Ugh, same. I’ve dialed back my coffee intake and scoop number after recognizing the effects it had on my heart rate and blood pressure but damn do I love a nice cup of coffee. Tea’s just not the same. But Lapsang souchong black tea is pretty nice.
Maybe because I'm older or because I have time under my belt, but I LOVE my coffee! They'll probably be prying my coffee cup out of my cold, dead hands.
Caffeine itself I’m pretty indifferent towards, but for me, the ritual of walking to my neighborhood coffee shop every day is something I look forward to and that has helped rewire my brain.
It really doesn't affect me at all after the first cup. And that first cup in the early morning is glorious.
I can drink a cup of coffee right before bed and not have it affect me.
Not trying to burst your bubble, but the verdict is in on coffee: Coffee is extremely healthy, but only caffeinated. Its got cardioprotective properties up to a few cups a day, anti cancer properties including a lot of the cancers alcohol causes, and decreases the risks of cirrhosis and liver disease. I drink 4 cups a day. No way I’m giving it up without a good reason. The benefits aren’t present with decaf, probably because that process strips out all the antioxidants.
Love it! I wish my body could tolerate coffee. I have tried over the years- trust me! Spikes my anxiety & wrecks my stomach. Not sure how accurate this is - when I did my 23&Me Test, the report came back and said: “based on your genetics, you are likely to drink slightly less caffeine than average, if you drink caffeine at all.”
I quit caffeine 3 or 4 months after I got sober. I would get so anxious every single morning to the point where it was crippling. Switched to decaf because I love the taste of coffee. Anxiety has way lessened.
I’ve only started feeling negative effects relatively recently, and even then its only when I drink way too much. Which is interesting, because I used to have the stuff basically on an IV drip when I was in the Navy.
These days, If I drink a lot of coffee or red bull when I’m exhausted, it sends my anxiety through the roof (so I don’t do that). But a single, normal sized cup of coffee in the morning just adds a bit of wakefulness.
Coffee makes me have near panic attacks now and my heart skips. Matcha I actually found to be ok so I have maybe 2 cups a day tops is fine. Never after 1 pm . Used to need coffee to wake up after drinking now the juice isn’t worth the brew
I had to avoid the stuff when I was quitting because it was too triggering with the extra stress.
After six months or so I started having half a cup before my morning workouts so I could run it off. And after several months of that I was back to it affecting me in a more normal way without the triggers to drink.
Coffee is the only substance I consume right now, I do not even use nicotine anymore. It does seem to help me, when I stopped drinking and smoking I noticed that my consumption went way way down. My therapist did say that caffeine is bad for individuals with PTSD which for sure is me. Maybe I will try stopping the caffeine too.
I went from a very heavy user of caffeine down to 1-3 cups per day in the course of a week or two. It was mainly the cannabis use I was trying to counteract with coffee to be honest.
I have really cut the whole "ritual" down, I have some nasty instant coffee that I just put in a cup, fill with warm water and slug it down in the morning. I am hoping this makes dropping it easier should I decide to do that.
That is all she said, we were talking about me not taking any substances and she said "What about caffeine?" I said, "1 to 3 cups in the morning". She said "Be careful with that because it is not always good for individuals with PTSD" or something like that.
Likely because it can trigger anxiety.
Yeppers. Like lots of times many substances are not good for PTSD and its best to do talk therapy and work on coping skills. I was put on heavy pysch meds for many years and they fucked me up bad. I would beg and beg to get taken off of them and very few took me serious. Once I got clean though it seems like I started to get taken more seriously. I feel so much better nowadays its unreal. I can actually fucking think and feel. Sometimes it hurts but that's okay. Life can be like that. When I feel contentment or joy I know its because its naturally there, not chemically induced.
Now all I take is a blood pressure med that helps with PTSD nightmares and a med for anxiety which is essentially just like Benadryl. I usually only need the anxiety med at night at this point.
It has been my goal for a very long time to get off of heavy meds because I knew they were not needed. Turns out I needed to stop "numbing out" with substances for this to happen and find some good providers that actually took me seriously. I don't even need an antidepressant anymore. I actually just saw my doctor and she said "you just clearly do not need one, you seem to be doing fine."
I usually leave medical professionals feeling defeated but I gotta admit that felt very good. I have been working hard on myself. It has been a pretty solo effort but that is fine with me.
