.

Just in case, it does not hurt to check with a doctor. They can spot heart problems, vitamin deficiancies and all sorts of other causes.

Daniel

Obviously, there could be a lot of reasons for this. I have a friend who is a doctor, and when someone tells him that they're fatigued, one of the first things he starts looking for is mild depression ... just something to examine in yourself.

Beyond that, for me the keys are sleep, diet, and exercise. Exercise is by far the biggest key for me personally. Being fatigued gets you into this cycle of being too tired to exercise, which shuts your body down more and makes your more fatigued, etc. I couldn't believe the energy boost from exercising.

Diet is also a big one for me. It's true that lots of simple carbs -- sugar and refined grains such as white rice or white bread -- can definitelyl cause you to fatigue badly. For me personally, I found my diet salvation in eating "clean", that is, eating only real food, not laboratory-created concoctions. I avoid chemicals, artificial colors/sweeteners/preservatives, and heavy processing. If it does not come in a box or a package, I eat relatively more of it. If it's got more than 5 ingredients, I probably don't eat it at all, unless it's got chemicals in it in which case I definitely don't eat it. I do not count carbs, protein, or fat, I just eat real food. Anyway, no need for you to adopt my exact diet, just saying to make an effort to eat healthy.

And as far as sleep. Sleep is good! Make sure you're getting enough.

Lastly, do I think the coffee could be the problem? I'm doubtful. Coffee has been shown NOT to be a diuretic in frequent users, which you definitely are. You're also probably tolerating the caffeine as well. I'd cut out the afternoon coffee, but beyond that, I think there are more likely culprits than the coffee.

If none of that works, time to takl to your doctor.

Joe

Exercise, as already stated, is very beneficial. The simplest exercise is walking and gives your whole body a boost. It's also an excuse to take a flashlight with you when walking at night. Another significant benefit is that as little as 30 minutes a day of exercise boosts your mood and frame of mind a lot. Take a pencil and paper with you when walking. I find that good ideas spring to mind more often and you can jot these down before you forget them.

I am 45 and do not have this problem. I drink 4 to 5 cups of coffee every morning, strong coffee. But I have my last at 0900 and switch to water for the remainder of the day. Unlike a lot of folks here, I do all my exercise in the evening after work. Sit-ups with heavy weights held behind my head, push-ups, crunchs, and a host of others. I am never too tired to do this every evening, although I usually take Saturday off and let my body recuperate.
I seriously doubt coffee is the culprit. Cut out soda and other real sugery stuff. You might try taking a good vitamin, like Centrum every morning, I have done this for lots of years. Get some exercise every day, this helps build stamina. Expecially if your job, like mine keeps you behind a desk most of the day, the exercise will be benedicial.
It is difficult to get started, but if you set aside 30 to 45 minutes every day, same time thereabouts, you'll feel the difference in a few weeks. And others will notice it as well. I for one am not ashamed to take my shirt off outside of work, got a 6-pack at age 45, catch the ladies looking all the time.
So there are some benefits to the exercise as well.:naughty:

Robert Hill
Midwest City, OK.

I love coffee but it makes me exhausted so I've been trying hard to stay away from it. My general energy level is much better without it. The day after I drink it I'll feel tired. I'll be like "Wow, I'm just kinda wasted today. Oh yeah, I had coffee yesterday."

I don't like weak coffee, so maybe that has something to do with it. When I decide to be drink a coffee I'll have an espresso or get a cup of coffee from an independent coffee shop down the street run by some Brazilians who make it nice & dense.

Why not try going cold turkey (no caffeine Pepsi either) for a week and see how you feel? Maybe you've got that body type too.

I think we should all note that each response has some differences--different people react differently. Personally I think you might consider visiting with your doc, just in case. No reason not to, right?

As was mentioned in the previous posts, it seems that you have conditioned your body to rely on caffeine and sugar as a short-term boost for energy. Obviously, this is not the way to do it (though I am guilty of that too).

You want longer lasting energy? The solution is simple. You must boost your metabolism by exercising and eating a balanced meal, regularly. Get some fiber into your system and drink plenty of fluids. Your system needs to be regulated. Once you get to that point, you'll have all the energy you need and then some. Everything improves (including sex). You won't be needing your coffee in the morning as well.

