Caffeine combined with L-Theanine does seem provide slight boost for focus to me.
That said, I think biggest mood/focus/energy difference (besides a nice workout which is also important) for me was getting vitamins and other micronutrients in order. I highly suggest you to do a blood test or two per year for all the common vitamins/micronutrients to see which you need to fix.
For men, I think it is especially important to get magnesium, vitamin D and zinc in order; lack of any will likely affect your testosterone levels negatively which will then screw you up in many more ways.
For example, way back I had critically low vitamin D resulting me in frequently getting sick and having periods of complete lack of energy; fixed that and I did not even get common cold for a long time, also no longer random days with no energy.
You shouldn't overly rely on nootropics, caffeine+l-theanine or other supplements to cover up base deficiencies with your micros.
I have long been fascinated by the degree to which WWII was fought on caffeine and nicotine (on all sides and all theatres). Other drugs (e.g. amphetamine and Benzedrine) get some press but we’re minor factors. I did a few experiments decades ago with nicotine, enough to notice its nice resonant behavior with coffee, but not enough I guess to notice any real benefit myself. I did relish the social habits associated with cigarette usage (the excuse for a brief pause in conversation to collect your thoughts, the social aspect of one person lighting up and others unthinkingly joining in, offering/receiving a light, cadging or offering a cigarette, sharing a single one, etc)
Tea and coffee have long been my companions. During Covid I cut down from two pots of brewed coffee a day to one. In June of this year I unexpectedly had to stop drinking coffee for almost a week and since then have had only one cup, which I accidentally drank out of habit (someone put a fresh one next to me while I was sitting and reading). After 46 years of daily high consumption I just…stopped. And I don’t miss it. I walk past the pot full of coffee in the kitchen and don’t notice it.
It's amusing to see "WWII" as if the military today doesn't still run on these things. It's more Monster energy drink and vaping these days (I guess still dip for dudes who grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line), but at least in the US Army, the Soldiers are still being fueled by caffeine and nicotine. All the other advice about vitamins and turning off screens and what not kind of goes out the window when you're getting 2 hours of sleep a night for over a year.
I used to drink heaps of coffee - a mug or two before work, two or three takeaway cups from the amazing 'Algerian Coffee Stores' on Dean Street, Soho. And then a filter or two in the afternoon.
Then one day I had a panic attack, not a terrible one, but I felt pretty shocking. The next morning I had my coffee, and the panic came back. Every time I drank coffee I felt the same.
I lusted after coffee, I had blinding headaches and would wake up thinking about coffee for a month or two. Even knowing what it would do to me, my body was desperate for it.
After about 6 months I could handle one small coffee again without panic, and now I can have two or three a day without issue - I've not tried pushing it further, but some days when I'm stressed, even a second coffee will leave me feeling a little overwhelmed.
I feel you on the social elements. I find keeping a tin of breath mints and sharing them creates a similar social atmosphere with friends and colleagues, that shared time to mull over thoughts or chat, similar to a smoke break. Morning walks/runs also create this I find.
L-theanine is the active non-sedative anxiolytic in green tea that gives it such a "smooth high" when combined with its methylxanthine stimulants, theobromine and caffeine - which are natural pesticides, by the way.
Anecdote of one: I stopped taking L-Theanine because I would experience a noticeable comedown of apathy two days later.
I'm an avid runner (50-70km/week) and I've been running for 5 years. I run long distances on trail.
Seems that although it increases performance and stamina for me it also brings my heart rate up, which is not desirable in most cases since I'm training ~80% of the time in zone 2 (aerobic). At given pace I can have few bits higher HR when caffeinated (between 5 and 10 bpm) which means that I need go go slower in order to stay in zone 2.
For me it's a tool that I'm using during races. Also worth noting is that caffeine works on me really well.
I too am a runner (~100 mi/week when not tapering or recovering) and "normally" I limit my caffeine to a double espresso at 5:15am. I take that one to synchronize my sleeping and bowels. However, it's a little more complicated than that because I divide the year into three different major training blocks and what I do varies both by which major block I'm in as well as what I'm doing within that block.
As such, there are trainings where I use extra caffeine for a variety of different purposes, e.g. to get maximum speed to train my body to go faster, or for the mild analgesic effect to counter some discomfort from long distances. Depending on how much extra I take and when, I may have to take the attendant tiredness into account when planning the following day's activities, both physical (more training) and mental (programming).
