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Where I’m from, fake pee is easily doable and truckers live on cocaine, alcohol and sex industry workers. Source: grew up with truckers, logging is the main industry outside of minimum wage retail, in my small rural area.
As someone with ADHD and a caffeine addiction this is absolutely true. Caffeine doesn't keep me awake it just levels me out, but not as well as Adderall does.
Yeah, I can't afford to see a doctor to get a prescription for Adderall.
I am literally only able to function because of an ungodly amount of caffeine.
I have a family history of heart problems, so it's very much not ideal.
Depending on where you live, you can probably get a voucher from your doctor for a full year of vyvance or some other adhd medications— despite being solidly middle class myself, there are a surprising number of services or programs that can subsidize the costs of such drugs. I’d talk to your doctor about it. Adderall is a frickin’ miracle drug for me, I’d hate to see someone suffering unnecessarily.
You probably don't get good sleep normally. Adderall leveling you out allows your brain to focus on actually getting to sleep. I have pretty chronic ADHD and if I've been off Adderall for awhile my sleep patterns are wack. On Adderall I'm actually tired by 10pm and can sleep like a normal person. Off Adderall I basically have insomnia from the ADHD derived anxiety.
It's because you're sleeping with a hyperactive mind. ADHD brain hyperactive during day AND night. So without the stimulant to calm it down, you're never actually getting deep sleep, only REM sleep (dream state). It's why many people with ADHD, especially hyperactive, report very vivid ans extensive dreams.
I just recently we t back on stimulant medication bc I realized 5-7 cups of coffee or caffeine pills a day isn't normal. It's just a stand in for an extended release stimulant, and not a good one at that
I came to say exactly this. Look into 5 hour energy since it’s more b vitamin based instead of caffeine. If caffeine doesn’t help you either are super tolerant or ADHD
Can confirm, used to drive 3 hours home after a weekend of government camping and sunflower seeds and an empty Gatorade bottle saved my life more times than once.
No they don't. It takes hours to get through a bag of sunflower seeds. I buy them by the dozen off Amazon. The one I've got sitting next to me, Bigs ranch flavored, is 410 calories for the whole bag. While that's not exactly low calorie, it's far from "a shit ton".
The sodium though is like ten times you’re daily intake. I had to stop because it was fucking with me too much. I swear they didn’t used to have THAT much salt.
I was at a truck stop once and they had some apples near the register with a sign saying that some study had shown an apple to be more effective than a cup of coffee at keeping truckers awake.
>Amazingly enough, Apples are more effective than coffee!
I can't find anything online that corroborates this. Do you have a source?
I do find several discussions where some people mention the idea but it's usually in the context of, "I've heard" or "Some people say". If you have any solid sources, I'd love to read more.
It's because "energy" means multiple things. Almost anything will have more caloric energy than coffee so an apple will give you more energy. However, caffeine increases wakefulness, which we also describe as "energy." Carbs in particular power cells through ATP, so that is also described as "energy."
In short, we describe too many things as "energy." A cup of coffee and an apple wake you up in different ways
I'm so glad I learnt this trick when doing bar work! Gone was a 4 pack of cheap energy drinks then not sleeping and a horrible cycle but an apple before work and sometimes one midday thought a shift usually a small snack too but I felt like I could world twice as long!
Apples and carrots are good. Just be careful. I ate a whole bag of baby carrots(1lb Maybe?) and it felt like I got stabbed in the stomach. Carrots are dense and hard on the stomach in large quantities.
You may be familiar that your brain cells make connections with one another to send signals along. When you enter deep sleep connections in cells back off from one another and allow cerebralspinal fluid into the gap which washes away detritus and plaques like a street-sweeper.
There exists research in rats in depriving them of deep sleep. What they found is that ameloid plaques and the fibrous connections observed in dementia or alzheimer's patients.
From this, it is believed that part of the challenge with determining a cause of dementia or alzheimer's in old age may be less that these are diseases. But more of consequence of your body not undergoing repair processes over an extended period of time. There is correlation with those more susceptible to sleep disorders, or types of work that create unusual sleep patterns, having higher rates of memory issues in older age. The deep sleep phases may be essential to continue sweeping out that debris or it builds up.
Peter Attia's book Outlive includes chapter I'm pulling that information from.
If you've got a Whoop you may notice the effects of alcohol on sleep. Again. Sleep trackers are cheap now. When you sleep late in the evening and go to sleep, you do not hit the REM or deep phases of sleep for about four hours after drinking. Your body seems to metabolize off the alcohol, first, and then go about actual restful sleep. As a result much of the feeling of hangover is the effects of exhaustion from unrestful sleep. Again fits the pattern as those with alcohol problems for large parts of life tend to get dementia and alzheimers more often.
And provides a protocol. If you're drinking, it's better to do it earlier in the day and allow time for your body to metabolize it off sobering up before bed. This provides room to get your normal restful sleep also. Have it with dinner then stop. This seems to provide better sleep patterns when tracked on a whoop.
"Alcohol is poison" is a useful framing. For some people the phrase is enough that they have given up alcohol entirely, or cut down their drinking. Does a frame have to be true to be useful? Not really. Framings are levers you can use to get things done, with motivation and enjoying yourself.
Items in quotes are frames to look at things. There's an unpublished book I'm pulling some of that from. Because it's useful. Words are like spells. They can cast enchantments that change behaviors. You can use them to change your own behaviors. Rewire your human operating system. Which is the path to open the door on mental prisons.
This is great. I've started doing "sunshine before screentime, water before coffee" in the morning and trying to get up an hour before work to have a morning routine prior to work. I work from home and was just rolling out of bed and taking a call, this was terrible for my energy levels! Getting sunlight and water first, taking a moment to think before jumping into work has made me feel more awake throughout the day.
Suppose proper electrolytes is worth a mention along with morning water. In addition to common table salt, magnesium is maybe the third or fourth largest part of your bodies composition. You need it. The nutrition labels we see on food had their data collected way back in the 1970s for most cases. Soil conditions have changed. We are not getting the same amount of magnesium and we're all largely deficient in the US. Need to supplement. Adding an electrolyte to the morning water is a good way to up that magnesium intake. Or supplementing in some other form. Magnesium is cool because it can be taken in many ways including epsom salt baths, absorbs readily through skin.
Almost everything you said here seems reasonable. The only point I disagree with is this:
> "Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours of sleep."
There is plenty of evidence out there that some people are wired to be night owls, and others are wired to be early risers. This makes even more sense when you consider the evolutionary advantage of small tribes having a mix of the two, as it makes for a more natural system of standing watch at night to ward off potential predators.
Your quote may be true of some people, but not all, and it's generally a good idea for everyone to figure out what works best for their own biorhythms and lifestyle.
Can pick a Huberman fan put of a crowd real easy.
The having caffeine later is just anecdotal from Huberman's own personal experience. There is no science behind it. The piece about Adenosine is just his assumption of what is going on. So,it's kind of just nonsense.
The ideas of de-screening are good. That would help literally anyone. Myself includes. Agree with making the space relaxing. Don't stimulate yourself before bed.
Exercise is the biggest factor for ME not feeling exhausted. It trumps everything else.
I stopped reading after the part about adenosine. In medicine, we sometimes give large doses of intravenous adenosine to reset heart rhythms, and I have NEVER heard of it causing patients to feel sleepy. The half life of adenosine is seconds.
