Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms, Including Boredom

Caffeine may enhance alertness and concentration, but it may also lead to anxiety, insomnia and nervousness. Caffeine seems to fit some of the definitions of a drug, even if it is not usually considered one. Substances that create tolerance, or the need for increasingly larger amounts to achieve desired effects, produce physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms when discontinued. Caffeine dependence can occur, although withdrawal symptoms are generally mild. Caffeine has been widely studied, and individual reactions to the stimulant vary. Caffeine use can relieve boredom, especially when it is caused by fatigue.

Boredom

Boredom is a sense of mental stagnation. It is associated with repetitive activities and unchanging situations. According to Bennett Weinberg and Bonnie Bealer, authors of "The Caffeine Advantage," caffeine reduces boredom by making things seem more interesting for a longer period of time. When caffeine use is stopped abruptly, boredom is likely to set in because you are missing the mood-enhancing effects of caffeine. Weinberg and Bealer report that caffeine also relieves boredom by increasing short-term memory and helping you to concentrate. The authors explain, however, that there is a ceiling to caffeine's benefits that makes overuse of the drug futile. Caffeine abstinence can cause short-term fatigue and depression, two conditions that may be associated with boredom.

Headache

Caffeine is an ingredient in headache medications; however, too much or too little caffeine can cause headaches. Most people are aware that decreasing consumption of caffeine puts them at risk of headaches. A review of 66 studies on caffeine withdrawal was conducted at American University in Washington, D.C., which found the incidence of headaches among those who stopped caffeine averaged 50 percent. Habitual consumption of as little as 100 mg per day, or less than half a cup of coffee, was associated with caffeine withdrawal. The onset of headaches and other withdrawal symptoms occurred within 12 to 24 hours after last use, reached a peak intensity in 20 to 51 hours and lasted from two to nine days. Study results, published in the October 2004 issue of "Psychopharmacology," did not find that expecting a headache made it any worse, but the desire to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms was shown to motivate continued consumption.

Fatigue

A feeling of being tired or sluggish is a common complaint of caffeine abstinence. Research conducted at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine measured brain electroactivity and blood flow during caffeine withdrawal. The double-blind study assessed subjects' responses to caffeine or placebo with brain-wave tests and ultrasound imaging. Stopping caffeine increased blood flow to the brain and accelerated the rhythm of theta brain waves, physiological changes that may explain feelings of fatigue and other withdrawal symptoms. In addition, the study measured differences in chronic consumption of caffeine compared to placebo and found no overall benefits to daily caffeine administration.