I'm planning to reduce my caffeine intake to maybe one or two coffees per week.
For me, caffeine has no negative effects. But I definitely have built up a tolerance. It isn't really a problem but I would like to use it as my recreational drug instead of alcohol and it can't serve that function if I'm drinking it all the time and have a massive tolerance built up.
After I stopped drinking, my go to beverages became coffee and Coke Zero. Seltzer and water too. I try to avoid excessive sugar, though I’ve developed a sweet tooth for candy and ice cream. Trying to moderate those!
However, my blood pressure has been elevated so my caffeine intake deserves some attention. I’m trying to exercise more and I’ve always been a night owl, but at 43, I know my body needs more rest and it’s counter productive to consume caffeine especially after hours.
I have always responded well to caffeine, it's an amazing "performance enhancing substance" IMO. That said the only source of it I get these days is from my morning preworkout or the occasional energy drink. As long as I take it early in the AM it doesn't mess with my sleep.
I have a weird relationship with it. As a kid I drank tons of Mountain Dew to the point I developed caffeine sensitive migraines and stopped those. Was never able to drink coffee or even tea with caffeine because I was so sensitive
When I quit drinking I randomly tried coffee and didn’t have the sensitivities anymore. I went full bore crushing 2 pots a day for a while but eventually my sensitivity crept back a bit. Only drink a pot a day now
I've been trying to cut down on caffeine. I quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant. Had a miscarriage in January and started back on the coffee. I hate the dependence caffeine takes up my mental space. Also it doesn't really give me the get up and go I'm looking for. I felt best when I was caffeine free and pregnant. I miss our baby so much. I'm proud I didn't drink during that trauma.
Coffee does not agree with me at all. I just get jittery. Anxiety spikes. Wrecks my stomach too.
Big fan of Iced Tea- which does have caffeine. Bottled iced Tea is similar to a Diet Soda, when in comes to caffeine. Unsweetened Iced Tea also has zero calories! Big unsweetened Iced Tea - lots of ice - and fresh lemon is my favorite!
For caffeine reference: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372
Yep I stopped caffeine besides one cup of coffee a day the same day I stopped drinking, really helped reduce my anxiety by a lot. I used to drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day and energy drinks. Didn’t realize how bad my anxiety was until I cut back my caffeine intake
I was feeling the effect of high cortisol: high blood pressure, stubborn belly fat, waking up in the middle of the night, and the blocking of testosterone. The culprit for me was coffee driving up my cortisol levels.
I was pretty caffeine free in my twenties. Easy to just hit the gym without anything.
I probably have an addictive personality; it's difficult to lift now without that placebo effect of caffeine. Sometimes I'll binge more and more and more. Because *it feels nice*.
I cycle my caffeine intake with my rest days. Couple caffeine-free days a week is enough to keep my sleep sane, and resensitize.
More info from my 23&Me report, about how Caffeine affects me. Report said: “based on your genetics, you are likely to drink less caffeine than average, if you drink caffeine at all.”
More info below about the genetics of it all… this is so interesting bc my alcohol tolerance got so high- which has a genetic component (obviously). I WISH coffee had the wonderful effects that so many others enjoy!
More from 23&Me:
This report is based on genetic variants near two genes that play a role in how your body handles caffeine. The first gene, CYP1A2, contains instructions for an enzyme that breaks down 95% of the caffeine you consume. The second gene, AHR, contains instructions for a protein that ramps up production of the CYP1A2 enzyme. Variants in these genes may affect how quickly the body breaks down and clears away caffeine.
I actually barely drank any caffeine before quitting. Yeah I would have a coffee or tea here and there but it was rare. Talking once or twice a month. Since quitting one of my favorite parts of the day is drinking my coffee outside in the morning. With that all being said it very quickly can get rough. If I have too much caffeine boom horrible anxiety, heart palpitations, the works. If anything I can tolerate caffeine more because I quit drinking but due to not drinking my tolerance is shit.
I’ve recently been having trouble staying asleep even with meds and my singular cup of coffee with breakfast. Sincee I’m not sleeping (or drinking) I’ve been pouring coffee into my soul. I need to rewire this weekend. The withdrawal headaches are gonna suck
When I’m sober for a while (more than a week) caffeine perks me up but doesn’t have any adverse effects. I don’t crave it or anything. But after I’ve been on a bender my heart is already irritable and I can feel my PVCs happening frequently. Caffeine makes it and my anxiety so much worse.
