NEUROSCIENTIST: Ugly Truth About CAFFEINE | Andrew Huberman 

I feel like everytime I'm scrolling through RU-vid there is a new huberman video telling me to stop doing yet another thing that I love 😅

I guess that I’m ahead of my time. Caffeine free for 16 years. Best decision that I ever made. My anxiety melted away, and I’ve felt so much better overall since then. No alcohol for 17 years either. People look at me like an alien, but my life success speaks for itself. Both are crutches. Upper on the morning, downer in the evening. It’s total insanity. Throw those crutches out, and tackle life on your own power!

I was on 4-5 cups a day then quit cold turkey 12 months ago, headaches for a week while my blood vessels opened back up. Now I feel much more coherent and have better situational awareness (not fixated on single things). It's helped me scope out larger goals and get realistic about what my current trajectory is as well. Feels like a clear-head soberness. I highly recommend 6 months at least to anyone who feels like they are addicted.

I just dropped coffe last week, and found this today. My anxiety is down and my sleep is much better. And shocker I am more awake when I wake up.

I've been listening to him for awhile and here is what I've gotten. Intermittent fast until the afternoon. Work out in the morning if you can. Drink lots of water and get good sleep. Dont drink caffeine until you've been awake at least 2 hours.

I used to drink 5-6 double shot coffees everyday and just could not keep myself awake. I cut it out cold turkey and was REALLY tired and felt like shit for a whole week. after that I was sleeping perfectly. was totally awake and anytime I felt like I needed a coffee I would get a glass of water and walk around outside for 5 mins. I felt so much better after just one week i've stayed away from it other than a coffee with someone to enjoy as a treat and not a tool. biggest change i've ever made and it was so simple.

Last year in the summer I had quit caffeine cold turkey. I thought i was only going to withdraw for a week, some migraines the most. No, it was painful migraines I never experienced in my life before. My memory was terrible as I would forget the simplest thing which was scary, I had no appetite, could not stay awake throughout the day which felt like torture having to work, and as a woman had the worst menstrual cycles that I prayed just went back to normal. But as the weeks and months passed, i regained my memory, the migraines finally disappeared, i was actually able to sleep throughout the night and I could wake up and not feel groggy at all. My menstrual cycle are back to normal, and I could stay up all day without needing any coffee at all, not even tea. But take your vitamins!

I quit caffeine on the 12th of April. Second best decision next to quitting alcohol in 2012.

I quit, I feel and sleep better. Caffeine barrows energy from the future and gives it to you now. It's like a form of credit. I went bankrupt.

I gave up all caffeine two weeks ago and I feel more regulated and happier.

Andrew Huberman's ability to communicate to the general viewers level in unreal. We could listen to this dude talk about the brain for days because he isn't trying to talk over our heads. Great video!

I got an auto immune disease at age 25. Interstitial cystitis or Chronic Badder Pain Syndrome. I had been drinking coffee since I was 10. I had to get off all caffeine. Almost was fired after nodding off at a client meeting . lol. Anyway I can’t imagine being on that roller coaster now, 43 years later. I genuinely have steady energy and rest when tired. My skin looks young for my age. All I’ve drank for 43 years is spring water.

I didn't believe it, until I cut caffeine out. A lot, (not all,) but a lot of my depression has lifted. My anxiety from being around people is cut down. My anger/rage is down. I'm not exactly mellow, of course, but I'm nowhere near the angry and frightened person I was. And I don't beat myself up in my head as much, too. Thanks, for this video!

I quit caffeine cold turkey 3 months ago. I am 53 and had been drinking coffee daily for over 30 years. For the first month it was hard to get going but now I feel better than I have in decades. I am totally awake first thing in the morning and have steady energy all day. I sleep so much better also...

Three months without caffeine, and I feel incredible! Enjoying amazing sleep, boundless energy, and mental clarity. It's truly the best decision I've ever made. Now, all that's left is alcohol, you're next in line to take a seat on the bench.