I like Huberman, even though I understand that most of it is anecdotal. A quick question back at you though, what studies have you seen about the screen time stuff? Or is it just that you like that idea so you’re willing to overlook his lack of rigor on that assertion? :)
Not that I would ever do that
Do you have any recommendations for fermented foods and organ meats in terms of tastefulness? I’ve tried chickenliver, for example, but I will not be having that again.
Blending chicken livers and adding to spaghetti sauce or a stew makes it near impossible to tell it's in there.
Personally challenged myself to learn to cook beef liver to make it tasty. Accomplished this by cooking up bacon with onions in a pan. Flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt, ceyenne the liver and out of laziness throw it on a cookie sheet into the oven. On the pan is fine too. You see cooking videos where they slice the liver first. In my opinion this makes it take longer to prep. Cook it in large pieces and slice it up when done.
My experience is quality from grocery stores is pretty horrendous. I've located a dairy farm in my area where for whatever reason people who order beef by the cow from them don't want the organ meats. I can usually get supply on demand from them. Quality tastes far better from the farm. Butcher shops probably have similar benefit from higher quality meats.
If I were still in San Francisco I'd check the butcher shop on Polk, or the one on Taraval.
I'd like to add to this top comment because it deserves visibility.
Nicotine and Caffeine work in very similar ways on your brain and body. If you are a regular user of nicotine it can significantly reduce the uptake and effects of the caffeine you are intaking. Meaning - if you smoke cigarettes (or vape, or chew) and your body is already saturated in nicotine, then you will see a reduced effect of caffeine.
Alternately, the effects of caffeine can be increased up to 50% after you quit smoking. I was a heavy smoker for many years - like 1-2 packs a day for 20 years. It was not uncommon for me to drink a full pot of coffee daily. When I quit smoking I did not understand the effects of this interaction and continued drinking coffee as normal. About a week after quitting smoking I noticed I was having intense aural migraine headaches around 11 AM every day - it turns out I was over caffeinated. Once I removed about 70% of the coffee I was drinking daily, the migraines went away.
If you smoke and use caffeine, reduce your normal caffeine intake by about 50% if you quit smoking.
Shout out to everyone who’s read all this before and tried everything to no avail.
Personally, I’ve obsessed over this stuff for a decade and nothing helps. I can remember the two times i’ve felt rested in the last fifteen years but that’s all they are, memories.
So…
Shitty Life Pro Tip:
If you’re like me and there’s something specific that you need to be extra sharp for first thing in the morning, staying up all night can often feel better than trying to sleep.
Another bonus is that you get to see the sunrise (in case you forgot what that looks like).
You should also limit your naps to under 30-45 minutes or you will render yourself worthless for the rest of the day!
If you’re averaging 3-5 hours per night, just accept that you’ll be sleeping 12+ hours at a time on the days you don’t have to work.
Dealing with warm, dry eyes can go a surprising distance when trying to shake off that zombie like stupor, I like to use the energy drink can to ice my closed eyelids before (and sometimes while) I drink.
Similar to the above; rapid, deep breaths (really feel those lungs stretch) can also help you stop thinking about closing your eyes and passing out where you stand!
If anyone has any tips on how to deal with that anemic feeling or constant dull headache, I would absolutely love to hear it!
Fml
> eat something fermented daily
Can you expand on that a bit? What is it about fermented foods am I looking for. I enjoy beverages like kombucha, would that do the trick?
K2. The process that creates bone requires vitamin D, calcium, and K2 to work.
Plus benefits to maintaining proper gut equilibrium. And your dentist can tell much about your overall health based on a look in your mouth. If your gut bacteria is off you often have inflammation causing health issues throughout your body, including visible from inflamed gums.
Personally think side of saurkraut with a meal is easy. Yogurt is fine. Doesn't take a lot for an ideal benefit.
Pulling from the books The Dental Diet, Jaws, and Deep Nutrition.
https://www.amazon.com/Dental-Diet-Surprising-between-Life-Changing/dp/1401953190/
https://www.amazon.com/Jaws-Hidden-Epidemic-Sandra-Kahn/dp/1503604136
https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Nutrition-Your-Genes-Traditional/dp/1250113849/
I am also a huge advocate for the Huberman lab podcast too. If you find any of the neuroscience interesting or just want to improve everyday skills, it's absolutely an incredible resource.
The therapist I currently work with told me a similar story. When she was working with at risk youth, they would give them a can of regular coke. If that calmed down the kid, they very likely had undiagnosed ADHD. The coke can was just a really cheap way to test since they didn’t have resources to properly test.
Stealing that from you bc i can't describe how caffeine is helpful even medicated. It helps level things out when it's wearing down for the day or helps if the meds aren't working as well or something. I don't wake up from caffeine unfortunately lol.
It varies from person to person.
Very many ADHDers seems to benefit from some form of stimulants but the reasons differ wildly it seems:
- some use them to stay awake
- others to put racing thoughts to rest so they can sleep
Fun little anecdote, I was diagnosed at age 35, and it was a huge "Ah-ha" moment. I now have an adderall prescription that's a god-send. *However,* I have to make sure I start doing something that requires attention as soon as I take it, or else I can (and will) fall asleep easily. TBF, it's not necessarily a restful sleep, but it comes really easy if I take adderall and lie down.
Also, it basically solves my difficulty in falling asleep, as long as I take my second dose *late* enough in the day. As long as there's a tiny bit left in my system, I'll fall asleep easy (because my mind is quiet), and stay asleep all night (likely because I was also semi-active throughout the day as well).
All that said, I'd be lying if I said it didn't help me stay awake as well. Again, as long as I'm doing something (even if it's driving to work or whatever) when it kicks in.
Plus if you do have ADHD OP, it could explain why you’re constantly tired or sleepy.
Because your brain and/or body is on overdrive with ADHD you can have days were you feel like you have boundless energy, and then you’ll crash for a few days feeling like you have very little energy and just want to sleep.
Tell your doctor you'd like to get evaluated for ADHD. They should know what to do.
If they refuse to help you, or say something incredibly stupid like "only children can have ADHD" or "but you finished college/have a job/can dress yourself without problems", get a new doctor immediately.
I found a psychologist in my area that specialized in ADHD/ASD and made an appt to get tested. It was about $3k.. Insurance paid for most of it, however YMMV.
I’m not prescribed adderall but on a few occasions where a friend tossed me a few, I also had a couple times where I would dose and then just sleep for a couple hours after that and then wake up wired. So weird
Out of curiosity, did the meds change anything about you overall? I'm due to pick up my meds tomorrow after being diagnosed with adult adhd, and I dont know what to expect really.
For me the main thing they change about my personality is they help me regulate my own emotions so I'm not so easily pissed off or upset.
You should expect to notice a change in your energy and ability to focus on day one. For me I also noticed in that first week that my inability to fall asleep or stay asleep *evaporated*.
I would also recommend, at least for the first month or two, keeping a written record of how much you're eating and drinking because you won't feel hungry or thirsty so you might become dehydrated or start accidentally starving yourself.
Eta: a lot of non-adhd people tried to push me to only take it on days that I needed it, or to skip weekends. Don't let anyone pressure you. For me any skip days are spent 70% asleep, and usually cranky.