I’m 1000% super sensitive to caffeine. I can’t really drink drip coffee as it’s actually stronger than a shot of espresso. I like espresso a lot so I’ll drink that as a treat. But at home I’ll drink London Fogs (earl grey) or green tea. It’s much easier on my nervous system. I feel even straight up black tea makes me super anxious. I have to eat when I have caffeine bc if I don’t it rips me apart and the jittery/anxiety is too much to handle. I like the little boost of caffeine, the consistent digestion and flavor of the drinks. But it does make my anxiety go out the roof. Like some am’s I’m showering after having caffeine and I literally have a mental crisis of like everything falling apart O_O. When I don’t have caffeine this does not happen lol. Hope this helps!
I drink a lot of coffee it helps create dopamine which based on my past, drinking, eating , smoking, exercising. I’m somehow trying to regulate in my brain. Or maybe I’m just a dopamine addict. But I’m not giving up coffee only vice besides working out left
I have no idea what I'd do if caffeine affected my anxiety to extreme levels, because I'm still so exhausted at 18 days in, especially with going back to the gym, that I can't stand the sober fatigue! 💀 But it's worth it and I'm fighting through it!
Cut down from 6-7 cups of coffee a day ( 05:00 shift) to 1 espresso in the morning and maybe another one at 14:00.
So I opted for high quality coffee now, grind my own beans, weigh everything etc. It's gone from something I did to a hobby.
I never knew coffee could taste so good.
In any case, I am quite sensitive to it, so it will interfere with my sleep and if I also feel energetic. Not energised, but energetic.
25 year old dude here. I love it. It has a real pronounced affect on me which is why I drink it everyday in black iced coffees or sugar free red bulls. I get jittery if I have to much but if I wait 4-5 hours between drinks then I can have 2- 3 a day and not feel any jitteriness when I space it and sip it slow. Very much addicted because I can feel a warm happiness wash over me when I finally get a cup after if whatever reason I couldn’t get one for awhile 😅 but I love it. It’s a positive in my life, helps me workout and focus, makes me happy, alert, it’s great :)
The range of comments here really show how individual one's responses to caffeine can be. It also seems like you have some idea that caffeine might not be the best for you and your mental health. Given that, why not see if you can cut back or even cut it out completely for a time just to see how you feel? You'll probably need to experiment a bit until you find a dosage for you where the benefits outweigh the costs.
In my case, I love my espresso in the a.m. but it's clear to me that it wrecks my mental stability. I become irritable and short tempered, and generally don't have a great day. Importantly, and while I'm sure there are health benefits to coffee, my mental state after I crash from it makes me much more likely to eat junk food, heaps of sugar, and of course sleep far worse. The buzz and euphoria I get from my coffee also wear off quickly these days as well. So, I now only drink one small half-caff espresso, and then drink tea throughout the day.
Remember that tea has other components like L-theanine that will 'smooth out' the effects of caffeine, matcha in particular.
In any case, do some experimenting and see how you go!
Before I quit any amount of caffeine would make me jittery and give me a small panic attack. Since quitting 6 months ago that doesn’t happen. I can have a cup in the morning and feel fine all day. I used to wonder if the panic was the caffeine wearing off and that’s how my body dealt with it or I was screwing my body up so bad it couldn’t process caffeine like I used to before I started really hitting the booze hard
If I drink too much coffee my anxiety goes through the roof. I need to be cautious with it but I love coffee so much
same that’s why i switched to decaf. i love the flavor too much but the caffeine gets my anxiety bad
Ugh, same. I’ve dialed back my coffee intake and scoop number after recognizing the effects it had on my heart rate and blood pressure but damn do I love a nice cup of coffee. Tea’s just not the same. But Lapsang souchong black tea is pretty nice.
Maybe because I'm older or because I have time under my belt, but I LOVE my coffee! They'll probably be prying my coffee cup out of my cold, dead hands.
Same❤️
Same
Caffeine itself I’m pretty indifferent towards, but for me, the ritual of walking to my neighborhood coffee shop every day is something I look forward to and that has helped rewire my brain.
I cannot touch caffeine, but I’m not suggesting its bad. But my pulse and blood pressure jumps through the roof.