"The Ugly Truth about Content Creators who use the words Ugly and Truth way too much..."

First cup of coffee in the morning is a spiritual experience.

First panic attack during my 50s horrible feeling. I was a coffeeholic so I went cold turkey because I was motivated by reading that caffeine can trigger anxiety attacks. After a month, zero anxiety but no more coffee.

I quit caffeine about two months ago. It is by far the best decision I have made in a long time. I finally feel like I'm actually rested from sleep. It feels so good to sleep hard. I also started taking gaba. Mostly to see if it would help ease my tinnitus. It hasn't, but dang it makes me dream like crazy. Never could remember dreaming at all. I love dreaming now. It's actually entertaining, and I remember them all.

Caffeine is addictive. A lot of people can't stop drinking because of addiction. Besides, they seem to live until 90 years old with no problems in my house. I like to see a study published on the claim that coffee is detrimental. My grandfather drank coffee and also lived to be 102 yrs.

I stopped drinking coffee as caffeine made me feel anxious all the time.5 months caffeine free and I feel so much better for stopping.

Quit coffee about 10 years ago. I didn’t actually think it was a problem for me, even though I was sipping it all day. I just didn’t like the idea of being dependent on a drink for energy. Tapered down to zero over 6 months. If I tried to go faster I got bad headaches. At the end I got a big, happy surprise - I realized the IBS I’d had for decades was gone! Changed my life.

I stopped caffeine years ago. What I discovered is you only need caffeine because you started using caffeine in the first place. With good diet and exercise, my energy comes on its own. I also regularly fast 20 hours which is great for consistent energy and no crashes of constantly eating / blood sugar all over the place

This guy is a genius. This channel showed up on my youtube homepage. I have learned so much from Andrews podcasts, a wealth of information. Everything is so well explained .

Loved coffee so much that I had to Quit. The underlying problem was alcohol addiction, the trigger was coffee and the stabilizer was weed😅. Basically take coffee, get work sorted, no sleep and I am thinking a shot of whiskey ought to get me to sleep( before u know it, it's a couple and am out). Weed every time I feel like am panicky etc. Two months sober now, loving it. Gotta regulate y'all. Love from Uganda 🇺🇬

I'm not saying you should do the same, but I simply quit caffeine. I wanted to see what would happen. At the beginning it was HELL. Now, 7 months in, I can have a cup of coffee at an event or something like that, but I don't want nor need it. And my life has improved massively. I am this chill and zen person I never knew I had in me.

Caffeine has gotten me to where I am today. Attribute it to success in life, not quitting anytime soon!

I started drinking water first thing when I wake up. Then about an hour later I'll have coffee. I do tend to drink it in excess at work (diesel mechanic). I drink it black or with a dash of cream. Definitely makes me feel better waiting to drink the coffee.

I quit caffeine, Adderall, and sugar a year ago after I retired from 20 years of military service. My workouts and energy have exploded. I'm PTing like I'm in my early 20s in my early 40s!

Get 7-8 hours of sleep and make drinking water your new favorite hobby. That’s the best way to fight back against feeling tired all the time. Caffeine just burns up your reserves and your only hurting yourself.

Having going through many darkest times in my life by myself, coffee are my friend. My only friend.

I got sick and didn’t have caffeine for a few days so decided to cut it out completely and feel better. The quality of my sleep has improved and I feel less anxious. I never thought I would cut out caffiene.

I avoid caffeine like a plague. I find a large glass of water first thing in the morning wakes my body up in a healthier way.

My philosophy has always been to intake less caffeine when I haven’t slept well and more when I have. People always said I was crazy for this but huberman just said that’s how you should do it

I've stumbled into this caffeine delay habit in the last few months by listening to my body after having a protein shake at breakfast. Suddenly I realised that I didn't feel like the coffee until around 11.00 am. Now I'm drinking one to two espressos a day. Feeling better, and sleeping better for it, too.

I am so sure that one day they will say being alive is bad for your health.

My mom drank coffee every day for most of her life and she lived to be 93 years old.

