Alternative Caffeine Sources

There's no way in the world I could nap at work and stay employed.

Maybe it's not caffeine at all. Try cutting back on lunch portions.

I see lots of people I work with eat a sizeable lunch then they sort of fall out around 2:30 or 3. I drink 3 big cups of coffee and a eat a couple of grain bars early in the AM, drink water when I get thirsty, usually grab something small and light off the dollar menu like a chicken sandwich etc for lunch and I'm fine all afternoon.

Now, every once in a while I fall off the wagon and eat maybe a burger or a similar for lunch. On those days by 2:30 I'm fighting droopy lids.

Keith Tanner wrote: Take a 20 minute nap. Seriously, it can be more effective than caffeine.

I sleep through my half-hour lunch at least twice a week, works nicely once I my legs wake back up.
Only downside is the possibility of coworkers messing with you
(which isn't a problem for those of you who have offices/cubes)

In reply to Curmudgeon:

I know a judge that skips lunch altogether when he's in trial. Says it's the only way to keep sharp in the afternoons.

Tazo makes a tea called "Awake." I still have some of the first box I ever bought. I don't drink it because it makes me crazy.

But yeah, tea.

And tea has the advantage of making tea drinkers look sophisticated. Some chicks dig that.

Bring your lunch and take a nap in your car. The dollar menu crap, even the chicken sammich, is loaded with salt, sugar and MSG, none of which is good for you on a regular basis. Go to a real sammich shop or deli or make your own sammiches using real, baked chicken, turkey, etc. with real vegetables and you'll probably not be as tired in the afternoon.

Curmudgeon wrote: There's no way in the world I could nap at work and stay employed. Maybe it's not caffeine at all. Try cutting back on lunch portions. I see lots of people I work with eat a sizeable lunch then they sort of fall out around 2:30 or 3. I drink 3 big cups of coffee and a eat a couple of grain bars early in the AM, drink water when I get thirsty, usually grab something small and light off the dollar menu like a chicken sandwich etc for lunch and I'm fine all afternoon. Now, every once in a while I fall off the wagon and eat maybe a burger or a similar for lunch. On those days by 2:30 I'm fighting droopy lids.

Agreed... I eat almost nothing for lunch. I still eat but not much.. If I eat too much I am ready to crash about an hour later... I also do the same thing if I have a long drive ahead..

Ashyukun wrote:

Woody wrote: White tea won't stain your teeth, though I don't know if it has as much caffeine as black tea.

I believe it actually has MORE than black tea. Not as fond of it taste-wise though. Love me some good Golden Monkey with a bit of rock sugar...

It's a bit of a trick question, but in generally black tea has more useable caffeine.

Black tea loses some at various stages due to oxidation (making it black tea in the first place, often called fermenting, but really isn't a fermentation process) possibly firing and other such processes. However, those same processes also damages the cell walls sufficiently to allow a higher % of the caffeine in the leaves to end up in the tea.

Variation in damage to cell walls vs reduction in caffeine content (not to mention variations in the tea leaves themselves) means there are tons of specific exceptions.

This difference in total caffeine in leaves vs caffeine in the actual tea is the big reason you'll see such widely varying claims.

If caffeine is all that you are after, why not just take a caffeine pill with a big glass of water? Aside from coffee and tea, it's all just an additive anyway. Amazon has 100 ct bottles for just over $5; cheaper than even the worst bagged tea dust.

I'm glad to no longer work in a grocery store, where energy drinks are so easily available. It forces me to get up a few minutes earlier to make coffee.

As far as the original question goes, I remember having the same issue of perpetual sleepiness when I worked strictly at a desk. Someone also seemed to have a birthday every day of the week. I gained a lot of weight over those two months.

In reply to Mitchell:

So you got the job?

I usually snack on small stuff throughout the day without a proper "lunch". Every hour and half or two hours. I'm not at a desk though, I'm working on a car or driving to my next one. Depending on what you are eating, that keeps your blood sugar from spiking and crashing better than starving yourself between large meals. It varies for each person though. What do you normally have for lunch at work?

In reply to MrJoshua:

Indeed I did! I'm in Orlando now, where my commute is greater in distance than perhaps any two points in Gainesville.

You can get caffeine in pill form.

In reply to Mitchell:

Congratulations man!

Thanks for all the replies.

I do drink lots of water throughout the day. I have never liked tea of any kind. It always tasted like dirty water to me. Yesterday I had a chicken salad from whole foods and was still tired in the afternoon. I really think it is mostly due to boredom at work (I'm working on my exit plan, but it'll be a while before I can do anything).

Followup question then. What are some caffeine alternatives? Thanks!

Keith Tanner wrote: Take a 20 minute nap. Seriously, it can be more effective than caffeine.

When I move in May, I am looking for a place within a 5 minute walk of work. Lunchtime naps FTW.

Unfortunately with my cube position, and size of it, that would not work, not to mention that it just wouldn't fly with management. And I am not sleeping in the Miata.

Try the V8 Fusion Energy drinks. I have one of those every morning. They taste pretty good and are just tea and fruit juice.

You stopped drinking Monster but still drink 5-hour Energy?

You realize they're pretty much the same thing, right?

I don't know if you've tried the Monser Java selection. It is a more natural source of caffeine, I think. I like it a lot more, but I don't take the time to get it from QT. Instead I stop by the corner shop and load up on unhealthy goodies.

Sky_Render wrote: You stopped drinking Monster but still drink 5-hour Energy? You realize they're pretty much the same thing, right?

About the same caffeine and B vitamins, but much less sugars. The overload of B vitamins are good for people like me. It has a positive interaction with the medicine I take. I still choose Monster.

In reply to Sky_Render:

Yeah, but I can stop whenever I want to. Really!

I was having 2 Monster big cans a day at its worst. The 5 hr energy is maybe 1 or 2 times a week lately. I know they're not great, which is why I'm asking here for alternatives

Remember that B2, B3, B6, and B12 are the energy providers, so search for alternative ways to intake the vitamins in a healthy way. There should be tea and food options. If there is a local herbalist that can mix a good tea for you, that should work.

I'm all for being as healthy as possible. But to answer the original question, this stuff has a load of caffeine, not that I'm advocating overdoing anything of course. I go through a lot of it, mostly because the canned energy drinks get pretty expensive after a bit. Coffee, soda/pop and all the energy drinks bother my stomach after a few, but this stuff seems to be mostly okay for me.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/4C-Energy-Rush-Berry-W-Taurine-Psd-Stix-14-ct/10449040

These are fizzy, and there is a variety pack at my local grocery store (Wegmans).
But they also have some that are iced-tea types, without any fizz I think..

I don't eat these anymore (calories and all that) but when I did...berkeleying TURBOOOOOOO!!!

Good enought for KIMI