I believe I benefit from my use of caffeine, but it's tricky. I log all the caffeine I take as well as all the calories, analgesics and alcohol in a text file (which I keep in a public repository in GitHub). I can then look back and try to figure out what's worked well in the past so I can do more of it as well as what has held me back.
Heart rate isn’t a good metric to be iron clad to. It’s far to variable as your stroke volume changes in response to: stimulants, sleep, stress, external heat, blood pressure, body temperature, and time spent running.
For all of the fitness tracking that exists, perceived exertion and relative pace to your max is better.
I've noticed that the psychological effects of caffeine disrupt my ability to pace myself, but I like to use heavy doses when I'm using it at all. I just become so eager/impatient on the drug, it's all go-go-go and my discipline is out the window.
It's great for getting shit done in a sprinty bulldozer, potential wake of destruction kind of mode. But I can't imagine it working well for me in a distance running context where managing my cadence and cardio/breathing is key.
Agree. If I want some energy boost I drink matcha, sencha.. green teas. Looks like it kicks off faster than coffee for me, but depends, for example matcha seems a bit harder for gut when drinking before workout. Some of them could be helpful for fat burning also combined with zone 2 but I am not sure, wasn't reading about this.
It is difficult to determine if researchers are measuring the effect of caffeine itself or the effect of individuals taking caffeine to recover from the effects of caffeine withdrawal. This is a common weakness in studies that show purported benefits to caffeine consumption[1,2,3].
Anecdotally as someone who quit caffeine entirely about a year ago, the effects of caffeine withdrawal seemed to last much longer than the 24 hour period that many studies ask participants to abstain for.
One data point: I can drink 3 espressos at midnight, go to bed and fall asleep. Apparently I'm immune to caffeine which is both good (I can have a coffee at any time of the day) and bad (if I'm sleepy and I have to drive a coffee won't wake me up.) Maybe I also won't get any of those exercise performance effects.
I am also like this. And after long periods of high intake iycan quit with no withdrawal. After I was diagnosed (as an adult) with ADHD my doctor told me caffeine doesn't affect people with ADHD the same way.
Edit: I can say that a pre-workout with 300mg made positive differences in a progress plot on a beginning strength program. But there were other things in there too. When I switched to coffee, creatine, beta alanine, and taurine, the effects did not persist.
Caffeine doesn't necessarily stop everyone from sleeping, but it has been shown to still affect sleep quality if you do manage to get to sleep. It also might be that you're falling asleep before the caffeine has a chance to interrupt your sleepiness.
I felt the same way as you and would often have coffee before bed, but since stopping that practice I feel much, much more rested. I stop 6 hours before intending to go to sleep, since that's about the half-life of caffeine in the body. Everyone is probably a little different in their ability to process caffeine, but this has been working for me.
My anecdata: this changed with age. At university I was disappointed that caffeine pills did nothing perceptible; and in my mid-to-late 20s I too could sleep well after multiple late espressos.
Now in my early 40s I feel the effects of coffee more directly (a physiological buzz if I have more than usual in the morning) and falling asleep and probably sleep quality both seem to suffer if I’ve not allowed a sufficient washout period - which now requires most of the afternoon and evening.
What happens if you quit caffeine for a while? Have you tried to measure your tolerance?
I've found that caffeine tolerance is a huge factor in how it affects me, but tolerance changes quickly. A month off of caffeine for me is a complete reset and a few weeks do a lot to drop my tolerance.
There is such a thing as a "coffee power nap". I won't go into the science of it, but it basically makes sense to fall asleep after having a cup of coffee (but not at night).
That said, you may fall asleep, but you don't know how the quality and depth of your sleep is affected. You can be sleeping for 10 hours and still wake up wrecked.
Have you been diagnosed with ADHD? Caffeine has a similar affect on one of my children who does have ADHD. Not that we're giving him espressos at midnight, but during the day a caffeinated beverage will slow him down similar to a small booster dose of adhd medication.
have you tried modafinil? might not be the best solution for long drives except if you plan well ahead, like say if you have a late 4h drive after which you will sleep maybe take modafinil 6-7h before the drive so you can actually sleep when it's over
I've recently started taking 200mg caffeine pills in the morning instead of coffee. A very cheap and easy way to boost energy in the morning, within about 15 minutes you really want to get out of bed, and no need to walk to the coffee machine. 200 pills are about $5, which is a lot cheaper than coffee.
I'll probably tone down the dose, because it's the equivalent of 3 espressos, which is a bit much. I would normally do a double espresso.
I've used 200mg caffeine pills back in college, exactly for the purpose of waking up in the morning.
