Healthy alternatives to coffee??

Shouldn't that be having a hard time staying awake? Edit. Actually having read another post I believe you have trouble sleeping at night and therefore get tired during the day?

I tend to go to sleep on lazy afternoons. Don't fight it John.
Edit#2 Oooops. In another post I just noticed you said... ...My apologies for calling you John, it was either that or Jonas or Phil which are also male names as far as I know.

You're going to hate me but...I drink tea...and sometimes I listen to concentration binaural beats.

Out of interest, how many hours of sleep do you get a night and how many hours of work are you doing in each day?

Edit #3. The reason your Doctor may have told you to stop drinking coffee is that you get a power boost during the day and the remaining effect of the caffeine keeps you "alert" at night. I suspect you'll find, as you body adjusts to less caffeine, you will in fact no longer need the coffee during the day, as you'll be getting quality sleep at night.

Try some good 'ol hot tea

Yes maybe you should do as Richard Van suggests, if you're getting tired during the day, and can't sleep at night, then maybe you should take a short nap during the day rather than use chemicals to keep you going.

Nap - only for about 20-30 minutes and in a chair; so you don't go into REM sleep.
Drink more water.

Have a healthy snack about an hour before you usually get low on
energy in the afternoon. Cheeses, veggies, bananas other fruit, coconut.

Go for a walk or a light work out.

Just drink a little less coffee. Half to 2/3 a cup instead of a full cup.
Lower caffeine brews of coffee. Someone told me light roast coffee
has more caffeine than dark roast. You'll have to do the research on that.

Getting into bad sleep habits is an evil, evil cycle. I've been through it.

IMHO, there is no alternative to caffeine when you're in a screwed up sleep cycle. You need to drop the caffeine and AVOID naps. No sleeping whatsoever during the day. If you find yourself getting tired during the day, get up and move around until you're no longer tired.

Next, go to bed and get up in the morning at the same time every day. If you're having trouble getting to sleep, read something terribly boring (Might I suggest one of Claude Whitacre's books? I kid, I kid).

If you do this process, you should get back to a normal sleep schedule within a week or two. Ambien can help with this. It worked wonders for me.

The key for me was to avoid naps and get myself as tired as possible during the day, yet stay awake until bed time.

If you still have problems, you might want to consider a sleep study. You might have sleep apnea, which causes restless sleep and tired days, along with a great deal of other potential nastiness, like strokes.

Go juicing. Seriously.

I was having the same problems and you feel great afterwards.

Your approach is wrong. You should do what your body in the afternoon is telling you to do and rest. Most of Latin America helps support their need of bodily rest by taking a siesta in the afternoon.

I take a siesta for about 20 minutes in the afternoon when needed and it helps me get through the rest of the day and I can sleep at night also.

I hope this natural cure helps you.

Thanks for all the advice! Will try napping and give myself and my body time to adapt

I actually have the same question about the best alternative to coffee since I have to cut down my caffeine to avoid acid attacks. Thanks for posting the question now I have some good ideas.

Ah gee. I wish I could say that there was an alternative to coffee - but as close as I can come to one is organic coffee.

I don't think I could give up my coffee if I had to. Cold nights call for a little organic cocoa - and sometimes a pot of tea hits the spot.........but there is NO substitute for a cup of steamy french roast.

you can try drinking hot water or hot cup of tea.that will surely help you from afternoon naps.

My prescription - made from nutritious grains and vegetables.

Apples - Google it.

It's alright to take a nap if you really are sleepy. Sometimes, a nap is the only way to deal with a midday drag. And don't feel guilty thinking this will contribute to lack of productivity. If anything, a good power nap will boost your focus and help you get things done.

If you miss the hot drink that tastes great, try Cafix. It is instant and comes closest to tasting like coffee without the caffeine, if you use enough of it. It has chicory, beets, and other grains in it.

Melatonin works great too for sleep. Take some an hour before you go to bed. It is healthier to go to bed by 10 or so. Your body likes that rest time from 10-2am.

riverider

Here's a good one, if you do a sitting down job. Instead of coffee get up and go for a brisk 2 or 3 minute walk to pump up the hemoglobin levels, It really dose work. Good luck and best wishes, Mark

I drink lots of coffee -- a good 10 -15 cups a day -- and have no trouble sleeping. The reason for that is amount of time I spend each day running after my 3-year-old son.

Today was a martial arts day for him. We go on foot to the class which is a good hour away. There he does vigorous high energy training. We go home on foot as well, but not without visits to various places that capture his interest, many of them with lots of stairs.

At home, he plays with Lego a lot but still runs around finding things to enhance his various Lego creations. This usually involves some sort of climbing onto counters and whatnot to locate the specific item he wants, with me running after him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself, and that often involves lifting him up.

To get him to finally sleep, I have to carry him in his heavy little sofa chair back and forth across the living room 20-40 times. The bonus is I don't need to spend money on a gym membership or anything to counteract the effects of the coffee I drink. Someone without kids could consider getting high energy puppies to get similar results or maybe volunteer their place to be a foster home for raccoons before they're relocated to the woods.

I'd tell your Dr. to brush up on the health benefits of coffee, which are numerous.

Top 13 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Coffee

What are the health benefits of coffee? - Medical News Today

Health Benefits of Coffee - WebMD


Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., L.D.: 9 Amazing Benefits of Coffee

Coffee and Health | The Nutrition Source | Harvard School of Public Health

So, unless you fall into this category, or have some other specific reason to lay off coffee, I'd go for drinking MORE coffee.

You said you had a hard time sleeping "lately." Has your coffee consumption changed/increased to cause that? If not, it probably doesn't have anything to do with coffee, but something else on your mind.

Make yourself more tired at bedtime. Exercise in early evening (not directly before going to bed because energy levels can increase right after exercise). Try an over the counter sleep aid for awhile. Read a boring book when you go to bed.

Personally, I'd try everything else but reduce coffee. It gives me the heeby jeebies just thinking about getting rid of any amount of coffee. lol.

Fresh air will do wonders. Take a short walk outside and eat healthy.

Have you tried steroids?

Thank you everyone for your tips!

I tried a lot of the things you guys posted here and early this year, I finally found something that worked for me which was:

- take a brisk walk or jog early in the morning followed by a cold shower to get me ready for the day
- green tea and/or water throughout the day to keep me hydrated
- a bit of yoga, power nap, or a short walk in the afternoons to relax and clear my head.

To all the guys who suggested the things above, thank you so much! I don't work longer hours but I found myself more alert and focused when I do work. Finally got to be more productive and relaxed at the same time.

And because I've been doing so well these past few months, I was finally able to convince my sister to do the same. She's still a bit jittery because she decided to quit smoking, drinking, AND coffee at the same time (her idea, not mine) but it looks like she's starting to feel the benefits as well (better night's sleep, more energy)

Thanks again!!

green juices and smoothies... awesome stuff

I also cut back on coffee lately. I would suggest pu erh tea, which works quiet well for me personally to keep me awake.

A half hour of sunshine a day will cure your sleep problems. If you're not getting sun - get a lizard light with full spectrum rays.

Substitute for Coffee? I live on it (organic only) - and I sleep 7.25 hours every night - whenever I decide to go to bed. I get good exercise and sunlight, though.

BTW - have you tried doing some stretches when you feel drowsy or just getting up and walking around? Sitting too long at one time will mess ya up more severely than most people realize.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, its also been said eating an apple will wake you up better than coffee.

I eat apples all the time and feel great