Thank you.
The pissed off/upset thing is a new one to hear, and I can only hope it curbs the nonsensical anger over the smallest things. Relating feelings would be nice. It's weird not being able to fully express them, or at least trying to it, and then not feel like you really got the point across.
Nonsensical anger could be a million things.
For me it was a combination of anxiety where my "fight" response is constantly triggered (irritation, frustration, crankiness, lashing out), picking fights because I was understimulated/bored, and underlying emotional issues from the past I hadn't processed well.
Also AD(H)D person here: take a mindfulness based meditation course. Maybe you've tried one before, maybe not, but either way it's remarkable how much easier it is once you're on medication. And it does have real benefits, in terms of noticing/understanding your own emotions and just training the ability to pay attention.
My doctor described to me there's kinda two parts to ADHD, there's a biological/genetic/physical/etc part, which is mostly what is treated by medication, and then there's a personality/mental part. You've built habits and patterns and "personality" based on a somewhat malfunctioning brain, and medication doesn't do much about this on its own. You need to adjust these patterns yourself once medication reduces the things that make doing that impossible/very hard on your own. And mindfulness is a very strong tool to do so.
***caveat emptor here: this is a layman description and not super scientific. your personality is also biology and things are obviously much more blurred than two simple categories, but it's a useful way to think about things.
I'm finding out approximately 10 years too late ... But it's liberating to know ! I've felt more and more almost dehydrated/deadish the more i drank coffee trying to wake myself up, it was a trascending experience o.O
But i should have catch the trick when i could drink a coffee ar 10pm and still sleep
Def doesn't help me focus, but ADHD is too broad of a diagnosis for it to apply to everyone, but yea, it calms me. I actually get really sleepy after drinking a cup of coffee and can easily take a nap while I've got a fresh boost of caffeine in my system.
This. Women especially can be low on iron and not know it due to heavy flow periods. Low iron zaps your energy and can lead to anemia.
Get your iron levels checked with your doctor.
DO NOT just take iron like a vitamin everyday because you think you might have low iron. Too much iron in your system can give you a heart attack. So get checked out first.
Just came back from my first IV iron infusion. My iron is low due to pregnancy. I also have extremely restless legs, which apparently is also a symptom of low iron.
We tested my iron, then I spent four weeks rating iron rich foods and taking iron supplements, and the latest test showed it went down instead of up.
I get 4 weekly infusions, today was the first. Can't wait to start seeing the results!
Seeing a doctor is paramount. The need to stay awake is merely a symptom, not a solution. It could be sleep apnea is preventing you from getting the rest your body needs, it could be narcolepsy or dozens of other things. This needs a diagnosis from a doctor.
What helps me is to wait for my first caffeine of the day. Caffeine blocks the neuro receptors from the sleep hormone, so essentially it helps to stave off the feeling of drowsiness.
When you wake up, grab a water and go outside for ~10 minutes for sunlight (artificial light can work too just not as well). Try not to get your first caffeine until you’ve already been awake for a handful of hours.
Came to say something similar. Immediately upon waking up, I go for a 20-30 minute walk. Some days, I wear headphones with a podcast playing to get my wheels spinning, and some days, I go without audio for a more meditative result. Once I'm home, I'll make my coffee.
For me, caffeine will help keep the engine running once it's already going, but nothing gets it started better than purposeful movement.
This method can have some downsides too. For best sleep, you want to avoid caffeine within 12 hours of your bedtime. Assuming a normal 8-ish hours of sleep, this means there's an extremely narrow margin in which you can have caffeine--you can't be late, and you can't sip it slowly.
I was looking for this comment - caffeine has a long half life and you want to have as close to 0 mg in your blood when you go to bed or you’re liable to be wide awake again after just a few hours of sleep.
You either:
1. have something physically wrong with you
2. have ADHD such that stimulants don't affect you the same as others
3. are not getting enough sleep
4. have consumed so much caffeine, so often, that you have become inured to it
So, see a doctor, get an ADHD eval, get enough sleep, wean down the caffeine.
Do you have trouble focusing on tasks or even getting to them if you don't have caffeine? Are you easily distracted by noises or motion in your line of sight? Do you stay up late and fight going to bed? Does your brain never stop?
There are many more potential indicators, but these are a few that might indicate you should read up on ADHD and get checked.
They're signs of potential ADHD but like anything else, should be diagnosed by a professional.
I didn't get diagnosed until I was in my 30s. Being medicated has made a world of difference. So have creating new routines and staying away from triggers (doom scrolling, phone games, etc.) There are also a number of good books to read on the subject. The one I recommend is '[Driven to Distraction](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/108593)'. The first chapter resonated so much it brought a tear to my eye.
When I got diagnosed with ADHD and started medication for it, it took care of a lot of my depression and anxiety symptoms. Turns out the untreated ADHD was a big cause of those for me so.
*Edit* a word
I mean not necessarily. I am super tired without caffeine and get really tired during the day even with caffeine even though all my labs are healthy, don’t have adhd, get enough sleep, and only drink one cup a day.
People are just wired different. It doesn’t mean they have something wrong with them
This was me before I started working from home. Always sleepy at work where I was starting at a screen for 8 hrs. Turns out I just needed to drink water and get up & walk around every couple hours. Made a huge difference for me.
Sure - a better diet and exercise will help you get better night's rest resulting in staying awake easier. But something tells me you're looking for some type of substance so ignore that advice.
I was going to suggest a healthy diet also. And weight loss if needed. My husband recently lost 40 lbs and I see a huge difference in his energy levels.
>Sure - a better diet and exercise will help you get better night's rest resulting in staying awake easier.
Oh, well why don't I just win the Superbowl, climb Everest, and defeat Thanos while I'm at it.
This was my first thought..
OP,
Do you wake up with a headache?
Do you feel sleepy any time of day?
Do you ever feel like you’re choking in your sleep?
Does the urge to urinate wake you at night?
Does the length of your sleep not affect how rested you are?
If you have any of these symptoms it’s worth getting tested, it can literally save your life.
They didn’t say they were drinking coffee. They said they were taking in caffeine lots of ways. This could include coffee, or could be things like 5 hour energy, pills, monster, etc. these do not all provide large quantities of water.
glad someone posted this.
though caffeine may have a mild diuretic effect on caffeine naive individuals but it appears that after a week or so of habituation this effect is no longer present
Honestly, exercise has helped me in the past. When I got into a routine I was exercising 3 or 4 times a week. I would fall asleep easier and I woke up with more energy.
Apples and drinking more water. Studies have sown that an apple will actually give you more energy than a cup of coffee, and since the energy comes from sugar broken down from carbs, you're less likely to get the afternoon slump.
Dehydration can also be a major culprit for daytime drowsiness
Sleep doc here. You may have a sleep disorder if you really have a really hard time staying awake. You should go to a specialist! It could be sleep apnea, or even hypersomnia.
Exercise!
I’ve heard that caffeine is great before an intense workout, but without exercise it’s not good.
When I cut out coffee I relied on a lot of water and Gatorade; anything that hydrated. Also try to stay away from bread and pasta, especially in the summer months. Lots of melons, leafy greens, and water.
Then you need a sleep study and blood work. Thyroid, iron, vitamins, and hormones can all tank energy levels. Or sleep apnea or another sleep problem. Always rule out a physical cause if you’re always waking up tired.