Push back caffiene intake 2 hours in the morning and the crash will happen 2 hours later in the day...wow...science! Glad we had him to explain this.

I quit coffee last December 2022, proud of myself.

My 2023 New Year's resolution, quit all caffeine. Has been great after getting through the rough first few weeks. Withdrawal symptoms were there but bearable. I thought I could have 1 cup of coffee about 16 days in, but it gave me the most awful splitting headache for 3 days. Am well past that now and feeling better and better. I'll always understand why people love coffee, as I used to absolutely love it. But for me it's in the rear view mirror now and for the better. You have to understand why plants produce caffeine in the first place. They produce it to act as a toxic pesticide. We know 1) it repels and harms insects and 2) it prevents seed germination of other plants. Caffeine in coffee plant seeds make the ground around them sterile and other plant seeds cannot compete. Then caffeine in the plants leaves and stems (in less concentration than the seeds) protect the plant from hungry insects. Now it just so happens that we humans enjoy the stimulating effects and some of the other physiological changes that come from consuming caffeine. But it's a mild form of poisoning ourselves in order to obtain those effects. What Huberman describes, the dehydration, the sleep disturbance, even the elevated liver enzymes! etc... doesn't go into the long term problems that consuming caffeine can induce. I believe they are severe. Now I'll go out on a limb and do what scientists hate but natural thinkers always do, which is to relate my personal experience (anecdotal evidence) on the subject. The list of items below are things I intuitively know were associated to my caffeine cessation. After about 3 days I felt a pulsation in the lower left abdomen (heart side, my left), it should be roughly where the high end of the pancreas is. Almost immediately after stopping caffeine my hair began to thin significantly faster than prior (I'm 52 and there's been a very small amount of hair thinning). I looked into this and there are other reports of people's hair thinning when quitting coffee. Now 29 days into the quit, the thinning is slowly reversing. The intense headache I experienced was just above the bridge of the nose, where the pineal gland would be. I suffer from chronic sinusitis which I am convinced is fungal in nature but few American ENTs are interestedin investigating or diagnosing this. My feeling about coffee relationship with fungal sinusitis is that it's a double edged sword. In addition to it's other toxic properties, caffeine is a fungicide and it may have had a prophylactic effect on my sinusitis at some times, but over the long term it is too inflammatory. I feel it's going to improve my sinusitis to eliminate caffeine. Going off base about fungal sinusitus... the only real cure is to move away from a locality with high earthborne and airborne mold spore volumes... Lastly, my skin is getting softer (which you would expect from eliminating a dehydrating agent) and after 3 to 4 weeks of highly unstable energy levels (frequent lows or blah blah moods), my energy level is much higher and more consistent than it was when I was a coffee drinker.

I was addicted to caffeine for years. I would consume anywhere from 500mg-1000mg/day depending on the day. I developed such a tolerance to it and it’s effects started to become significantly diminished. I’ve quit caffeine for a month and I feel 10x better than I did when I was compulsively consuming caffeine. The main thing I’ve noticed is sleep. I’m an insomniac (I was an insomniac way before my caffeine addiction) and I noticed that I’ve been getting the best sleep I’ve gotten in years. I fall asleep much quicker and the quality of my sleep has drastically improved. I think I’m officially done with caffeine. I’ve just realized that for someone like me, the cons outweigh the pros.

May 25th of 2001 was the last caffeinated drink I had. Was diagnosed with epilepsy earlier in the year and I noticed caffeine triggered my seizures. Quit caffeine immediately.

My grandmother drank coffee all the time, smoked like a chimney, was obese, and was not into "sports." She lived to 103. She never had cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, nothing. My mother is 87 and has never had cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis...nothing. Mother loves her coffee! In fact, all of our super long-living relatives love their coffee, smokes, and junk food.

It’s okay to just give it up completely. Let it go and never look back. Coffee and alcohol are so heavily romanticized in Western culture, it can be hard not to be a bit of a slave to the advertising that surrounds us. The headaches won’t kill you, and are a good reminder that something nasty has its hooks in you. Pulling them out is going to hurt. Be free.

