Science:  Can you flush caffeine out of your system?

We’ve all been there.

You have your morning coffee before work, then another when you arrive, then then there’s a mid-morning meeting – coffee and biscuits – and a colleague suggests going out for coffee after lunch. Suddenly, in the space of five hours, you’ve had four or five coffees.

You’re feeling jittery, difficulty sleeping,  increased heart rate, stress and shakiness?

If so, it’s likely that you’ve had one too many cups of coffee.

So, can you get caffeine out of your system?

The answer is caffeine’s effects last for several hours at least.

Once caffeine has entered your body, there’s not much you can do to flush caffeine out.

The best way to get rid of caffeine is to wait for it to naturally flush itself.

However, you can take a few steps to minimize its side effects as follows:

• Stop drinking more caffeine! Obvious but needs to be said.
• Don’t forget that foods and beverages with caffeine include coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda and chocolate.
• Drink decaf coffee – you can then enjoy the flavour and health benefits with none of the jitteriness
• We recommend Swiss Water Decaf coffee, which uses water to decaffeinate the coffee beans to certified 99.9% caffeine free and is chemical free.
• Pay attention to medications and supplements that may contain caffeine. E.g. Aspirin can contain 40–60 mg of caffeine in a single tablet. Also pre-workout supplements often have high caffeine contents, so check the products.

Then, just wait it out. The caffeine rush will pass. Our advice:

• Caffeine’s effects are noticeable within the first 45 minutes of intake and can last up to 6 hours.
• It can take up to 10 hours for caffeine to completely clear out of your system completely.
• It’s best to stop consuming caffeine 6–8 hours before bedtime.
• Keep drinking water throughout the day while you wait for the caffeine to leave your system.
• Go for a moderate walk to relieve stress and anxiety.
• Take slow, deep breaths for 5 minutes or practice meditation to calm you down.
• Eat fibre-rich food as this slows the release of caffeine into your bloodstream, such as whole grains, beans, lentils, starchy vegetables, nuts, and seeds.