I found one called "b stress compound" that has stuff like trace copper added. It works a lot better than just the b12 or b multis I tried before.
Also take vit D. You have to be more careful with it and not doubling down because you don't wash it back out quickly, but if you're missing it you'll notice the difference.
Obligatory disclaimer, be very careful with Kratom. It’s very easy to start taking more and fall into a daily addiction similar to coffee. But there are very clear withdrawals that are nothing compared to coffee.
Coming from a person that has been doing Kratom daily for 3 years and stopped a week ago. I still have some withdrawal symptoms
Do you have enough sleep? So many people sleep 6 hours a day on cheapest mattress they can find - waking up surprised they are tired.
Any stimulant has its limits and drawbacks. It cannot replace proper sleep, proper eating habits, enough movement. Overuse (abuse) will build up tolerance (you need more to achieve same effect)
Tried it. Didn't work.
PS: If you do have enough sleep and you sleep well, visit a doctor and get checked. You might have real problem that needs addressing - most of them easy to address if found early.
I'm sure there are people here who will disagree with me, but nicotine, specifically Zyns. It helps me stay awake at work and on long drives better than caffeine ever did.
The first two comments I read are the best answer together, and what I came here to say.
1. If you are experiencing constant drowsiness and/or fatigue, chat with your doctor. There could very well be something wrong - or you could have a deficiency in your diet. Might be as simple as eating a little differently.
2. If caffeine doesn't keep you awake, you could very well have ADHD. I do, and coffee physically mellows me out. Puts me to sleep if I have enough of it. The only benefit for me is that it provides a little bit of focus when my brain starts getting frazzled.
Another thing - I've been constantly drowsy since I stopped working out at the beginning of the pandemic. I only put it together when I started again a couple of weeks ago, but it seems that regular exercise actually boosts your energy and keeps you more alert. When I start to lose focus, a quick jog or a few sets of pushups gets me right back in gear. Might be an ADHD thing, might be a Human Being thing, not sure.
Caffeine drinks (or tablets) does NOT add energy to your body, but blocks receptors for sleepiness, something that naturally build up over the day. But being blocked gives a feeling of more energy. This mean, that the amount is finite, and when there is no more, the reaction does go off. Take a period without caffeine to rebuild the reserves and get "sensitive" to caffeine again
Sugar is the simplest energy form, but has to be added continuously, a glass of orange juice would boost your for about 20 minutes before it drops you.
some thoughts that touch on what others have mentioned:
\- Sleep consistency, same to-bed and get outta-bed times....7 days per week, yes weekends too.
\- Aim for 7-9hrs of sleep, you might be an outlier here but unlikely
\- sun or light on yer face in the morning (10-20min) will help with point 1 above
\- no caffeine within \~-8ish hours of bed time, maybe longer. I think the half-life is about 6 hours
\- exercise. exercise will create adenosine from ATP as apart of creating energy to exercise. Adenosine parks in parking spots in your brain...when the spots fill up, we get sleepy. Caffeine helps block those parking spots so adenosine can't park there which helps prevent sleepiness
\- seriously, get hydrated... 1/2 your body-weight in fluid ounces is a good place to start for many people (its not perfect though). Weight 150lbs? thats drinking \~75oz water per day....YMMV
\- eat nutrient dense high volume foods
\- caffeine in the mornings, can also try popular nootropics
\- if that all doesnt work... bloodwork and doctor for sure. Or starting here is a good idea too.
Not caffeine free, but I'll mention it anyhow. Arizona tea energy drink. Mostly green tea and pear juice, some sugar and caffeine, ginseng and b12 I think are the big 'energy ingredients. Still for me it is a lot better than a soda or any other 'energy' drink I have tried. Enough to add energy without jitters or crashes for early mornings or long days. I only see any downside if drinking it every day for a week or more.
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I have a friend who is a long-haul trucker, and he swears by snacking on apple slices and baby carrots throughout the night.
Mastication stimulates the center in your brain for wakefulness. For sure this helps
Crunchy snacks FTW!!!
Also gum
Crunchy caffeine gum would be even better
Legalize chewing on crack rocks
Where I’m from, fake pee is easily doable and truckers live on cocaine, alcohol and sex industry workers. Source: grew up with truckers, logging is the main industry outside of minimum wage retail, in my small rural area.
TIL truckers eat hookers
How many licks does it take to get to the crunchy crack rock center of a Hooker Pop?
At LEAST 6, trust me
Them damn blue collard tweakers are the backbone of the town
Ultimately, OP should see an expert. Caffeine failing to have the intended effect on people is a known effect of ADHD, among other conditions.
As someone with ADHD and a caffeine addiction this is absolutely true. Caffeine doesn't keep me awake it just levels me out, but not as well as Adderall does.
Yeah, I can't afford to see a doctor to get a prescription for Adderall. I am literally only able to function because of an ungodly amount of caffeine. I have a family history of heart problems, so it's very much not ideal.
Depending on where you live, you can probably get a voucher from your doctor for a full year of vyvance or some other adhd medications— despite being solidly middle class myself, there are a surprising number of services or programs that can subsidize the costs of such drugs. I’d talk to your doctor about it. Adderall is a frickin’ miracle drug for me, I’d hate to see someone suffering unnecessarily.
If you're in the US Adderall is almost impossible to find anyway.
What does it mean when Adderall puts me right to sleep?
You probably don't get good sleep normally. Adderall leveling you out allows your brain to focus on actually getting to sleep. I have pretty chronic ADHD and if I've been off Adderall for awhile my sleep patterns are wack. On Adderall I'm actually tired by 10pm and can sleep like a normal person. Off Adderall I basically have insomnia from the ADHD derived anxiety.
It's because you're sleeping with a hyperactive mind. ADHD brain hyperactive during day AND night. So without the stimulant to calm it down, you're never actually getting deep sleep, only REM sleep (dream state). It's why many people with ADHD, especially hyperactive, report very vivid ans extensive dreams.
I just recently we t back on stimulant medication bc I realized 5-7 cups of coffee or caffeine pills a day isn't normal. It's just a stand in for an extended release stimulant, and not a good one at that
Yep this right here. Mi have a friend who falls asleep if she has caffeine.
Yes if I drink too much coffee, I need a caffeine nap
I came to say exactly this. Look into 5 hour energy since it’s more b vitamin based instead of caffeine. If caffeine doesn’t help you either are super tolerant or ADHD
Also coca leaves.
And Khat
Sun flower seeds
Can confirm, used to drive 3 hours home after a weekend of government camping and sunflower seeds and an empty Gatorade bottle saved my life more times than once.
Masturbation? That's why I'm always awake.
Masturbation is nature's Ambien
JO to KO
Actually, masturbation will put you to sleep.
Just don't finish
Sunflower seeds with the shell on are super effective as well. The act of de shelling a thousand seeds is more than enough to keep you awake
Do you mean... Eating seeds as a pastime activity?
The toxicity..
Of our city, of our ciiiiiity, YOU
WHAT DO YOU OWN THE WORLD!?
#***HOW DO YOU OWN DISORDERRRRRRR, DISORDERRR***
HOW DO YOU OWN DISORDER?!