4 weeks caffeine clean

This is interesting. I drink a cup of coffee after a small glass of water when I wake. I got in the habit of having another cup after lunch along with a couple of handfuls of m&m’s. I would already be full but still would feel the need for this. Later, I would feel sick. I am beginning to think I just had too much caffeine and on top of being full from lunch…I’m going to try going back to 1 cup a day in morning and that’s it. Sometimes if I decide on a 2nd cup in late morning, I can almost start feeling the sick feeling coming on me & I don’t drink anymore. I am so grateful to hear about this. Thank you Andrew! 😊

I feel convicted! For long time I have been trying to quit Coffee since, sure it’s not helping my health or financial situation. I will succeed!

If caffeines the worst drug you take you’re in good shape. Just don’t drink 12 cups a day.

I like the philosophy and science he talks about acceptance and using caffeine and stimulants as a motivator that is actually exhausting because you are forcing yourself to go after things you think you need versus just accepting where you are and naturally doing things for yourself because you really want them and don’t need that external energy motivation.

This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my RU-vid channel 5 months ago about self development. Now I have 291 subs and almost > 100 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I couldn’t have learned without getting started in the 1st place.

This is so good to know, we love coffee but moderation is key.

My cousin died from bladder cancer that spread throughout his vital organs. He drank 5g of caffeine from his coffee daily . He also held in his piss while commuting, sometimes for hours until he got home. He did this for a couple decades. 95% of all coffee on planet earth are sprayed w pesticides and some smuggled beans are sprayed w worse chemicals and are mixed into big companies beans. We all believe there is a correlation w his diagnosis and coffee consumption. He wasn’t a junk food eater, hardly drank, and never did drugs besides coffee.

I went to Puerto Rico with my Spanish club. We took a boat excursion but had to ride in a van for 1.5 to the dock to get there. The night before one lady said the tour company they would have coffee and pastries once we got to the dock. She mentioned it several times on the van ride. The tour company didn’t have any bud she finally found some, which made her the last person on the boat. Returning at 3pm the van had to wait until she found the place with coffee again. Her caffeine addiction runs her life. I only drink water, the best I can find.

To be honest, I have been drinking coffee for close to 60 years and got to the point that I see no difference in my life...2-3 cups a day, feels good at whatever time.

something I did which solved my problems with coffee is, I now put in half coffee, half cocoa into the cup. cutting much of the caffeine and replacing it with theobromine I've noticed is much better than having a straight cup of either coffee or cocoa, neither drug is in excess and both are stimulants. the coca helps mitigate some of the downsides of the coffee also like for lowering cholesterol, opening the blood vessels and etc.

When I was in basic training we all got one last cup of coffee on day one. We all watched each other as that stuff wore off and seen how dependent we can be on it. How irritable it can make you, to a point of almost violent. Coffee is amazing, it's something that can keep you going a couple extra hours and stay alert. However, just like everything, it should be limited with intake

I quit several times for about 3 month, but always started again, sadly. Sleep is so much better without any caffeine. I may at least reduce my dosage, when back from the trip.

I'm 34 years old. I understood at 21 years old that coffee and alcohol would affect my life negatively in different ways. Never drank either of those since then. 'My life my choice and happy to walk that road.

Ended up in ER with gastritis. Coffee had to go. Cold turkey. Day 3 head hurts but I'm way less anxious and starting to improve my gastritis

I like to listen to Andrew, the way he shares his knowledge through podcasts is just amazing.

Thank you . Always so informative .

I’ve never felt as awake since I’ve quit drinking coffee regularly. Now I drink it only from time to time ,when I’m really tired and need a boost or just for the taste. I feel energetic throughout the day and a lot more awake generally speaking .