For me, the tolerance made the effect go away after a month or two. I could take a caffeine pill, and go back to sleep. I had to start taking two, then three, until one morning I took so many I was basically shaking from caffeine, yet I was still sleepy.
Maybe it was just me, though. Everyone's metabolism is different.
If you drink more than three cups of coffee a day, you may need five to 10 times the amount of vitamin B1 than other people. That’s largely because you’ll excrete more of the nutrient through your kidneys and into your urine.
I've thought of doing this before, but ended up sticking with coffee because there seem to be health benefits associated with drinking coffee that are not related to the caffeine itself (because the benefits show up for decaf drinkers too).
But more importantly, I just really enjoy drinking coffee. It's one pleasure in my daily ritual.
When I take it, I break a 200mg caffeine pill in 1/2 or 1/3 and take it couple hours apart. Seems to work better that way for me. I try to operate on only 100mg and occasionally take the second 100mg (remaining of the halved pill).
Also I find that eating a good meal with fats before taking caffeine works better for me. Otherwise I feel sleepy after caffeine.
Also, for faster absorption, I put it under my tongue and let it dissolve. That’s the fastest way to see the effects.
I work out 2h/d/365d and used to take 450mg boosters, incl. the usual suspects like Citrullin, β-A, etc. every morning. Went cold turkey and I'm now at a single shot of Espresso pre-workout — and the best shape of my life (mid-40).
Sleep and nutrition are key; don't get dependent on whatever supplement you think is necessary.
I'm currently experimenting with a low caffeine (no coffee, mostly green/herbal tea) lifestyle after having the stomach flu (no coffee for a week) and thinking it was the perfect time to give it a shot.
My god, I've never been more clear-headed in my life. My working memory seems greatly improved. I'm able to work out complex problems in my head that previously I would struggle to keep my "mental eye" on. Moreover, I'm much less anxious in general and generally much happier.
I think I'm ADHD/anxiety-prone and I think that, while coffee for some with ADHD really helps, the increased anxiety made it difficult for "long, slow" mental processing to occur in my head.
A confounding factor is that I've also recently introduced a green powder in my diet, but the effect of no-coffee has been much more immediate.
I love coffee and never thought I'd be able give it up, but I don't even miss it now...
Mostly the same here, except there's a specific problem around giving up caffeine - a clear reduction in motivation.
As I recall caffeine has an effect of "enhancing" dopamine sensitivity in the brain which is the likely cause of this effect. Could probably reset this over time, but don't really have multiple weeks to wait this out!
From my ADHD way of controlling my ADHD the ideal way to stack caffeine with other stimulants is to take 70mg or less daily with the ECGC component of green tea in the form of Cacao to get both Caffeine and Theobromine
!. Theobromine is a weaker stimulant that has a lot longer half life than caffeine.
2. ECGC from green tea changes the conformation of the adenosine receptor, i.e. blocks it thus raising dopamine levels.
It's the way I get away with a lower L-DOPA dosage and that higher concentration lasts all day just by taking a tablespoon of cacao and my green tea extract in the morning.
Hmm, did not know that EGCG affects conformation of the adenosine receptor [^1].
To clarify, are you saying you're taking only cacao + EGCG to manage your ADHD? How about 90% Lindt dark chocolate as cacao source? Do you then stack L-DOPA on top of that.
Aside: EGCG counteracts the release of vasopressin (which causes your body to retain liquids), which is used post-MDMA roll to aid urination.
Dude, thanks for this! Been taking 3 blocks of 90% Lindt chocolate with EGCG the past two mornings and totally stopped espresso intake. Thoughts are less erratic, more stable with improved planning capabilities and lots of energy.
Current hypothesis: something in coffee causes or worsens ADHD.
I drink one cup of pour-over coffee that I make every morning. I like it medium to medium strong. I perceive many physical effects from it. At this point it's my morning ritual. 20 minutes in bed or on the sofa reading or doing a crossword while drinking a coffee.
I am also an hobbyist endurance cyclist. I do cycling 'events' that last as long as 12+ hours. And average somewhere between 6-8. While I've tried for years to add caffeine into my nutrition plan for these events. I have only ever had adverse effects.
I seem to manage 6-8 ounces of coke. But in spite of my morning ritual, if I consume any coffee or caffeine infused energy bars or gels I will be miserable. Every time I get weak, shaky, feel like I am going to pass out, and feel absolutely miserable. After about 30-60 minutes, I'll have to suddenly pee. Once I pee I slowly feel better and in another 30 minutes back to normal.