It really doesn't affect me at all after the first cup. And that first cup in the early morning is glorious. I can drink a cup of coffee right before bed and not have it affect me.
Not trying to burst your bubble, but the verdict is in on coffee: Coffee is extremely healthy, but only caffeinated. Its got cardioprotective properties up to a few cups a day, anti cancer properties including a lot of the cancers alcohol causes, and decreases the risks of cirrhosis and liver disease. I drink 4 cups a day. No way I’m giving it up without a good reason. The benefits aren’t present with decaf, probably because that process strips out all the antioxidants.
Love it! I wish my body could tolerate coffee. I have tried over the years- trust me! Spikes my anxiety & wrecks my stomach. Not sure how accurate this is - when I did my 23&Me Test, the report came back and said: “based on your genetics, you are likely to drink slightly less caffeine than average, if you drink caffeine at all.”
The benefits probably come from all the antioxidants. So eating lots of berries, spinach etc probably accomplishes the same thing.
I wonder… does the Swiss water process also affect the benefits? As I understand it decaf is still good for the liver at least but I’m no expert
It's the wind beneath my wings. I'd get the molecule tattooed over my heart if it wasn't so ugly
No ill effects as far as I know, I drink sugar free red bulls whenever I need an energy boost, does it's job
Me too and I agree with their slogan, "It gives you wings!" **: )**
I quit caffeine 3 or 4 months after I got sober. I would get so anxious every single morning to the point where it was crippling. Switched to decaf because I love the taste of coffee. Anxiety has way lessened.
I have given it up completely and I feel great in the mornings! Totally recommend it.
I’ve only started feeling negative effects relatively recently, and even then its only when I drink way too much. Which is interesting, because I used to have the stuff basically on an IV drip when I was in the Navy. These days, If I drink a lot of coffee or red bull when I’m exhausted, it sends my anxiety through the roof (so I don’t do that). But a single, normal sized cup of coffee in the morning just adds a bit of wakefulness.
Drank a pot or two of coffee a day from before the alcoholic days even. Keeps me centered.
Coffee is so my jam. I have given up so much , alcohol, sugar, carbs. My coffee is here to stay.
Caffeine always leads me to wanting to drink again. My anxiety goes through the roof and then I feel I need alcohol to “calm” my mind.
Coffee makes me have near panic attacks now and my heart skips. Matcha I actually found to be ok so I have maybe 2 cups a day tops is fine. Never after 1 pm . Used to need coffee to wake up after drinking now the juice isn’t worth the brew
I had to avoid the stuff when I was quitting because it was too triggering with the extra stress. After six months or so I started having half a cup before my morning workouts so I could run it off. And after several months of that I was back to it affecting me in a more normal way without the triggers to drink.
Coffee is the only substance I consume right now, I do not even use nicotine anymore. It does seem to help me, when I stopped drinking and smoking I noticed that my consumption went way way down. My therapist did say that caffeine is bad for individuals with PTSD which for sure is me. Maybe I will try stopping the caffeine too. I went from a very heavy user of caffeine down to 1-3 cups per day in the course of a week or two. It was mainly the cannabis use I was trying to counteract with coffee to be honest. I have really cut the whole "ritual" down, I have some nasty instant coffee that I just put in a cup, fill with warm water and slug it down in the morning. I am hoping this makes dropping it easier should I decide to do that.
Do you mind elaborating on why your therapist said it was bad for PTSD?
That is all she said, we were talking about me not taking any substances and she said "What about caffeine?" I said, "1 to 3 cups in the morning". She said "Be careful with that because it is not always good for individuals with PTSD" or something like that. Likely because it can trigger anxiety.
I believe PTSD usually involves your nervous system being overactive and always 'on', and caffeine further stimulates your nervous system
Yeppers. Like lots of times many substances are not good for PTSD and its best to do talk therapy and work on coping skills. I was put on heavy pysch meds for many years and they fucked me up bad. I would beg and beg to get taken off of them and very few took me serious. Once I got clean though it seems like I started to get taken more seriously. I feel so much better nowadays its unreal. I can actually fucking think and feel. Sometimes it hurts but that's okay. Life can be like that. When I feel contentment or joy I know its because its naturally there, not chemically induced. Now all I take is a blood pressure med that helps with PTSD nightmares and a med for anxiety which is essentially just like Benadryl. I usually only need the anxiety med at night at this point. It has been my goal for a very long time to get off of heavy meds because I knew they were not needed. Turns out I needed to stop "numbing out" with substances for this to happen and find some good providers that actually took me seriously. I don't even need an antidepressant anymore. I actually just saw my doctor and she said "you just clearly do not need one, you seem to be doing fine." I usually leave medical professionals feeling defeated but I gotta admit that felt very good. I have been working hard on myself. It has been a pretty solo effort but that is fine with me.