I think it also depends on your lifestyle, stress level and also your diet..my parents drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day and they’re in their 80’s very healthy, happy and so energetic, they still walk to the mall about 20mins, instead of driving.. They always tell us to not over stress, balance work and leisure times, eat natural and not processed food, mostly plant base and some fish and meat, and be active everyday, whether just going for brisk walks or play badminton etc..

According to the Patty Mayonnaise clinic: Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks.

WOW! I used to drink up to 12 cups a day, don't know how many grams that is, don't know how to figure that out even. Now I drink about 3 cups a day, none later than 2 p.m. I always feel great. My biggest concern is that coffee fills me up and so I don't eat so much. I can't afford to lose weight but I have always slept without issue. Thanks for sharing.

I love coffee, always have. But over the years, I have learned my body and years ago I learned to drink a couple glasses of water when I first wake up and waiting 2-3 hours to have a small cup of coffee. I feel better the less coffee I drink. And I have slowly been learning more and more that reinforces that I am making a much better choice.

I'm 30 years old and have never drunk a cup of coffee. I'm so glad I don't rely on it to have energy and go about my day. As long as I get a decent night's sleep I feel great the next day most of the time.

I think most of the insomnia problems we have now are derived from coffee. Even one cup of morning coffee had caused me some sleep issues.

Excellent video. As usual, balance is key.

I love being an adult and finding ALL learning fun. I can absorb anything these days. I don’t even care about the subject much, just learning. I’m glad my brain still likes me after all of the neglect lol. 🤟🏻🤟🏻 Anyone else feel like this?

i hve quit caffeine for something like 10 years ago. After i read an article that, caffeine increases energy but lowers creativity. In other words, it gives you lower quality energy. The article also says that caffeine cause you an energy debt, as the energy that the caffeine gives you is taken from your reserve energy, so you need to pay this energy back to your reserves.

I switched morning caffeine with an electrolyte drink in the morning and i feel so much energized and awesome throughout the day.

I quit drinking coffee 4 years ago. One of the best decisions I've ever made. 🙂

Made the switch from coffee to matcha over a month ago. Never looking back. If I need my fix of coffee it’s decaffeinated. Worth the try if you haven’t already.

I quit alcohol 2 years ago, thc about 6 months ago, deleted all social media other than youtube, quit blue light after 7 pm, read a lot more, stopped eating at least 3 hours before bed, doing a lot more lower-intensity training over the 100% high-intensity all the time. Literally am a different person, ripping life a new one. Feel about 500% better. Like a new level of conciousness.

You know you’re addicted as when you quit, you don’t want to get up in the morning! Like the world ended! It’s SCARY. That happened to me years ago. Now, my body literally won’t let me overdo any caffeine; I get very unwell, because they are high in histamine and I’m super histamine intolerant, I can’t breathe with too much caffeine!! My body knows!

VERY PROFOUND-ED SIR. What he's saying may not mean a lot to everyone but everything he said is valuable to those who are always scared/conscious/alert/war-inflicted/stressed/working in security dept./grieving/etc. THE HEART OR THE BLOOD PRESSURE will compensate for the activation of the PSNS( which constricts the blood vessels and blocks the lymphatic flow) YOU CAN WEAR OUT YOUR HEART OR VESSELS AND THEYRE IRREPAIRABLE. It will lead to sickness. Thank you sir

Watching this first thing in the morning sipping on my coffee. 2 cups a day has lower my liver enzymes.

Star the day at 3:45am with 32oz of water with apple cider vinegar. Used to just have water. But, for some reason, I don't understand, since adding the vinegar in having very positive bms in the morning. Around 6-6:30 a.m., I'll have an espresso. That's been very good so far for me.

Finally someone is being a little more truthful about the downside of caffeine. Any one with diminished kidney function should just not do it at all. Diabetic or insulin resistant, don't do caffeine due to diuretic effect on electrolytes.

Thankful for this video! And I actually have been enjoying being “sleepy” in the morning because I like lounging and relaxing and waking up gradually. Now I use caffeine as an optional treat.