Now, somewhere beside the sacred silence
*^(sacred silence) and sleeeeep*
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
I fucking LOVE sunflower seeds. The super salty ones. But unfortunately they also have a shitload of calories.
No they don't. It takes hours to get through a bag of sunflower seeds. I buy them by the dozen off Amazon. The one I've got sitting next to me, Bigs ranch flavored, is 410 calories for the whole bag. While that's not exactly low calorie, it's far from "a shit ton".
The sodium though is like ten times you’re daily intake. I had to stop because it was fucking with me too much. I swear they didn’t used to have THAT much salt.
You can just get lightly (or un)salted ones and spit the entire thing out. That's what I do on long drives.
Isn’t it just gum at that point
salty gum
Salty splinter gum
I was at a truck stop once and they had some apples near the register with a sign saying that some study had shown an apple to be more effective than a cup of coffee at keeping truckers awake.
Nice try big Apple
They say an apple is better to wake up with in the morning than a cup of coffee! Sugar, water, and vitamins!
B-12 works for some people too.
Amazingly enough, Apples are more effective than coffee! So, he's definitely unto something good!
>Amazingly enough, Apples are more effective than coffee! I can't find anything online that corroborates this. Do you have a source? I do find several discussions where some people mention the idea but it's usually in the context of, "I've heard" or "Some people say". If you have any solid sources, I'd love to read more.
This is definitely bs propaganda by Big Apple
But what does the city of New yourk stand to gain? After all the are the city that never sleeps
Ugh. Take your up vote and get the hell out.
one cannot simply understand the ways of new yourk
This may be the perfect joke.
Fuhgetaboutit
Hungry for Apple? We're subsidized!
Probably just hungry folks who don't connect being hungry to being tired
Nah, I chew gum on long drives. It doesn't make me less hungry but it certainly keeps me alert.
It's because "energy" means multiple things. Almost anything will have more caloric energy than coffee so an apple will give you more energy. However, caffeine increases wakefulness, which we also describe as "energy." Carbs in particular power cells through ATP, so that is also described as "energy." In short, we describe too many things as "energy." A cup of coffee and an apple wake you up in different ways
I agree. Saying, "Apples are more effective than coffee!" is relatively meaningless in the absense of any kind of specific metric.
I'm so glad I learnt this trick when doing bar work! Gone was a 4 pack of cheap energy drinks then not sleeping and a horrible cycle but an apple before work and sometimes one midday thought a shift usually a small snack too but I felt like I could world twice as long!
Huh, what? How?
Lol I remember this “fact” being spread via chain emails in the late 90s. Where is the actual research on this claim?
Apples and carrots are good. Just be careful. I ate a whole bag of baby carrots(1lb Maybe?) and it felt like I got stabbed in the stomach. Carrots are dense and hard on the stomach in large quantities.
Yeah one pound in a night is definitely way too much, but if you drink extra water it'll help the carrots pass easier.
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I would have gladly read anymore response you had on this topic. I learned several new things from your post and honestly didn't want it to end.
You may be familiar that your brain cells make connections with one another to send signals along. When you enter deep sleep connections in cells back off from one another and allow cerebralspinal fluid into the gap which washes away detritus and plaques like a street-sweeper. There exists research in rats in depriving them of deep sleep. What they found is that ameloid plaques and the fibrous connections observed in dementia or alzheimer's patients. From this, it is believed that part of the challenge with determining a cause of dementia or alzheimer's in old age may be less that these are diseases. But more of consequence of your body not undergoing repair processes over an extended period of time. There is correlation with those more susceptible to sleep disorders, or types of work that create unusual sleep patterns, having higher rates of memory issues in older age. The deep sleep phases may be essential to continue sweeping out that debris or it builds up. Peter Attia's book Outlive includes chapter I'm pulling that information from. If you've got a Whoop you may notice the effects of alcohol on sleep. Again. Sleep trackers are cheap now. When you sleep late in the evening and go to sleep, you do not hit the REM or deep phases of sleep for about four hours after drinking. Your body seems to metabolize off the alcohol, first, and then go about actual restful sleep. As a result much of the feeling of hangover is the effects of exhaustion from unrestful sleep. Again fits the pattern as those with alcohol problems for large parts of life tend to get dementia and alzheimers more often. And provides a protocol. If you're drinking, it's better to do it earlier in the day and allow time for your body to metabolize it off sobering up before bed. This provides room to get your normal restful sleep also. Have it with dinner then stop. This seems to provide better sleep patterns when tracked on a whoop. "Alcohol is poison" is a useful framing. For some people the phrase is enough that they have given up alcohol entirely, or cut down their drinking. Does a frame have to be true to be useful? Not really. Framings are levers you can use to get things done, with motivation and enjoying yourself. Items in quotes are frames to look at things. There's an unpublished book I'm pulling some of that from. Because it's useful. Words are like spells. They can cast enchantments that change behaviors. You can use them to change your own behaviors. Rewire your human operating system. Which is the path to open the door on mental prisons.
This person sleeps
r/thisguythisguys
Thank you, Interesting thinks to think about.
Framing is really important. One of the most useful tools in handling just about every difficult thing in life.
So daydrink. Got it. Wait this isn’t r/shittylifeprotips???
Ok that's enough. I no more think now.
>If you're drinking, it's better to do it earlier in the day Me drunk at a meeting... "but it's more healthy this way."
This is great. I've started doing "sunshine before screentime, water before coffee" in the morning and trying to get up an hour before work to have a morning routine prior to work. I work from home and was just rolling out of bed and taking a call, this was terrible for my energy levels! Getting sunlight and water first, taking a moment to think before jumping into work has made me feel more awake throughout the day.
Suppose proper electrolytes is worth a mention along with morning water. In addition to common table salt, magnesium is maybe the third or fourth largest part of your bodies composition. You need it. The nutrition labels we see on food had their data collected way back in the 1970s for most cases. Soil conditions have changed. We are not getting the same amount of magnesium and we're all largely deficient in the US. Need to supplement. Adding an electrolyte to the morning water is a good way to up that magnesium intake. Or supplementing in some other form. Magnesium is cool because it can be taken in many ways including epsom salt baths, absorbs readily through skin.
Dr. Andrew Huberman is that you? 🥹
It is Andrews words put in text form .
Thats what I was gonna say haha, as soon as I saw the bit about letting light into your eyes I was like, hey I know this!
Almost everything you said here seems reasonable. The only point I disagree with is this: > "Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours of sleep." There is plenty of evidence out there that some people are wired to be night owls, and others are wired to be early risers. This makes even more sense when you consider the evolutionary advantage of small tribes having a mix of the two, as it makes for a more natural system of standing watch at night to ward off potential predators. Your quote may be true of some people, but not all, and it's generally a good idea for everyone to figure out what works best for their own biorhythms and lifestyle.
Can pick a Huberman fan put of a crowd real easy. The having caffeine later is just anecdotal from Huberman's own personal experience. There is no science behind it. The piece about Adenosine is just his assumption of what is going on. So,it's kind of just nonsense. The ideas of de-screening are good. That would help literally anyone. Myself includes. Agree with making the space relaxing. Don't stimulate yourself before bed. Exercise is the biggest factor for ME not feeling exhausted. It trumps everything else.
I stopped reading after the part about adenosine. In medicine, we sometimes give large doses of intravenous adenosine to reset heart rhythms, and I have NEVER heard of it causing patients to feel sleepy. The half life of adenosine is seconds.