I've talked to a hundred people about this, nobody seems to have the same effect. But it seems as if my body just rejects the caffeine, pees it out, and carries on.
As a former Ironman distance triathlete anywhere from 11 to 16 hours of completion time, caffiene on race day is a pillar of maintaining both mental and physical sustained exertion.
In Ironman France, which effectively has a Tour De France category 1 climb of 12 miles up a mountain, I got sleepy at the top of the climb, to the point I wanted to take a nap. Yes, you can get sleepy during an ironman.
I has heard 1-2%, 2-4% was greater than I thought. If that is true, no endurance athlete is competitive at the top levels without doing caffeine, so it's almost guaranteed every olympic athlete does caffeine.
Another anecdote: I do a lot of powerlifting with heavy weight for a natural lifter (600+ lb deadlifts). I've noticed caffeine really helps me get through the days of extreme soreness, especially when I've had to wake up early or just generally had a poor night's sleep so my recovery is sub-optimal. I found this out around age 23 and have been pretty much drinking coffee most for the last 7 years. Granted its only 1 or two cups but it works for me.
Wasn't caffeine combined with contact sports linked to some brain damage?
I remember this being a thing going around - the proposed mechanism was that while caffeine helps in general, it constricts brain blood vessels making blows to head more dangerous, since blow to head "spills" stuff from neurons and due to the constriction they take longer to be resupplied. I remember some scientific articles on this but I don't recall if this was conclusive.
It might not be much of a concern for BJJ, where blows to head are relatively rare, but it for sure would be a concern for boxing or MT.
being an old bjj black belt (4th degree), I loved to see it here. I'm training bjj/grappling for more than 30 years right now. I'm 40, and started it when I was 10. I did the math and I drink around 6mg-8mg/kg/day. My question is regarding the caffeine tolerance. Should I reset it from time to time? Never did it, but I'm curious if it exists and its necessary or if that's just a myth.
You can definitely cycle caffeine.
If you want to experience that amazing caffeine high.
There is also some guidance that you should give it 3-4 hours after waking to have your first coffee, as it gives your natural cortisol a chance to do it's thing (caffeine supposedly uses similar mechanisms and blocks your cortisol).
[+] [-] tomalaci|3 years ago|reply
That said, I think biggest mood/focus/energy difference (besides a nice workout which is also important) for me was getting vitamins and other micronutrients in order. I highly suggest you to do a blood test or two per year for all the common vitamins/micronutrients to see which you need to fix.
For men, I think it is especially important to get magnesium, vitamin D and zinc in order; lack of any will likely affect your testosterone levels negatively which will then screw you up in many more ways.
For example, way back I had critically low vitamin D resulting me in frequently getting sick and having periods of complete lack of energy; fixed that and I did not even get common cold for a long time, also no longer random days with no energy.
You shouldn't overly rely on nootropics, caffeine+l-theanine or other supplements to cover up base deficiencies with your micros.
[+] [-] gumby|3 years ago|reply
Tea and coffee have long been my companions. During Covid I cut down from two pots of brewed coffee a day to one. In June of this year I unexpectedly had to stop drinking coffee for almost a week and since then have had only one cup, which I accidentally drank out of habit (someone put a fresh one next to me while I was sitting and reading). After 46 years of daily high consumption I just…stopped. And I don’t miss it. I walk past the pot full of coffee in the kitchen and don’t notice it.
It makes me wonder how much is simply habit.
[+] [-] nonameiguess|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ljf|3 years ago|reply
Then one day I had a panic attack, not a terrible one, but I felt pretty shocking. The next morning I had my coffee, and the panic came back. Every time I drank coffee I felt the same.
I lusted after coffee, I had blinding headaches and would wake up thinking about coffee for a month or two. Even knowing what it would do to me, my body was desperate for it.
After about 6 months I could handle one small coffee again without panic, and now I can have two or three a day without issue - I've not tried pushing it further, but some days when I'm stressed, even a second coffee will leave me feeling a little overwhelmed.
[+] [-] droobles|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] lostlogin|3 years ago|reply
But as for coffee just being a habit, no way. I’m not sure how you did it so cleanly, but the headaches on stopping can be terrible.
[+] [-] mckirk|3 years ago|reply
Check out L-Theanine[1], it works wonders for keeping caffeine's focus, but dampening the anxiousness.
[1]: https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/
[+] [-] pgt|3 years ago|reply
Anecdote of one: I stopped taking L-Theanine because I would experience a noticeable comedown of apathy two days later.
