Search the Community

There's nothing like a double espresso to kickstart your morning, especially if it's extracted from medium- or dark-roasted beans. What a tasty way to begin the day. I enjoy coffee, but I'm not a caffeine addict so it's not a must for me to consume. In fact, lately, I've only been drinking it once or twice a week - doing this ensures that when I do drink it (to power my way through a hectic day), the caffeine kick will be well and truly felt. I did not stop drinking coffee thrice a day five days a week because I couldn't sleep or became jittery. I have no trouble falling asleep even if I drink coffee at 6pm. Instead, I decided to try and cut down after one of my colleagues mentioned going 'off-caff' because his addiction to caffeine was giving him a headache - even if he was drinking coffee. After he stopped drinking coffee for two weeks, he told me that not only was he having more dreams, but they were very vivid, too. This writer still loves a good espresso every now and then. (Image: Tabitha Turner, Unsplash) You'll never know till you try Intrigued, I began reducing my intake to two coffees a day (one at home and a second one after lunch). After two weeks, I realised I was okay with one double espresso a day. Subsequently, I went 'off-caff'. However, the lack of caffeine didn't immediately cause me to dream more. In fact, it took some time before the no-caffeine routine began having this effect on me. What was immediately more noticeable was that I was sleeping more deeply compared to when I regularly drank coffee. I woke up feeling more refreshed instead of zombie-like and/or confused. It seems that deeper sleep also resulted in my body naturally waking me up at the lightest point of the sleep cycle, which, by the way, is how you avoid that groggy feeling. Alternately, you could try using one of those apps that track your sleep cycle and wake you up during the lighter phase. As the weeks progressed, my 'alarm clock' ensured I woke up just before 7am daily, even on weekends. That's not bad since I usually sleep between 12.30am and 1am. Having adequate shuteye also means I have more energy and don't require coffee to function. A ship on water sailing in outer space? It could only happen in a dream. (Image: Johannes Plenio, Unsplash) In the dreamworld Nobody knows why we dream or how it happens, but to me, they are an interesting experience (not nightmares, though) because I cannot daydream the stuff that happens in them. Dreams can be realistic and fantastic, and they also reflect my current state-of-mind. For instance, I once dreamt that I was in car that had the ability to leap over other vehicles at a press of a button. In that dream, I would activate this function each time I encountered a traffic jam. When I woke up, I realised my mind was conjuring up a form of mental escape. I must have been feeling quite stressed during that period. Without coffee, my dreams also became more vivid. I also started to recall them more compared to when I was regularly drinking coffee. Another dream I remember occurred prior to this year's Motor Show. In it, I was asking an employee of a particular car brand which models would be displayed at their stand. Then one of his colleagues appeared and told me, 'Stop it already!' It reflected the anxiety I was feeling. I can't say whether having more dreams feels more tiring than not dreaming or not remembering your dreams. But I do think that having convoluted or nonsensical dreams that seem to drag on until you wake up will feel tiring. But these are still better than panic-inducing nightmares. Off-caff, another dream within a dream might be possible. (Image: Adi Goldstein, Unsplash) Does inception exist? In the movie Inception, they demonstrated the concept of a 'dream within a dream'. That the subject can wake up, but only from one of the multiple, deeper stages of sleep - he is not truly awake yet. This happened to me when I was 'off-caff'. I don't recall what I dreamt of, but the memory of dreaming that I was waking up from a dream (while still asleep) was incredible. What I cannot determine is whether I consciously realised what was happening, or whether this sequence was part of that complicated dream. I do remember, however, that for a moment, I did worry I wouldn't fully wake up unless my better half shook me awake. Yikes. Though I've yet to experience this again (I'm not sure I want to, actually) the fact that I could sleep so deeply and dream in multiple levels was amazing. That's why I'll continue drinking coffee just once or twice a week. After all, I already know that sleeping between six and seven hours a night is enough to recharge my batteries. And it'll be worth waiting for the next graphic, memorable dream my mind conjures up. Good night. – Jeremy Main image: Cederic Vandenberghe, Unsplash