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Generally, people are encouraged to gradually cut down on caffeine. Abruptly quitting caffeine altogether (going “cold turkey”) produces a rebound effect in which the body becomes overly sensitive to adenosine (the natural sleep-enhancer). Consequently, adenosine has a more powerful sleep-enhancing effect, causing blood pressure to plunge and leading to a variety of other withdrawal symptoms such as:

• Depressed mood
• Headache, often severe
• Irritability
• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Sleepiness
• Throwing up (vomiting)
• Trouble concentrating
• Upset stomach (nausea)

Withdrawal symptoms can begin as soon as 12 hours after the last dose of caffeine. They usually peak within 20 to 48 hours and can last up to one week, although they generally go away after a day or two of eliminating caffeine use.

Some people choose to quit caffeine abruptly and then wait out the withdrawal symptoms. Others choose to avoid the withdrawal symptoms altogether by slowly weaning themselves from caffeine over a period of two to four weeks. For example, people may drink beverages that are half-caffeinated and half-decaffeinated, or drink decaffeinated beverages every other day.

Another popular strategy is caffeine fading, in which people drink one-half cup less of the caffeinated beverage every day. By gradually reducing their daily caffeine intake, people can eventually reach their goal of drinking only caffeine-free beverages without experiencing withdrawal effects.

Some people have raised concerns about the chemical process by which coffee is decaffeinated. Although water is sometimes used to slowly remove caffeine from coffee beans, the use of chemicals is a popular strategy for decaffeinating coffee. Within the next few years, genetically engineered coffee beans may provide the same “decaf” benefits without the chemical treatment. In the meantime, people who are concerned about the chemical process and still wish to cut down might benefit from drinking herbal tea, juice, water, milk or other caffeine-free drinks.

Other tips for limiting caffeine intake include:

• Keep track of how much caffeine is consumed each day. For example, patients are urged to track the number of cups of coffee or cans of soda they drink.
  
  
• Gradually reduce the amount of caffeine consumed each day. People can replace caffeinated drinks with decaffeinated alternatives, which are available for coffee, tea and soda.
  
  
• Brew tea for shorter periods of time, or choose herbal teas (which do not have caffeine).
  
  
• Try to choose over-the-counter medications that are caffeine-free. Reading the packaging labels can reveal whether the drug has caffeine or not.