drugs of choice

[kirkcudbright]

What with the Big Sick, I haven't had any alcohol since Sunday, nor caffeine since Monday morning. I'd already been thinking of trying to shake up my habits of consumption; I mean, there've been days when that's all I've had to drink.

I thought this time off might at least help my fucked-up sleep patterns, but no, I woke up at 4am, and couldn't get back to sleep. Damn...

Comments

[c1.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with the fucked-up sleep patterns of waking up at 4AM for No Good Reason. And like you, caffeine/alcohol presence or absence makes no difference.

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

What was your typical daily caffeine consumption?

I ask because it's perfectly possible that you're not done withdrawing yet.

The brain adjusts to the presence of caffeine in the system by growing more adenosine receptors, which is how you build up a tolerance. It's also why it takes more caffeine to get the stimulus you used to get.

And during withdrawal, your brain gradually sheds those extra receptors. Sometimes, it goes overboard.

And you may be in that over-reactive state now.

Try abstaining a bit longer, and see whether things settle out.

(I say this without knowing anything about your personal medical sleep history. I may be totally off-base. But I've got lots of experience with caffeine and withdrawing.)

[kirkcudbright.livejournal.com]

Typical consumption over the last decade or so has been 4-6 cups a day, with occasional cold turkey periods. I don't get withdrawal headaches, nor do I function less well without coffee, so I don't really have a way of measuring withdrawal. It's quite possible that my brain is still adjusting to the difference.

Like I said, my sleep patterns have been fucked up for a while; waking up at 4am would be nothing noteworthy if I'd managed to get back to sleep within half an hour.

Shrug.