What Happens If You Quit Coffee Suddenly: How to Get Through It Gently

Key points

Coffee is a habit the body adapts to. When the cups disappear, a few days are needed to readjust: a headache, drowsiness and difficulty concentrating can appear. This is expected and temporary, and usually passes within 2–9 days. The good news is that you can get through it gently by cutting down in steps, and that moderate coffee is not an enemy: in observational data it is linked to health benefit.

What happens in the first days

Caffeine enters the body in nearly the same dose every day, and the body gets used to it. When the dose is removed, the first signs usually appear after 12–24 hours: sleepiness, trouble concentrating, a headache. The peak comes at about 20–51 hours, in other words on the second day without coffee, after which things even out, and it usually ends within 2–9 days. These figures come from a critical review of 57 experimental and 9 survey studies; the same review notes that withdrawal signs are possible after as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day, about one cup (Juliano LM, Griffiths RR Psychopharmacology 2004. PMID 15448977^[1]).

How often does a headache occur? The clearest example is a double-blind study of 62 adults who drank on average 235 mg of caffeine a day, about 2.5 cups. On days when they received caffeine-free capsules, moderate or severe headache appeared in 52 %, and on caffeine days in 6 % (Silverman K N Engl J Med 1992. PMID 1528206^[2]).

It is important not to exaggerate: when participants did not know that caffeine withdrawal was being studied, signs were less frequent. In a blinded study of 57 people, 18 of whom stopped abruptly, signs appeared in 6 of 18, or 33 % (Dews DM J Clin Pharmacol 1999. PMID 10586387^[3]). So it is more accurate to say that unpleasant feelings occur in many people but not necessarily in all, and in many they are mild.

Why gradual reduction is better

In experiments with different doses, the severity of withdrawal grew with the starting dose: 100, 300 and 600 mg a day. Signs appeared when the daily dose was lowered from 300 to 100 mg or lower, and dependence formed after only 3 days of regular intake (Evans SM, Griffiths RR J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999. PMID 10087016^[4]). It follows logically that stepwise reduction is gentler than stopping abruptly. These studies contain no direct comparison of gradual and abrupt stopping, so this is advice, not a study result.

How it can look in an ordinary week:

• Days 1–3: instead of the usual three cups, two, and replace the third with warm water with lemon or an unsweetened herbal tea.
• Days 4–6: one cup in the morning in a half portion, water and tea for the rest of the day.
• Day 7 onwards: if you want to go completely coffee-free, keep the morning ritual with any warm caffeine-free drink.
• Drink water through the day, sleep a little longer if you can and do not plan the most demanding tasks for these days.
• Spend the first half of the day outdoors: morning light and a walk help you wake up without a cup.

A word about the hardest morning, usually around the second day. If your schedule allows, get up half an hour later, drink a glass of warm water, have eggs with vegetables for breakfast and walk for ten minutes. Important meetings and complex tasks are better moved to the end of the week. If your head feels heavy, take a break, step outside and drink some water. It helps to tell family and colleagues in advance that you may be a little slower than usual for a couple of days: that way there is less temptation to go back to the cup for alertness. After that things even out, and each following morning is usually easier.

If coffee stays in your diet

Not everyone needs to give up coffee. In the BMJ umbrella review of meta-analyses, the largest reduction in all-cause mortality in observational data was seen at 3 cups a day versus none: relative risk 0.83 (95 % CI 0.79–0.88), that is, a 17 % lower risk of death from any cause (Poole R BMJ 2017. PMID 29167102^[5]; correction to the article: PMID 29330262^[6]). The figure for 3 cups comes from a meta-analysis of cohort studies (Grosso G Eur J Epidemiol 2016. PMID 27699514^[7]). These are observations, that is, an association rather than a proven cause: the authors note that randomised trials are needed to draw conclusions about causality.

The practical meaning is simple: moderate coffee during the day is compatible with a healthy lifestyle. If you feel well, sleep at night and have no palpitations or anxiety, there is no need to give it up just for the sake of it. If you do want to cut coffee, for example because of poor sleep, do it gently as described above.

How to make withdrawal comfortable

• Do not drink coffee in the evening: sleep restores alertness best, and then the morning is easier without a cup.
• Make a breakfast with protein and vegetables: so the morning does not rest on a single cup. Good options: an omelette with herbs, cottage cheese with cucumber, eggs with avocado.
• Move: ten minutes of brisk walking in the morning helps you wake up.
• If you miss the ritual, replace it: warm water with lemon, chicory, mint or ginger tea.
• If you drink several cups at work, gradually move the last one earlier, then drop it.

Who should see a doctor first

If a headache is unusually severe, lasts longer than a week, comes with vomiting, speech problems or weakness, or appeared suddenly after an injury, do not put it down to coffee withdrawal; see a doctor. Palpitations, anxiety, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and pregnancy are reasons to discuss caffeine intake with a doctor. Prescribed treatment should not be changed on your own.

Bottom line

If you quit coffee abruptly, the first 2–9 days may be uncomfortable: headache, sleepiness, trouble concentrating. It is temporary and expected. It is best to reduce the dose in steps, drink water, move more and sleep well. And if coffee suits you, a moderate amount, about three cups spread through the day, is linked in observational data to a lower risk of death from any cause.