Sleepless in San Francisco

Fitful sleep has been our constant companion for the past 40 years due to the usual culprits: work-related stress, lack of physical activity, and a two-cup-a-day coffee habit. After early retirement and a welcome change in career, I'm making progress on the stress and exercise but have been unwilling to cut the caffeine...until this week when I switched to decaf.

Quitting cold turkey was tough for a couple of days; the morning headaches made it difficult to concentrate, and by the late afternoon the craving for a nap became nearly overwhelming. However, I'm now sleeping through the night, and problem-solving during the workday seems a little sharper (measured from a low starting point, to be sure).

According to the American Psychiatric Association,

To be diagnosed with caffeine withdrawal, a patient must experience at least three of five symptoms within 24 hours of stopping or reducing caffeine intake: headache, fatigue or drowsiness, depressed mood or irritability, difficulty concentrating, and flulike symptoms such as nausea or muscle pain.

With three withdrawal symptoms checked, your humble observer sure looks like he was/is "addicted" to caffeine, but he's content to leave that final judgment to the professionals.