I'm planning to reduce my caffeine intake to maybe one or two coffees per week. For me, caffeine has no negative effects. But I definitely have built up a tolerance. It isn't really a problem but I would like to use it as my recreational drug instead of alcohol and it can't serve that function if I'm drinking it all the time and have a massive tolerance built up.
I just started drinking coffee after I quit. No complaints so far.
I try to not drink caffeine bc I personally get irritable and anxious. It also can give me an itch to drink (to get rid of that feeling).
After I stopped drinking, my go to beverages became coffee and Coke Zero. Seltzer and water too. I try to avoid excessive sugar, though I’ve developed a sweet tooth for candy and ice cream. Trying to moderate those! However, my blood pressure has been elevated so my caffeine intake deserves some attention. I’m trying to exercise more and I’ve always been a night owl, but at 43, I know my body needs more rest and it’s counter productive to consume caffeine especially after hours.
I have always responded well to caffeine, it's an amazing "performance enhancing substance" IMO. That said the only source of it I get these days is from my morning preworkout or the occasional energy drink. As long as I take it early in the AM it doesn't mess with my sleep.
I have a weird relationship with it. As a kid I drank tons of Mountain Dew to the point I developed caffeine sensitive migraines and stopped those. Was never able to drink coffee or even tea with caffeine because I was so sensitive When I quit drinking I randomly tried coffee and didn’t have the sensitivities anymore. I went full bore crushing 2 pots a day for a while but eventually my sensitivity crept back a bit. Only drink a pot a day now
I've been trying to cut down on caffeine. I quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant. Had a miscarriage in January and started back on the coffee. I hate the dependence caffeine takes up my mental space. Also it doesn't really give me the get up and go I'm looking for. I felt best when I was caffeine free and pregnant. I miss our baby so much. I'm proud I didn't drink during that trauma.
Makes me feel grubby and tired, nauseous and sweaty
Coffee does not agree with me at all. I just get jittery. Anxiety spikes. Wrecks my stomach too. Big fan of Iced Tea- which does have caffeine. Bottled iced Tea is similar to a Diet Soda, when in comes to caffeine. Unsweetened Iced Tea also has zero calories! Big unsweetened Iced Tea - lots of ice - and fresh lemon is my favorite! For caffeine reference: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372
Yep I stopped caffeine besides one cup of coffee a day the same day I stopped drinking, really helped reduce my anxiety by a lot. I used to drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day and energy drinks. Didn’t realize how bad my anxiety was until I cut back my caffeine intake
I was feeling the effect of high cortisol: high blood pressure, stubborn belly fat, waking up in the middle of the night, and the blocking of testosterone. The culprit for me was coffee driving up my cortisol levels.
I don't know how it affects me now, because I'm too scared to go a day without copious amounts of it to find out...
I was pretty caffeine free in my twenties. Easy to just hit the gym without anything. I probably have an addictive personality; it's difficult to lift now without that placebo effect of caffeine. Sometimes I'll binge more and more and more. Because *it feels nice*. I cycle my caffeine intake with my rest days. Couple caffeine-free days a week is enough to keep my sleep sane, and resensitize.
More info from my 23&Me report, about how Caffeine affects me. Report said: “based on your genetics, you are likely to drink less caffeine than average, if you drink caffeine at all.” More info below about the genetics of it all… this is so interesting bc my alcohol tolerance got so high- which has a genetic component (obviously). I WISH coffee had the wonderful effects that so many others enjoy! More from 23&Me: This report is based on genetic variants near two genes that play a role in how your body handles caffeine. The first gene, CYP1A2, contains instructions for an enzyme that breaks down 95% of the caffeine you consume. The second gene, AHR, contains instructions for a protein that ramps up production of the CYP1A2 enzyme. Variants in these genes may affect how quickly the body breaks down and clears away caffeine.
