Coffee - Time to Start?

[Groy]

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Throughout my entire history as a student (HS, undergrad, postbac, masters) I have never relied on caffeine of any kind. No coffee, no tea, no energy drinks, no soda, etc. I'd like to think I've done just fine without it.

Now that I'm in med school (M1) I often find myself drowsy, nodding off, daydreaming in class, unable to sit and focus. Most people I talk to say it's time to start drinking coffee, others say that if I've gone this long without it, no need to start now. I see some of my peers become listless zombies without it, and as a result drink so much they can hardly stop their hands from trembling. I'd like very much to avoid that.

I know this site is not a place for health advice, but I figured this is a pretty common problem for med students, so I decided to ask.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gurby]

Also just an M1, but I'm not a regular caffeine user. I keep some caffeine pills in the car just in case, use it to help relieve headaches/hangovers sometimes, or if I'm feeling mentally foggy and need to do something important. Average consumption has been like <100mg/week probably. I imagine early mornings during 3rd year might change that, but so far so good.

Are you sleeping well/enough?

 

[Doctor_Dre]

I drink around 3-5 cups a week when I need it--so far I haven't seen any compelling evidence that coffee is harmful in any way if consumed in moderation, which makes it pretty hard for me to justify not using it at all. When I feel myself getting too hooked on coffee, I taper off with black tea and then green tea and don't have any problems doing so. I'd suggest trying teas first because if you've never tried coffee, sometimes the immediate rush can be too strong and can end up being counterproductive.

 

[Groy]

Are you sleeping well/enough?

I sleep about 6-7 hours per night, never stay up past 12:30 and am out cold as soon as my head hits the pillow, yet I wake up exhausted every morning. I've even used a fitness tracker to measure the quality of my sleep, it's always 95% efficient and above (though I'm not sure how good of a measure that really is).

I'd suggest trying teas first

I just may consider that.

 

[libertyyne]

Talk to your physican about this. There might be something else going on that is making you feel like poop. That being said I am fairly reckless with my caffeine intake, because I feel subhuman without it.

 

[Mad Jack]

Try it and see if it helps, but be aware that your symptoms could be a result of anything from stress to depression to an underlying medical issue. Be mindful of any other issues you might be having and take care of yourself as best you can

 

[coldcase331]

Throughout my entire history as a student (HS, undergrad, postbac, masters) I have never relied on caffeine of any kind. No coffee, no tea, no energy drinks, no soda, etc. I'd like to think I've done just fine without it.

Now that I'm in med school (M1) I often find myself drowsy, nodding off, daydreaming in class, unable to sit and focus. Most people I talk to say it's time to start drinking coffee, others say that if I've gone this long without it, no need to start now. I see some of my peers become listless zombies without it, and as a result drink so much they can hardly stop their hands from trembling. I'd like very much to avoid that.

I know this site is not a place for health advice, but I figured this is a pretty common problem for med students, so I decided to ask.

Thanks in advance!

Never drank coffee before starting med school, took me a whopping 3 days before it became a daily habit


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Groy]

Talk to your physican about this. There might be something else going on that is making you feel like poop.

Thanks for your concern, I'll try to make a few regimen changes (starting with trying out coffee). If nothing else works, I'll definitely talk to someone about it.

Be mindful of any other issues you might be having and take care of yourself as best you can

Thanks for this advice. While I don't seem to perceive any significant emotional/psychological distress so far, I'd be lying if I said medical school wasn't stressful. Maybe I'll look at this issue more broadly, and make sure it's not just a caffeine thing.

took me a whopping 3 days before it became a daily habit

That's a pretty strong endorsement, I may have to give it a go after all.

 

[Save a life]

I sleep about 6-7 hours per night, never stay up past 12:30 and am out cold as soon as my head hits the pillow, yet I wake up exhausted every morning. I've even used a fitness tracker to measure the quality of my sleep, it's always 95% efficient and above (though I'm not sure how good of a measure that really is).