[+] [-] rubyskills|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] amelius|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SpaceInvader|3 years ago|reply
Seems that although it increases performance and stamina for me it also brings my heart rate up, which is not desirable in most cases since I'm training ~80% of the time in zone 2 (aerobic). At given pace I can have few bits higher HR when caffeinated (between 5 and 10 bpm) which means that I need go go slower in order to stay in zone 2.
For me it's a tool that I'm using during races. Also worth noting is that caffeine works on me really well.
[+] [-] nmdeadhead|3 years ago|reply
As such, there are trainings where I use extra caffeine for a variety of different purposes, e.g. to get maximum speed to train my body to go faster, or for the mild analgesic effect to counter some discomfort from long distances. Depending on how much extra I take and when, I may have to take the attendant tiredness into account when planning the following day's activities, both physical (more training) and mental (programming).
I believe I benefit from my use of caffeine, but it's tricky. I log all the caffeine I take as well as all the calories, analgesics and alcohol in a text file (which I keep in a public repository in GitHub). I can then look back and try to figure out what's worked well in the past so I can do more of it as well as what has held me back.
[+] [-] sonthonax|3 years ago|reply
For all of the fitness tracking that exists, perceived exertion and relative pace to your max is better.
[+] [-] pengaru|3 years ago|reply
It's great for getting shit done in a sprinty bulldozer, potential wake of destruction kind of mode. But I can't imagine it working well for me in a distance running context where managing my cadence and cardio/breathing is key.
[+] [-] intense122|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] boveus|3 years ago|reply
Anecdotally as someone who quit caffeine entirely about a year ago, the effects of caffeine withdrawal seemed to last much longer than the 24 hour period that many studies ask participants to abstain for.
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213082/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6209127/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27649778/
[+] [-] pmontra|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] galangalalgol|3 years ago|reply
Edit: I can say that a pre-workout with 300mg made positive differences in a progress plot on a beginning strength program. But there were other things in there too. When I switched to coffee, creatine, beta alanine, and taurine, the effects did not persist.
[+] [-] ehnto|3 years ago|reply
I felt the same way as you and would often have coffee before bed, but since stopping that practice I feel much, much more rested. I stop 6 hours before intending to go to sleep, since that's about the half-life of caffeine in the body. Everyone is probably a little different in their ability to process caffeine, but this has been working for me.
[+] [-] mft_|3 years ago|reply
Now in my early 40s I feel the effects of coffee more directly (a physiological buzz if I have more than usual in the morning) and falling asleep and probably sleep quality both seem to suffer if I’ve not allowed a sufficient washout period - which now requires most of the afternoon and evening.
[+] [-] aqme28|3 years ago|reply
I've found that caffeine tolerance is a huge factor in how it affects me, but tolerance changes quickly. A month off of caffeine for me is a complete reset and a few weeks do a lot to drop my tolerance.
[+] [-] papito|3 years ago|reply
That said, you may fall asleep, but you don't know how the quality and depth of your sleep is affected. You can be sleeping for 10 hours and still wake up wrecked.
[+] [-] datacruncher01|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nicoburns|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jack_pp|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yamtaddle|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jtwaleson|3 years ago|reply
I'll probably tone down the dose, because it's the equivalent of 3 espressos, which is a bit much. I would normally do a double espresso.
[+] [-] bheadmaster|3 years ago|reply
For me, the tolerance made the effect go away after a month or two. I could take a caffeine pill, and go back to sleep. I had to start taking two, then three, until one morning I took so many I was basically shaking from caffeine, yet I was still sleepy.
Maybe it was just me, though. Everyone's metabolism is different.
[+] [-] amelius|3 years ago|reply
If you drink more than three cups of coffee a day, you may need five to 10 times the amount of vitamin B1 than other people. That’s largely because you’ll excrete more of the nutrient through your kidneys and into your urine.
https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/808646...
[+] [-] elevaet|3 years ago|reply
But more importantly, I just really enjoy drinking coffee. It's one pleasure in my daily ritual.
edit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5696634/
[+] [-] busymom0|3 years ago|reply
Also I find that eating a good meal with fats before taking caffeine works better for me. Otherwise I feel sleepy after caffeine.
Also, for faster absorption, I put it under my tongue and let it dissolve. That’s the fastest way to see the effects.
[+] [-] marban|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kick_in_the_dor|3 years ago|reply
My god, I've never been more clear-headed in my life. My working memory seems greatly improved. I'm able to work out complex problems in my head that previously I would struggle to keep my "mental eye" on. Moreover, I'm much less anxious in general and generally much happier.