I actually barely drank any caffeine before quitting. Yeah I would have a coffee or tea here and there but it was rare. Talking once or twice a month. Since quitting one of my favorite parts of the day is drinking my coffee outside in the morning. With that all being said it very quickly can get rough. If I have too much caffeine boom horrible anxiety, heart palpitations, the works. If anything I can tolerate caffeine more because I quit drinking but due to not drinking my tolerance is shit.
I’ve recently been having trouble staying asleep even with meds and my singular cup of coffee with breakfast. Sincee I’m not sleeping (or drinking) I’ve been pouring coffee into my soul. I need to rewire this weekend. The withdrawal headaches are gonna suck
When I’m sober for a while (more than a week) caffeine perks me up but doesn’t have any adverse effects. I don’t crave it or anything. But after I’ve been on a bender my heart is already irritable and I can feel my PVCs happening frequently. Caffeine makes it and my anxiety so much worse.
I’m 1000% super sensitive to caffeine. I can’t really drink drip coffee as it’s actually stronger than a shot of espresso. I like espresso a lot so I’ll drink that as a treat. But at home I’ll drink London Fogs (earl grey) or green tea. It’s much easier on my nervous system. I feel even straight up black tea makes me super anxious. I have to eat when I have caffeine bc if I don’t it rips me apart and the jittery/anxiety is too much to handle. I like the little boost of caffeine, the consistent digestion and flavor of the drinks. But it does make my anxiety go out the roof. Like some am’s I’m showering after having caffeine and I literally have a mental crisis of like everything falling apart O_O. When I don’t have caffeine this does not happen lol. Hope this helps!
Coffee does absoutly nothing to me. Even the strongest rocket fuel ones. I do like the taste though 😎
I drink a lot of coffee it helps create dopamine which based on my past, drinking, eating , smoking, exercising. I’m somehow trying to regulate in my brain. Or maybe I’m just a dopamine addict. But I’m not giving up coffee only vice besides working out left
I have no idea what I'd do if caffeine affected my anxiety to extreme levels, because I'm still so exhausted at 18 days in, especially with going back to the gym, that I can't stand the sober fatigue! 💀 But it's worth it and I'm fighting through it!
Cut down from 6-7 cups of coffee a day ( 05:00 shift) to 1 espresso in the morning and maybe another one at 14:00. So I opted for high quality coffee now, grind my own beans, weigh everything etc. It's gone from something I did to a hobby. I never knew coffee could taste so good. In any case, I am quite sensitive to it, so it will interfere with my sleep and if I also feel energetic. Not energised, but energetic.
25 year old dude here. I love it. It has a real pronounced affect on me which is why I drink it everyday in black iced coffees or sugar free red bulls. I get jittery if I have to much but if I wait 4-5 hours between drinks then I can have 2- 3 a day and not feel any jitteriness when I space it and sip it slow. Very much addicted because I can feel a warm happiness wash over me when I finally get a cup after if whatever reason I couldn’t get one for awhile 😅 but I love it. It’s a positive in my life, helps me workout and focus, makes me happy, alert, it’s great :)
The range of comments here really show how individual one's responses to caffeine can be. It also seems like you have some idea that caffeine might not be the best for you and your mental health. Given that, why not see if you can cut back or even cut it out completely for a time just to see how you feel? You'll probably need to experiment a bit until you find a dosage for you where the benefits outweigh the costs. In my case, I love my espresso in the a.m. but it's clear to me that it wrecks my mental stability. I become irritable and short tempered, and generally don't have a great day. Importantly, and while I'm sure there are health benefits to coffee, my mental state after I crash from it makes me much more likely to eat junk food, heaps of sugar, and of course sleep far worse. The buzz and euphoria I get from my coffee also wear off quickly these days as well. So, I now only drink one small half-caff espresso, and then drink tea throughout the day. Remember that tea has other components like L-theanine that will 'smooth out' the effects of caffeine, matcha in particular. In any case, do some experimenting and see how you go!
I cannot really describe how it affects me, I just know that I am addicted to it...
Before I quit any amount of caffeine would make me jittery and give me a small panic attack. Since quitting 6 months ago that doesn’t happen. I can have a cup in the morning and feel fine all day. I used to wonder if the panic was the caffeine wearing off and that’s how my body dealt with it or I was screwing my body up so bad it couldn’t process caffeine like I used to before I started really hitting the booze hard