I may just consider that.

I think I see the issue right here. 6-7 hours a night is not enough. 6 hours of sleep is fine sometimes like once a week but if you do it over and over again (or even 7 hours a night) you’ll feel tired. At least I do. I personally have to get like 7-9 most nights or I start feeling tired. Try getting more sleep.

 

[Groy]

Try getting more sleep.

Interesting, I had never considered this to be part of the problem judging by how I am able to fall asleep quickly/stay asleep all night.

 

[Atom612]

Curious, why all these threads about caffeine/coffee all of a sudden?

OP, sub-7 hours of sleep generally isn't recommended. I was averaging 5-6 hours nightly (not by choice) and it greatly was affecting my cognitive performance. I've fixed the problem and have noticed a tremendous difference.

Also, caffeine is a stimulant. Coffee contains caffeine. If you've never drank it before, you can expect to be a jittery, pooping mess at first if you're not careful. But eventually you get used to it and hooked like everyone else.

 

[Nucleophile1]

Interesting, I had never considered this to be part of the problem judging by how I am able to fall asleep quickly/stay asleep all night.

I don't remember where I heard this but I heard that if you fall asleep instantly, it can mean that you are sleep-deprived. Are you sleeping 6-7 hours by choice (setting an alarm) or you naturally wake up after 6-7 hours.

 

[sab3156]

Try tea. I put in a couple of "open" green cardamoms, a couple of cloves, microwave in water with a tea bag (I like black) for about 2 minutes, take it out and put in a bit of milk. Doesn't have as much caffeine, and I like the taste much better than coffee. In fact, I will now make one for myself.

 

[Groy]

Are you sleeping 6-7 hours by choice (setting an alarm) or you naturally wake up after 6-7 hours.

My alarm is set to 7am each day and I get to bed any time between 11:30 and 12:30 depending when I finish everything up for the day. If my alarm wasn't set to 7 I'd easily cruise until about 8:30 or so.

 

[Gurby]

My alarm is set to 7am each day and I get to bed any time between 11:30 and 12:30 depending when I finish everything up for the day. If my alarm wasn't set to 7 I'd easily cruise until about 8:30 or so.

Listen to your body - it's telling you the diagnosis!

 

[Nucleophile1]

My alarm is set to 7am each day and I get to bed any time between 11:30 and 12:30 depending when I finish everything up for the day. If my alarm wasn't set to 7 I'd easily cruise until about 8:30 or so.

I recommend cruising until 8:30 or going to bed earlier.

 

[68PGunner]

Save the Alderell and the caffeine for year 2 when it’s board time. I drink like a cup of coffee maybe like 2-3 times a week especially when I need to push past a breaking point. Otherwise, I’m a functional human being with a regular 4-5 hrs of sleep nightly on weekdays, and a 9-10 hrs of sleep on the weekends.

 

[mistafab]

Yeah dude - the root of the problem here appears to be sleep as stated above. Go to bed early enough that you wake up naturally at the time you are trying to wake up now. Like you said, there is a 1.5hour discrepancy between when you get up, and when you would get up naturally. Fix that over the course of a week, maybe by sleeping 15 min earlier every day until those numbers line up. Then reassess and manipulate as needed.

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

Sleep >>> caffeine in any form.

I'm cruising at the end of 4th year and never had to succumb to coffee. And this was with 80+ hour/week sub-Is as well. I like the idea of coffee, but hate the smell and taste. I'm not averse to using energy drinks if I'm really dragging, though.

 

[WingedOx]

At least you're not in my office insisting you have a new dx of ADHD...

 

[Groy]

At least you're not in my office insisting you have a new dx of ADHD...

I won't dare go down that road.

 

[Groy]

Thanks for the advice everyone, it means alot. I'll try adjusting my sleep schedule and start with some occasional tea. I'll keep you all updated!