Comment by marginalia_nu
5 hours ago
Downside with going completely off caffeine is you get so tired and unfocused and it lasts for ages.
I tried doing this for almost a full year, and while the improved sleep and generally improved mood was fantastic, and even toward the end it was so much harder to get any focused work done.
I think my average level of useful focus is just simply higher with caffeine. I was off it for three years, which is well beyond the time it would take to lose any tolerance, but never really reverted back to the same level of focus that I get with caffeine.
I'm not sure my overall focus over time is higher with caffeine, but it does allow me to nudge more of it into the useful part of my day. However I'm a fast metaboliser of caffeine, and it doesn't impact my sleep at all, so could be that there's a genetic component to one's experience here.
I have to say that I don't find this at all. I've been off caffeine for years, and I'm perfectly able to focus without it.
Stimulants (of caffeine is one) are the de-facto treatment for ADHD, not entirely unlikely caffeine is keeping me subclinical.
Some stimulants are a treatment for ADHD. Caffeine is not one of them, and whilst there are suggestions it can act as a short-term treatment for some people, it's not recommended.
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