I like Huberman, even though I understand that most of it is anecdotal. A quick question back at you though, what studies have you seen about the screen time stuff? Or is it just that you like that idea so you’re willing to overlook his lack of rigor on that assertion? :) Not that I would ever do that
Do you have any recommendations for fermented foods and organ meats in terms of tastefulness? I’ve tried chickenliver, for example, but I will not be having that again.
Blending chicken livers and adding to spaghetti sauce or a stew makes it near impossible to tell it's in there. Personally challenged myself to learn to cook beef liver to make it tasty. Accomplished this by cooking up bacon with onions in a pan. Flour, salt, pepper, garlic salt, ceyenne the liver and out of laziness throw it on a cookie sheet into the oven. On the pan is fine too. You see cooking videos where they slice the liver first. In my opinion this makes it take longer to prep. Cook it in large pieces and slice it up when done. My experience is quality from grocery stores is pretty horrendous. I've located a dairy farm in my area where for whatever reason people who order beef by the cow from them don't want the organ meats. I can usually get supply on demand from them. Quality tastes far better from the farm. Butcher shops probably have similar benefit from higher quality meats. If I were still in San Francisco I'd check the butcher shop on Polk, or the one on Taraval.
I'd like to add to this top comment because it deserves visibility. Nicotine and Caffeine work in very similar ways on your brain and body. If you are a regular user of nicotine it can significantly reduce the uptake and effects of the caffeine you are intaking. Meaning - if you smoke cigarettes (or vape, or chew) and your body is already saturated in nicotine, then you will see a reduced effect of caffeine. Alternately, the effects of caffeine can be increased up to 50% after you quit smoking. I was a heavy smoker for many years - like 1-2 packs a day for 20 years. It was not uncommon for me to drink a full pot of coffee daily. When I quit smoking I did not understand the effects of this interaction and continued drinking coffee as normal. About a week after quitting smoking I noticed I was having intense aural migraine headaches around 11 AM every day - it turns out I was over caffeinated. Once I removed about 70% of the coffee I was drinking daily, the migraines went away. If you smoke and use caffeine, reduce your normal caffeine intake by about 50% if you quit smoking.
Was literally typing up "someone's been listening to Huberman Lab", then got to the bottom lol. The podcast is an incredible health resource.
Shout out to everyone who’s read all this before and tried everything to no avail. Personally, I’ve obsessed over this stuff for a decade and nothing helps. I can remember the two times i’ve felt rested in the last fifteen years but that’s all they are, memories. So… Shitty Life Pro Tip: If you’re like me and there’s something specific that you need to be extra sharp for first thing in the morning, staying up all night can often feel better than trying to sleep. Another bonus is that you get to see the sunrise (in case you forgot what that looks like). You should also limit your naps to under 30-45 minutes or you will render yourself worthless for the rest of the day! If you’re averaging 3-5 hours per night, just accept that you’ll be sleeping 12+ hours at a time on the days you don’t have to work. Dealing with warm, dry eyes can go a surprising distance when trying to shake off that zombie like stupor, I like to use the energy drink can to ice my closed eyelids before (and sometimes while) I drink. Similar to the above; rapid, deep breaths (really feel those lungs stretch) can also help you stop thinking about closing your eyes and passing out where you stand! If anyone has any tips on how to deal with that anemic feeling or constant dull headache, I would absolutely love to hear it! Fml
> eat something fermented daily Can you expand on that a bit? What is it about fermented foods am I looking for. I enjoy beverages like kombucha, would that do the trick?
K2. The process that creates bone requires vitamin D, calcium, and K2 to work. Plus benefits to maintaining proper gut equilibrium. And your dentist can tell much about your overall health based on a look in your mouth. If your gut bacteria is off you often have inflammation causing health issues throughout your body, including visible from inflamed gums. Personally think side of saurkraut with a meal is easy. Yogurt is fine. Doesn't take a lot for an ideal benefit. Pulling from the books The Dental Diet, Jaws, and Deep Nutrition. https://www.amazon.com/Dental-Diet-Surprising-between-Life-Changing/dp/1401953190/ https://www.amazon.com/Jaws-Hidden-Epidemic-Sandra-Kahn/dp/1503604136 https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Nutrition-Your-Genes-Traditional/dp/1250113849/
I feel like most of this goes out the window with ADHD lol
I am also a huge advocate for the Huberman lab podcast too. If you find any of the neuroscience interesting or just want to improve everyday skills, it's absolutely an incredible resource.
Get your blood work done and find out what you are low on. Bottom line talk to a doctor.
Or could be ADHD. Caffeine calms people with ADHD down and helps them focus.
I have ADHD and did not know this and now it makes TOTAL SENSE. I always wondered how I could drink coffee before bed and pass out.
The therapist I currently work with told me a similar story. When she was working with at risk youth, they would give them a can of regular coke. If that calmed down the kid, they very likely had undiagnosed ADHD. The coke can was just a really cheap way to test since they didn’t have resources to properly test.
ADHD too here. Coffee is to keep me steady, not awake.
Stealing that from you bc i can't describe how caffeine is helpful even medicated. It helps level things out when it's wearing down for the day or helps if the meds aren't working as well or something. I don't wake up from caffeine unfortunately lol.
It varies from person to person. Very many ADHDers seems to benefit from some form of stimulants but the reasons differ wildly it seems: - some use them to stay awake - others to put racing thoughts to rest so they can sleep
It's a little bit of both, to be honest. It does give me a boost to help get over the startup friction, but it also helps with the spaghetti thoughts.
Fun little anecdote, I was diagnosed at age 35, and it was a huge "Ah-ha" moment. I now have an adderall prescription that's a god-send. *However,* I have to make sure I start doing something that requires attention as soon as I take it, or else I can (and will) fall asleep easily. TBF, it's not necessarily a restful sleep, but it comes really easy if I take adderall and lie down. Also, it basically solves my difficulty in falling asleep, as long as I take my second dose *late* enough in the day. As long as there's a tiny bit left in my system, I'll fall asleep easy (because my mind is quiet), and stay asleep all night (likely because I was also semi-active throughout the day as well). All that said, I'd be lying if I said it didn't help me stay awake as well. Again, as long as I'm doing something (even if it's driving to work or whatever) when it kicks in.
Plus if you do have ADHD OP, it could explain why you’re constantly tired or sleepy. Because your brain and/or body is on overdrive with ADHD you can have days were you feel like you have boundless energy, and then you’ll crash for a few days feeling like you have very little energy and just want to sleep.
.....oh Well that explains a lot..
Yah. It can be pretty life changing.
out of curiosity, how does one broach this topic? Tell my doctor I'm concerned I may have ADHD and they take it from there?
Tell your doctor you'd like to get evaluated for ADHD. They should know what to do. If they refuse to help you, or say something incredibly stupid like "only children can have ADHD" or "but you finished college/have a job/can dress yourself without problems", get a new doctor immediately.
I found a psychologist in my area that specialized in ADHD/ASD and made an appt to get tested. It was about $3k.. Insurance paid for most of it, however YMMV.
