Should you reduce caffeine?








Many smokers consume a lot of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, and some medications. Smokers clear caffeine from their bodies faster than do non-smokers. That is one reason smokers drink so much coffee and cola.

If you are taking in more than 400 milligrams a day (about 4 cups of coffee) on your quit date cut back your caffeine intake by about one third. A smoker who drinks 6 cups of coffee a day, on the quit date would but back to 4 cups a day.

After you stop smoking, caffeine will stay in your body longer. The 1/3 reduction in caffeine intake will keep the level of caffeine in your body about the dame as when you were a smoker.

Do not cut back too much-caffeine is addictive. If you abruptly swear off most caffeine, you could suffer withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, irritability, and sleepiness. You do not need these symptoms when you are quitting smoking.

This information comes from the Quit Smart Stop Smoking program.

I found this link that will tell you how much caffeine is in what you are drinking or eating.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/caff.html



Valerie 3/6/2003