I stopped drinking coffee for almost a year and it's the best thing I ever done . I felt like the coffee is something I must to have . And I couldnt pass a day without it , but now I feel way much better without it (it took me sometime to get use to it but it's totally worth it !)

Thanks for your honesty no more energy drinks and prework out or Fat Burners for me. ❤

Mr Huberman is a brilliant man. He is someone everyone should listen to. I never had a cup of coffee until I turned 65yrs old.. just to see what it tasted like. I've seen so many people addicted to the stuff growing up, I chose not to drink it.. Seems like I made a good choice. I also chose not to drink alcohol when I turned 21...another good choice. I never get sick and most people like I am 15-20 yrs younger than my age. Health is all about the choices you make.

As someone who runs blood tests on fit males often, those “Liver enzymes” are found in muscle too. Men who workout rigorously will get micro tears in muscle fibers which releases those enzymes into blood. It’s not always liver.

I was noticing the caffeine, which was causing mineral depletion in my body, was causing my hair to turn prematurely grey. I was also noticing achy joints. By God’s strength now, I discipline myself to drink far less. 🤲

Agreed to what is said. I dropped my coffee intake down to 1 to 2 cups in the day before 10am and holy smokes the difference its made. I've been getting the best sleep ever, falling asleep without even trying and staying asleep

I drink 2 cups of coffee with some honey every day and yes I do get the afternoon crash almost everyday. The second one is around 4-5 pm in the evening. I've noticed that my sleep at night is hugely disturbed. Sometimes I can't sleep until 4 and I'm up at 7:30. I'm gonna cut out my 2nd cup to see if it makes a difference.

Most complex description of the main and side effects of coffee/coffein so far. Short term, long term, bodily effects and effects on the psychology. Well done.

I became a LADA diabetic 5 years ago. I have my blood sugars within normal range by giving up 'bad' foods. The only item that I have stuck with is my morning coffee and it spikes my blood sugar tremendously and I know I need to get off it. I need to switch to a good alternative like caffeine - free tea, yet I am having a horrible time going through it. I'm reading the comments below and it is giving my motivation.

So helpful. New-ish mom here and I rarely drank a cup of coffee before having my son. We've had the worst sleep issues maybe knowable to man and I've been sleep deprived for YEARS. I've just had my second child and I'm on the early part of her development where she wakes 3-4x a night (my son at 3.5 years old *still does not*) and I've felt let down by a lot of health advice. For parents, "Get more sleep" should be replaced by this advice! We would sleep >>> but WE HAVE KIDS! Inversing my caffeine intake on those really rough morning now, thank you so much!

Congratulations! I made some comments to your other coffee and caffeine videos about the warnings. But still, uric acid is a huge threat, and so is adrenal fatigue.

Weeks ago I started doing two things Mr. Huberman recommended for improving sleep. I wait 90 minutes before having caffeine (I have decaf in the morning) and I look towards the sun for some time after I get up. Also reduced my caffeine intake. Been sleeping soundly since then. Usually, I still wake up to urinate a couple of times at night but go back to sleep easily. That would change if I'd just remember not to have liquids too late. Love this channel.

I quit caffeine for good, never felt better 😊.

Watching this while drinking coffee again today

This video is like my morning coffee: I can't start my day without it! Cheers to self-improvement and caffeine! ☕💪😄

7:15 I'm a big coffee and tea person, but I've developed over sensitivity to caffeine and this is exactly the same that I've noticed from my own experience as well. If I haven't slept well and drink coffee, it's like I just get the jitters, the rapid heart beat and the anxiety, but still feel tired; If I've slept well and have my coffee I'm not bothered by any of those and can achieve focus and be more productive.

i knew that something was off with caffein since I really noticed the difference between being naturally awake and being awake with caffeine. it just feels different. thank you for this great informational video!

Everything in moderation seems to work just fine for me, for everything I consume. Also, too much of anything will make you an addict. Thanks for the information.

Fun fact drinking too much water can be toxic and kill you. BTW I drink a cup of coffee every morning and last blood test I had done that checked all levels for a baseline was impeccable.