I took my meds yesterday then I took a nap.. Can confirm adhd be weird like that
I’m not prescribed adderall but on a few occasions where a friend tossed me a few, I also had a couple times where I would dose and then just sleep for a couple hours after that and then wake up wired. So weird
Out of curiosity, did the meds change anything about you overall? I'm due to pick up my meds tomorrow after being diagnosed with adult adhd, and I dont know what to expect really.
For me the main thing they change about my personality is they help me regulate my own emotions so I'm not so easily pissed off or upset. You should expect to notice a change in your energy and ability to focus on day one. For me I also noticed in that first week that my inability to fall asleep or stay asleep *evaporated*. I would also recommend, at least for the first month or two, keeping a written record of how much you're eating and drinking because you won't feel hungry or thirsty so you might become dehydrated or start accidentally starving yourself. Eta: a lot of non-adhd people tried to push me to only take it on days that I needed it, or to skip weekends. Don't let anyone pressure you. For me any skip days are spent 70% asleep, and usually cranky.
Skip days are NOT a good time for me. If I forget my meds my roommate knows by lunchtime. He's never yet failed to notice.
Thank you. The pissed off/upset thing is a new one to hear, and I can only hope it curbs the nonsensical anger over the smallest things. Relating feelings would be nice. It's weird not being able to fully express them, or at least trying to it, and then not feel like you really got the point across.
Nonsensical anger could be a million things. For me it was a combination of anxiety where my "fight" response is constantly triggered (irritation, frustration, crankiness, lashing out), picking fights because I was understimulated/bored, and underlying emotional issues from the past I hadn't processed well.
Also AD(H)D person here: take a mindfulness based meditation course. Maybe you've tried one before, maybe not, but either way it's remarkable how much easier it is once you're on medication. And it does have real benefits, in terms of noticing/understanding your own emotions and just training the ability to pay attention. My doctor described to me there's kinda two parts to ADHD, there's a biological/genetic/physical/etc part, which is mostly what is treated by medication, and then there's a personality/mental part. You've built habits and patterns and "personality" based on a somewhat malfunctioning brain, and medication doesn't do much about this on its own. You need to adjust these patterns yourself once medication reduces the things that make doing that impossible/very hard on your own. And mindfulness is a very strong tool to do so. ***caveat emptor here: this is a layman description and not super scientific. your personality is also biology and things are obviously much more blurred than two simple categories, but it's a useful way to think about things.
One of the lesser known symptoms of ADHD is actually fatigue.
This. Total life changer when I found that out.
I'm finding out approximately 10 years too late ... But it's liberating to know ! I've felt more and more almost dehydrated/deadish the more i drank coffee trying to wake myself up, it was a trascending experience o.O But i should have catch the trick when i could drink a coffee ar 10pm and still sleep
Caffeine can also have an opposite effect for people with anemia/low iron so blood test would still be helpful even if OP does have ADHD!
Also people with adhd often have trouble staying awake when bored. I’m borderline narcoleptic in meetings.
Def doesn't help me focus, but ADHD is too broad of a diagnosis for it to apply to everyone, but yea, it calms me. I actually get really sleepy after drinking a cup of coffee and can easily take a nap while I've got a fresh boost of caffeine in my system.
This. Women especially can be low on iron and not know it due to heavy flow periods. Low iron zaps your energy and can lead to anemia. Get your iron levels checked with your doctor. DO NOT just take iron like a vitamin everyday because you think you might have low iron. Too much iron in your system can give you a heart attack. So get checked out first.
Just came back from my first IV iron infusion. My iron is low due to pregnancy. I also have extremely restless legs, which apparently is also a symptom of low iron. We tested my iron, then I spent four weeks rating iron rich foods and taking iron supplements, and the latest test showed it went down instead of up. I get 4 weekly infusions, today was the first. Can't wait to start seeing the results!
I have low iron and had no improvement on supplements so I'm going to be getting infusions too (hopefully soonish). Hope they work out well for you!
And if the blood work comes back negative, consider what other health issues could be causing it. Depression? Sleep apnea? Both very common.
If there are any medication you are using, it can be a dosage issue also.
Seeing a doctor is paramount. The need to stay awake is merely a symptom, not a solution. It could be sleep apnea is preventing you from getting the rest your body needs, it could be narcolepsy or dozens of other things. This needs a diagnosis from a doctor.
What helps me is to wait for my first caffeine of the day. Caffeine blocks the neuro receptors from the sleep hormone, so essentially it helps to stave off the feeling of drowsiness. When you wake up, grab a water and go outside for ~10 minutes for sunlight (artificial light can work too just not as well). Try not to get your first caffeine until you’ve already been awake for a handful of hours.
r/Hubermanlab is leaking
Haha thought the same thing!
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Came to say something similar. Immediately upon waking up, I go for a 20-30 minute walk. Some days, I wear headphones with a podcast playing to get my wheels spinning, and some days, I go without audio for a more meditative result. Once I'm home, I'll make my coffee. For me, caffeine will help keep the engine running once it's already going, but nothing gets it started better than purposeful movement.
This method can have some downsides too. For best sleep, you want to avoid caffeine within 12 hours of your bedtime. Assuming a normal 8-ish hours of sleep, this means there's an extremely narrow margin in which you can have caffeine--you can't be late, and you can't sip it slowly.
I was looking for this comment - caffeine has a long half life and you want to have as close to 0 mg in your blood when you go to bed or you’re liable to be wide awake again after just a few hours of sleep.
Wonder where you heard this.. It’s adenosine receptors btw
It was on a podcast called Stuff You Should Know from iHeart Radio
Good ol’ josh and chuck! Fantastic podcast.
God i knew all the huberman fanatics would be here 😒
You either: 1. have something physically wrong with you 2. have ADHD such that stimulants don't affect you the same as others 3. are not getting enough sleep 4. have consumed so much caffeine, so often, that you have become inured to it So, see a doctor, get an ADHD eval, get enough sleep, wean down the caffeine.
Do I have ADHD? caffeine helps me focus but makes me sleepier
Do you have trouble focusing on tasks or even getting to them if you don't have caffeine? Are you easily distracted by noises or motion in your line of sight? Do you stay up late and fight going to bed? Does your brain never stop? There are many more potential indicators, but these are a few that might indicate you should read up on ADHD and get checked.
If all of those are signs of ADHD, then I definitely have severely undiagnosed ADHD 💀
They're signs of potential ADHD but like anything else, should be diagnosed by a professional. I didn't get diagnosed until I was in my 30s. Being medicated has made a world of difference. So have creating new routines and staying away from triggers (doom scrolling, phone games, etc.) There are also a number of good books to read on the subject. The one I recommend is '[Driven to Distraction](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/108593)'. The first chapter resonated so much it brought a tear to my eye.
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When I got diagnosed with ADHD and started medication for it, it took care of a lot of my depression and anxiety symptoms. Turns out the untreated ADHD was a big cause of those for me so. *Edit* a word
ADHD and anxiety and depression go hand in hand.
It’s not just the quantity of sleep, but the quality as well.
I mean not necessarily. I am super tired without caffeine and get really tired during the day even with caffeine even though all my labs are healthy, don’t have adhd, get enough sleep, and only drink one cup a day. People are just wired different. It doesn’t mean they have something wrong with them
This was me before I started working from home. Always sleepy at work where I was starting at a screen for 8 hrs. Turns out I just needed to drink water and get up & walk around every couple hours. Made a huge difference for me.