I think I'm ADHD/anxiety-prone and I think that, while coffee for some with ADHD really helps, the increased anxiety made it difficult for "long, slow" mental processing to occur in my head.
A confounding factor is that I've also recently introduced a green powder in my diet, but the effect of no-coffee has been much more immediate.
I love coffee and never thought I'd be able give it up, but I don't even miss it now...
[+] [-] waihtis|3 years ago|reply
As I recall caffeine has an effect of "enhancing" dopamine sensitivity in the brain which is the likely cause of this effect. Could probably reset this over time, but don't really have multiple weeks to wait this out!
[+] [-] brightball|3 years ago|reply
I still drink it in the morning just because I enjoy it.
[+] [-] nolroz|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] AtillaBosma|3 years ago|reply
Even yesterday I was just yawning and almost falling asleep between sets at the gym, even though I drank an espresso right before the workout.
I had a normal 8 hours of sleep that night too, so don't think it has to do with sleep deprivation.
Is this something anyone else has issues with?
[+] [-] fredgrott|3 years ago|reply
From my ADHD way of controlling my ADHD the ideal way to stack caffeine with other stimulants is to take 70mg or less daily with the ECGC component of green tea in the form of Cacao to get both Caffeine and Theobromine
!. Theobromine is a weaker stimulant that has a lot longer half life than caffeine. 2. ECGC from green tea changes the conformation of the adenosine receptor, i.e. blocks it thus raising dopamine levels.
It's the way I get away with a lower L-DOPA dosage and that higher concentration lasts all day just by taking a tablespoon of cacao and my green tea extract in the morning.
[+] [-] pgt|3 years ago|reply
To clarify, are you saying you're taking only cacao + EGCG to manage your ADHD? How about 90% Lindt dark chocolate as cacao source? Do you then stack L-DOPA on top of that.
Aside: EGCG counteracts the release of vasopressin (which causes your body to retain liquids), which is used post-MDMA roll to aid urination.
[^1]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16733047/
[+] [-] pgt|3 years ago|reply
Current hypothesis: something in coffee causes or worsens ADHD.
Please share any other nootropic nooledge.
[+] [-] talove|3 years ago|reply
I am also an hobbyist endurance cyclist. I do cycling 'events' that last as long as 12+ hours. And average somewhere between 6-8. While I've tried for years to add caffeine into my nutrition plan for these events. I have only ever had adverse effects.
I seem to manage 6-8 ounces of coke. But in spite of my morning ritual, if I consume any coffee or caffeine infused energy bars or gels I will be miserable. Every time I get weak, shaky, feel like I am going to pass out, and feel absolutely miserable. After about 30-60 minutes, I'll have to suddenly pee. Once I pee I slowly feel better and in another 30 minutes back to normal.
I've talked to a hundred people about this, nobody seems to have the same effect. But it seems as if my body just rejects the caffeine, pees it out, and carries on.
[+] [-] AtlasBarfed|3 years ago|reply
In Ironman France, which effectively has a Tour De France category 1 climb of 12 miles up a mountain, I got sleepy at the top of the climb, to the point I wanted to take a nap. Yes, you can get sleepy during an ironman.
I has heard 1-2%, 2-4% was greater than I thought. If that is true, no endurance athlete is competitive at the top levels without doing caffeine, so it's almost guaranteed every olympic athlete does caffeine.
[+] [-] Ancalagon|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zs234465234165|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] glogla|3 years ago|reply
I remember this being a thing going around - the proposed mechanism was that while caffeine helps in general, it constricts brain blood vessels making blows to head more dangerous, since blow to head "spills" stuff from neurons and due to the constriction they take longer to be resupplied. I remember some scientific articles on this but I don't recall if this was conclusive.
It might not be much of a concern for BJJ, where blows to head are relatively rare, but it for sure would be a concern for boxing or MT.
[+] [-] eptcyka|3 years ago|reply
Contact sports and oats will be linked to some brain damage. Contact sports and listening to seagulls in the evening too will lead to brain damage.
[+] [-] pelasaco|3 years ago|reply
OSS
[+] [-] patpatpat|3 years ago|reply
There is also some guidance that you should give it 3-4 hours after waking to have your first coffee, as it gives your natural cortisol a chance to do it's thing (caffeine supposedly uses similar mechanisms and blocks your cortisol).
[+] [-] throwaway787544|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]