Only option for me at my workplace is either coffee (undrinkably bitter) or expired tea (tastes like rot). Did not have enough time yesterday to make myself tea for the next day and the shop where I buy energy drinks is closed. I extremely drownsy and my head hurts.
EDIT: Coffee is undrinkable to me, quality or not. The bitterness will just overpower everything.
I’m late to this. But it sounds like you are really dependent on caffeine. In which case quitting caffeine might not be an option. However the underlying issue, the main reason why you need caffeine, is what I believe you should take a look at. Is it the lack of sleep? Performance anxiety? Could it be add/adhd?
Sleep and proper nutrition. Hell, it could be some underlying medical cause. Get a check-up and do some blood work.
Okay, then get me a job that not only allows me to not wake up every day 6:00 in the morning (8:00 would be ideal), but also pays well enough to cook twice, so I can eat well while my mother continues to eat her Hungarian junk food but in child portions to not get fat.
I can’t, only you can do that.
Short term?
-Keep hydrated. This one is key.
-Take an OTC painkiller for the headache.
-Splash your face with really cold water a few times and go for a brisk walk during a break/lunch period (when I was in office my lunches were pretty small/quick to eat to maximize doing-anything-else time, YMMV).
-Depends on your working environment, but if you have the ability to do at least some of your work standing, stand.
-If you’re crazy drowsy and just need some means to stay conscious until clock out, a rubber band on the wrist can help. If you start to space out/feel your eyes start to close, give it a snap. Not the greatest thing, but a little pain can release some useful endogenous chemicals.
-If anyone has little candies in the office, ask if you can take some. The sugar in well-timed doses can help a little.Medium term?
-When you get home, pack up some dried tea/tea bags of acceptable quality, and immediately place it in your ‘going to work’ kit (bag, car, whatever) so you have a stash in case you forget to make a thermos/whatever of tea the following (and subsequent) mornings.
-Go talk to whoever stocks the tea at work and let them know they’ve expired. They may not drink tea themselves, and if no one else has brought it up they may not know/haven’t checked in a while.Long term?
-Ween yourself off of caffeine. Slowly start swapping out your tea stash with herbal teas with no caffeine content (some are quite tasty), and reduce the amount of caffeine you’re inbibing bit by bit until it’s 0.
-Work on adjusting your sleep schedule.You don’t.
Drink water. A lot of it. It won’t replace the caffeine, but it will make the day more bearable.
Maybe ask a coworker if they have any painkillers for the headache.Many painkillers come with caffeine added too.
Excedrin is one of the more popular brand names. They’re specifically advertised for headaches.
I don’t take caffeine so that I survive the workday.
I take it so that my coworkers survive.
😜
(I only answered with a joke because you’ve already gotten several high-quality responses, otherwise I never would have done that).
In the long run, weaning yourself off caffeine and getting enough sleep will make you healthier overall.
Yeah when I quit coffee it took me two weeks to feel normal again, but I got the money off my back!
but I got the money off my back!
Turned your fanny pack around to the front, eh?
Wean yourself off the caffeine addiction.
Easier than you think, just a week or two of minor side effects, headache being the worse. Tylenol helps.
Your energy starts rebounding after only a few days, within a month or two, you feel a sustained, normal amount of energy through your day that doesn’t suddenly spike and drop.
And then after a few months you forget why you stopped, and start drinking that amazing coffee again <-- I am here
Not a fan of coffee, but I’m very careful about the amount of caffeine I take. This gives me fewer negative effects, lower tolerance, and a better kick if I’m feeling drowsy and turn to caffeine to solve that problem.
A proper amount of sleep is the better way, but I have a really hard time falling asleep before 9 and need to wake up at 5.
hmm the coffee doesn’t sound like it is prepared well for you. you might wanna try a french press, which has a way finer taste!
Cocaine?
I doubt a workplace too cheap to provide decent coffee would want to invest in cocaine as a job perk
Meth on the other hand is much more economical, it’s just good business.
Tell that to your dentist.
When the day is long and you wanna ride on
That’s the neat thing, you don’t.
Find caffeine pills. No-Doz is a popular one, but the dosage is so high you should only have one in a day.
Time release 100mg pills are your friend, if you don’t take too many.
50mg pills are hard to find, but better replace a cup of coffee.
100mg pills that are not slow release or time release hit hard and crash hard, but spread them several hours apart and cut them off at noon, and it will absolutely get you through a sleepy day.
No-Doz is 200mg a pill.
I’m probably a terrible metric because I work nights and probably have a skewed view/high tolerance, but that doesn’t seem like a concerning amount.
Hmm, you’re right. Recommended dosage afik is 400 mg a day, so 2 pills several hours apart would be the limit. Idk if they’re timed release or if they really hit you with 200mg at once, I haven’t tried them. Nutricost brand 100mg pills are way cheaper, so I stick to them.
Listen to music, keep your feet moving while working.
Assuming you’re not interested in quitting caffeine entirely - you can either drink tea before you go to work or try caffeine pills.
Caffeine pills are the way.
They’re also good if you are interested in quitting. They give you an accurate measured dose to taper off with.
Have you put sugar in coffee? I’m very sensitive to bitter, and always had to put quite a bit of sugar in to cancel out the bitterness.
Yup. Put some sugar in that OfficeCoffee along with the alleged creamer and power through. Everyone else here seems to be trying to get you off the caffeine but you need it now, today.
Or some flavored creamer like coffeemate. They have those little cups that dont need to be refrigerated so you can bring them to work and drink the work coffee.