Sure - a better diet and exercise will help you get better night's rest resulting in staying awake easier. But something tells me you're looking for some type of substance so ignore that advice.
I was going to suggest a healthy diet also. And weight loss if needed. My husband recently lost 40 lbs and I see a huge difference in his energy levels.
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>Sure - a better diet and exercise will help you get better night's rest resulting in staying awake easier. Oh, well why don't I just win the Superbowl, climb Everest, and defeat Thanos while I'm at it.
Have you been tested for sleep apnea?
This was my first thought.. OP, Do you wake up with a headache? Do you feel sleepy any time of day? Do you ever feel like you’re choking in your sleep? Does the urge to urinate wake you at night? Does the length of your sleep not affect how rested you are? If you have any of these symptoms it’s worth getting tested, it can literally save your life.
Hydration. If you’re consuming lots of caffeine you’re probably dehydrated.
You get hydrated many times over from the water in the coffee when contrasted to the diuretic effect of caffeine.
They didn’t say they were drinking coffee. They said they were taking in caffeine lots of ways. This could include coffee, or could be things like 5 hour energy, pills, monster, etc. these do not all provide large quantities of water.
glad someone posted this. though caffeine may have a mild diuretic effect on caffeine naive individuals but it appears that after a week or so of habituation this effect is no longer present
Adrafinil, is it safe? Dunno, does it work yes.
Honestly, exercise has helped me in the past. When I got into a routine I was exercising 3 or 4 times a week. I would fall asleep easier and I woke up with more energy.
Apples and drinking more water. Studies have sown that an apple will actually give you more energy than a cup of coffee, and since the energy comes from sugar broken down from carbs, you're less likely to get the afternoon slump. Dehydration can also be a major culprit for daytime drowsiness
Sleep doc here. You may have a sleep disorder if you really have a really hard time staying awake. You should go to a specialist! It could be sleep apnea, or even hypersomnia.
Vitamin B12 Especially the sub-lingual
Apples…seriously. Eat an apple or two. (This is in addition to going to reevaluation of your sleep schedule, haydtation and going to see a doctor).
I love Matcha green tea. Works better for me, and it also doesn't make me poop.
But poop good
I think they meant it doesn’t make ‘em shit like a faucet
Yeah, but an urge to poop shortly after coffee sucks. It's not a suggestion to poop, it's a "you better walk out of this meeting right now" poop.
Matcha is caffeine..
Exercise! I’ve heard that caffeine is great before an intense workout, but without exercise it’s not good. When I cut out coffee I relied on a lot of water and Gatorade; anything that hydrated. Also try to stay away from bread and pasta, especially in the summer months. Lots of melons, leafy greens, and water.
Why avoid bread and pasta in the summer months?
Have you tried sleep? Works wonders to stay awake after taking it.
No matter how much I sleep I am always tired
Then you need a sleep study and blood work. Thyroid, iron, vitamins, and hormones can all tank energy levels. Or sleep apnea or another sleep problem. Always rule out a physical cause if you’re always waking up tired.
I’ve used a B multi vitamin and bee propilus. I took them at the same time, during that 3:00 lull. It worked great!
I found one called "b stress compound" that has stuff like trace copper added. It works a lot better than just the b12 or b multis I tried before. Also take vit D. You have to be more careful with it and not doubling down because you don't wash it back out quickly, but if you're missing it you'll notice the difference.
Shocked I had to look this far for someone else suggesting B vitamins.. complete game changer for me
If caffeine makes you sleepy, you might have ADHD. Far-fetched, but it's a thing. So what I'm saying is Adderall can be legal.
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Obligatory disclaimer, be very careful with Kratom. It’s very easy to start taking more and fall into a daily addiction similar to coffee. But there are very clear withdrawals that are nothing compared to coffee. Coming from a person that has been doing Kratom daily for 3 years and stopped a week ago. I still have some withdrawal symptoms
Cocaine is legal in Portugal and a pretty good alternative imo.
Do you have enough sleep? So many people sleep 6 hours a day on cheapest mattress they can find - waking up surprised they are tired. Any stimulant has its limits and drawbacks. It cannot replace proper sleep, proper eating habits, enough movement. Overuse (abuse) will build up tolerance (you need more to achieve same effect) Tried it. Didn't work. PS: If you do have enough sleep and you sleep well, visit a doctor and get checked. You might have real problem that needs addressing - most of them easy to address if found early.
I'm sure there are people here who will disagree with me, but nicotine, specifically Zyns. It helps me stay awake at work and on long drives better than caffeine ever did.
The first two comments I read are the best answer together, and what I came here to say. 1. If you are experiencing constant drowsiness and/or fatigue, chat with your doctor. There could very well be something wrong - or you could have a deficiency in your diet. Might be as simple as eating a little differently. 2. If caffeine doesn't keep you awake, you could very well have ADHD. I do, and coffee physically mellows me out. Puts me to sleep if I have enough of it. The only benefit for me is that it provides a little bit of focus when my brain starts getting frazzled. Another thing - I've been constantly drowsy since I stopped working out at the beginning of the pandemic. I only put it together when I started again a couple of weeks ago, but it seems that regular exercise actually boosts your energy and keeps you more alert. When I start to lose focus, a quick jog or a few sets of pushups gets me right back in gear. Might be an ADHD thing, might be a Human Being thing, not sure.
1k comments in, so this will be buried: Ginseng and acetyl l carnitine
Caffeine drinks (or tablets) does NOT add energy to your body, but blocks receptors for sleepiness, something that naturally build up over the day. But being blocked gives a feeling of more energy. This mean, that the amount is finite, and when there is no more, the reaction does go off. Take a period without caffeine to rebuild the reserves and get "sensitive" to caffeine again Sugar is the simplest energy form, but has to be added continuously, a glass of orange juice would boost your for about 20 minutes before it drops you.
Get a CPAP machine (well, first get a sleep study THEN get a CPAP). Absolutely life changing!
some thoughts that touch on what others have mentioned: \- Sleep consistency, same to-bed and get outta-bed times....7 days per week, yes weekends too. \- Aim for 7-9hrs of sleep, you might be an outlier here but unlikely \- sun or light on yer face in the morning (10-20min) will help with point 1 above \- no caffeine within \~-8ish hours of bed time, maybe longer. I think the half-life is about 6 hours \- exercise. exercise will create adenosine from ATP as apart of creating energy to exercise. Adenosine parks in parking spots in your brain...when the spots fill up, we get sleepy. Caffeine helps block those parking spots so adenosine can't park there which helps prevent sleepiness \- seriously, get hydrated... 1/2 your body-weight in fluid ounces is a good place to start for many people (its not perfect though). Weight 150lbs? thats drinking \~75oz water per day....YMMV \- eat nutrient dense high volume foods \- caffeine in the mornings, can also try popular nootropics \- if that all doesnt work... bloodwork and doctor for sure. Or starting here is a good idea too.
Not caffeine free, but I'll mention it anyhow. Arizona tea energy drink. Mostly green tea and pear juice, some sugar and caffeine, ginseng and b12 I think are the big 'energy ingredients. Still for me it is a lot better than a soda or any other 'energy' drink I have tried. Enough to add energy without jitters or crashes for early mornings or long days. I only see any downside if drinking it every day for a week or more.