Do you need caffine to stay awake during normal hours?

[POed_Ex_Repub]

[Guy Fawkes]

1. "more caffeine then blood" in an understatement...

I need to use multipliers. Like: "10x more caffeine then blood."

[Ediacara]

2. I'm highly caffeinated...

But to say that there's MORE caffeine than blood is a stretch if taken literally :-) Then you would have a thick muddy paste running through your veins.

Not to mention you would have died from a heart attack, a stroke, arterial hemorhaging, and cell asfixiation :-)

[SeveneightyWhoa]

3. I'm in the middle.

I don't need caffeine - at all - but I drink a shitload of it anyway.

Why? Because I can! (And I like the taste.)

[WindRavenX]

4. yes

I get headaches unless I drink constant coffee.
I know. I suck.

[ze_dscherman]

17. Headaches are a common symptom of caffeine withdrawal

I gave up all caffeine some months ago and went through real bad headaches for almost two weeks. Couldn't work without aspirine for that time.

My blood pressure dropped, my sleep is better, I don't have the frenzy phases alternating with tiredness during my days as before. And I got rid of the headaches that I occasionally had before caffeine abstinence.

So, what you describe as cure, is actually the cause of your headaches!

If you try withdrawal, though, remember that the same substance is in black or green tea. Cocoa/chocolate also contain a highly related stimulant, so you better avoid them for at least some time.

[Guy Fawkes]

18. It turns out that I have a family history of migrain...

And while I didn't know such a thing could be passed on, I did find a way to help it. Since I was 10, I've been drinking coffee every morning. Hardly ever touched caffeine before that. I find that caffeine keeps the migraine off. I'm not the only one, either! Many migraine meds. now have caffeine as an ingredient.

[ze_dscherman]

20. Caffeine actually enhances pain killers

Aspirine plus caffeine is much more efficient than aspirine alone.

It is very effective with vascular headaches, because it will constrict blood vessels in your brain. That's also the reason why you get withdrawal symptoms, as your body has to get into it's natural balance once again.

Some info on caffeine/migraine connection: http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/headache-caffeine.html

[stranger_with_candy]

5. No coffee

but Mountain Dew flows through my veins quite frequently

[truthbetold]

6. Two words.

Red Bull.

[HEyHEY]

7. Jesus, anyone who answered yes - see a doctor for the love of god

[Chovexani]

8. I'm a total vampire.

I need caffeine to function in daylight. Otherwise I am totally useless.

The night is when I feel most alive. I vastly prefer it...I seem to be 50 times more productive in the dead of night.

[Heyo]

9. That depends....actually...

.. if I don't have a cup in the AM.. I'm a bit groggy at first but I can hang...

.. but if I do have that one cup in the morning... then I am uppity but after a few hours, I crash and then have to grab a Mt. Dew or another cup of coffee, or just be real tired..

If I don't get on the train to begin with, I don't need ot...once I'm on it though I'm on for the haul...

I usually drink it about 3-4 days a week or so...

Heyo

[Poiuyt]

10. I try to get a nap

Harvard Medical Scool did a study and found how much more productive people are when they take a short nap in the middle of the day.

[AbbeyRoad]

11. If there's a Mountain Dew Anonymous, I need to join.

I'm a caffeine addict.

[Chovexani]

12. I haven't drank Dew since they changed the formula

But boy was I a Dew fiend way back when. It was the fuel for many a D&D session.

[Susang]

13. I need Provigil, actually

I have ME/CFS with symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Until I developed this little beauty of an illness, :eyes: I never even needed caffeine. Now I would sleep all day if it weren't for my daily 200mg of Provigil.

[Droopy]

14. What is Provigil?

I have an illness that I have to take medication for that makes me sleepy. I sleep about ten hours a day, sometimes more, and I used to be able to get by on 4 or 5 hours. I talked to my doctor about this and he just cut back on my meds some. I was wanting him to give me something for the drowsiness, but he wouldn't go there. Maybe I can talk him into it if the sleepiness persists. How does Provigil affect you?

[Susang]

23. Provigil

Is a drug that is commonly prescribed for narcolepsy. It works somewhat like an amphetamine, but without the massive side effects, i.e. shaking hands and tremor, heart palpatations, blood pressure increase. It has been a big help for me.

Here's a link with info on the drug if you want to know more about the pharmacology: http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=3361ACED-6F3F-49BD-A92EA5ACD24030B2

[dancing kali]

15. Give the scary lady her coffee

and no one will get hurt.

I exist on caffeine and nicotine.

[NMDemDist2]

22. ahh my sister of the sins

HAIL! :smoke:

[Baja Margie]

16. Coffee makes me happy.

[enigmatic]

19. Yes!

I have a coffee IV inserted in my arm at all times...

[last_texas_dem]

21. Not me

That's not to say that I don't drink caffeine (fairly regularly from time to time, actually). I drink iced tea or Mountain Dew whenever I do because those are the only caffeinated drinks that I like the taste of. I think it's possible that people's dependency on caffeine simply develops from consuming large amounts of it. I had caffeine very, very rarely until I started college and developed a taste for Mountain Dew, but I never had a major problem staying awake, lacking energy, etc. before then. However, once I started consuming it fairly regularly I noticed that I seemed to crave tea or Mountain Dew more than I would crave any other drink, even if I liked the taste of other drinks more. I think that if people feel dependent upon it and don't want to be that perhaps phasing it out very slowly would cause them to feel little effect if they wanted to quit "needing" it. Anyway, I'm sure I've just stated the obvious but it's 5:30 in the morning and there's not much else to talk about!

FWIW, even with very little caffeine consumption my internal clock is pretty screwed up anyway. If it weren't for having to go to school, work, etc. I think I'd normally sleep from 6 AM- 2 PM!