Good luck. And I need to follow my own advice.

WP

Jumpmaster said:

A lot of people exercise in the morning. I have done this and it helps me.

Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head, IMHO. I bike to work every day - when I get in, I'm 100% awake, and after my bikeride home, I've gotten all my frustration out on the road ( and taxis ), which allows me to be relaxed, but still energized.

john

Thanks for the suggestions. I never thought of sleep Apnea. I tend to dream heavily, don't you have to be in a deep sleep to do so? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to record myself.

Part of the problem is that I'm definitely a night person. I was much better when I worked second shift but that's not going to happen in my current job. I do try to exercise although it's been sporadic at best this past winter. If I can garner the energy I'd rather exercise at night then in the morning. I don't like to be time limited like I would in the morning and also, I'm a heavy sweater when exercising and have to wait at least 20 minutes after stopping before taking a shower or I won't stop sweating. Anyhow I'm going to do my best to give up sugars for awhile and somewhat limit the simple carb intake. I now need to lose 15-20 lbs as it is. Also although I had coffee in the morning, I substituted green tea this afternoon. I know still caffeine but less I believe and hopefully benefits from the green tea. So we'll see where that goes. Now if I only stop waking up in the middle of the night.....

geepondy said:

If I can garner the energy I'd rather exercise at night then in the morning. I don't like to be time limited like I would in the morning and also, I'm a heavy sweater when exercising and have to wait at least 20 minutes after stopping before taking a shower or I won't stop sweating.

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I agree wholeheartedly. Despite all the enthusiastic morning exercisers in this thread, if you're a night person then it's probably not possible to exercise before work. When I had a regular day job I remember having enough trouble getting out of bed in time, nevermind an hour earlier so I could exercise. I was going to try cycling to work so I could get the exercise in without waking any earlier. The 9 mile ride each way would have taken about the same amount of time as the subway, sometimes even less. However, the first time I tried it I got all of four blocks, turned around, and took the subway as usual. Besides lacking the energy to ride that time of day, I lacked any kind of sound judgement. I ran two red lights without realizing I was doing so, and almost got hit by cross traffic. I had a near miss with a bus, and then almost ran over a pedestrian in a crosswalk. I think I hit a traffic cone as well but that might have been another time. Basically the episode was like something out of The Three Stooges. My hat is off to anyone who has a competent enough mind to cycle or drive an automobile at that time of day. I know I couldn't do either. By luck I used to walk the three blocks to the bus which takes me to the subway without getting lost or killed while crossing the street. And in the workplace prior to about noon I functioned at the level of a mentally challenged person. Just talking about it reminds me how much I can't stand getting up early in the morning.

Even THINKING about getting up at 6 AM makes me feel drained of energy.
6 AM is better seen from the other side, preferably after a long night of dancing.

There is a widely-held belief that exercise has to be either deadly dull and boring
or totally competitive (i.e. sports) and it must be done very early in the morning
or it "doesn't count". This is not true, of course, but the belief has made
couch-potatoes out of millions.

Things like these are hard to diagnose because it could be so many things. You have
to be flexible and willing to try changes in alot of different areas. Nutrition,sleep, physical problems etc. Your mental state also comes into play. Depression will kill your
energy levels. Take your time and work on each area one at a time. It could be a slow
thyroid etc. Make small changes and stick with them for awhile and see how your body
reacts. I'll give you one example, I do better going to bed at 9:30 pm and get up at
3:30 than I do going to bed at midnight and waking at 6am. Why? I have no idea. I
slept 6 hours so it should be the same right? Nope. Instead of eating a big lunch I
close my eyes for 20 minutes, etc. Try to eat something every 3-4 hours during the
day. Do NOT skip meals. Try sipping pure apple cider vinegar mixed withwater to taste
a couple times a day. A small amount. Try adding coconut oil to your cooking a little
bit here and there. Fast one day per week to help detox. Listen to your body, if it
tells you get out and move do it. If not, take a little rest. Just a few suggestions, there are many more. Have fun.