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The Caffeine Factor


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I am having my after dinner cup-o-java right now. Maybe another later after some dryfire will get some more ammo loaded. Then again, maybe not. My wife asks me why I bother with coffee late at night because she knows that I have been known to fall asleep part way through a cup ;-)

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According to various pharmacological texts caffeine increases mental capacity on a fairly linear basis to a certain point and then excess caffeine causes a very rapid decrease in mental function.

The trick, like Geoff mentioned, is finding the balance point. I had this down to a fine art in college and grad school. Of course by the end of Grad School I was a 3 to 4 POT a day addict because your body does build up a tolerance over time.

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I found that coffee doesn't keep me awake (I can drink a couple of cups then drop right off, no problem), it's TEA that makes me crazy all night. Gah, what a horror if I drink too much tea at night! I go totally monkey-mind and can't sleep at all!! :wacko::angry::wacko:

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Theophiline (Tea), Theobromine (Chocolate) and Caffiene (Coffee) are all related compounds. They each have slightly different effects and people react differently to each.

Tea doesn't do a thing to me sleep-wise. In fact I will often have a cup of Earl Grey tea before bed to relax. I used to be able to drink coffee and go to bed but not any more. Now if I have coffee after about 8 PM I am up until past midnight.

Chocolate has never done much for me. My mother on the other hand is addicted to it.

Bob: Yep...if you are at 2 pots a day you are half-way through. :)

I quit coffee entirely shortly after I finished grad school and stayed off it for about a year. Then I met my wife and as she was a heavy coffee drinker I started drinking it again. I am now at 2 mugs (so 4 cups probably) per day and that is it.

Edited by kimel
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Yeh I graduate in May. so you got it.

Though I see that going up on some of these projects. I am sitting on a research project = 3-4 pots, science center = 2 pots, journal review = 1 pot.

I have started calculating how many pots it will take to complete each assignment in the long run. How bad is that. Then I will be a teacher woo hoo.

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<severe thread drift>

Anyone ever notice out AMA stands for both "Against Medical Advice" and "American Medical Association"? Hmmmm.....

</std>

One of the fabulous things about caffiene is the amplification effect it can have with some medications. Caffiene with many NSAIDs will increase the effectiveness of said medications. Excedrine Migraine is a mix of Tylenol, Aspirin and Caffiene. That is my favorite remedy for stress headaches when at work (where using my real favorite remedy, bourbon, would get me canned).

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Is anyone here affected by caffeine from the standpoint of stability with respect to trigger control and grip from the standpoint of slight shaking of the hands , respiration, etc. 

  I am diabetic, but HAVE to have my coffee or tea in the morning.  Alot of matches take place at that time, so even casual shooting is affected as well,  One has to come to a point to go without and in the end, its whatever works for you,  I am just curious how many folks take this into consideration.

A couple of questions for ya.... do you put cream and sugar in the coffee? As a diabetic, that's liable to increase your shakes way more than the coffee will!

My normal routine is to drink a pot of coffee before leaving the house for work and then a couple more cups at work, so totally eliminating caffeine on match day would make me "feel" far worse (can we say death warmed over?)

I've experimented with it though, for me the optimal caffeine level on match day is 2 cups at home and then one "to go" on the way to the match and then I'm good the rest of the day!

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I used to worry about drinking cofee before a match, but over the years I've come to think that maintaining your usual routine is the most important thing... for me a cup of cofee helps get me going in the morning, and if I skip that on match day I'll be dragging ass, grouchy, and have a headache, too :ph34r: On the other hand, I usually just have that one cup, and then the focus and adrenaline of the match take over and I'm fine for the rest of the day (otherwise I'd be downing a couple-of-two-or-three more cups over the course of the day :P )

P.S. If you have the chance, genuine Thai Red Bull packs a hell-of-a-lot more wallup than the American variety :D

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  • 2 months later...
When we get to our level of shooting, even the slightest jitter can cost, I guess I am more vulnerable being diabetic, so its something that I have noticed about myself, but different folks react in different ways.

I love java. Consume way too much. Only recently have I stopped drinking it the night before or the day of an IPSC match. The huge difference I've noticed is that I flinch much less as a reaction to recoil without caffeine, and I'm better able to adjust if/when something goes south during the COF.

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I work nights and usually go to bed about 4:30 to 5 am. The matches are on the weekends and registration starts around 8:00 am. If I didn't drink coffee, I wouldn't shoot.

I just want all of you to know, that if we ever start afternoon matches, I am going to finally be awake enough to shoot better.

Rick

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  • 2 weeks later...

I find if I have just what I need to get going, it doesn't effect me. But, I also discovered bring a thermos of coffee to a match is not a good idea... I do get the jitters from that.

For cold weather matches, I have switch to having a non-caffine tea such as pepermint.

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I tHink Coffey is my bigest vice, I started when I was 12 years old, I stoped for 6 months one time 20 years ago. I will drink at least 3-4 big cups a day. cut back to just 3 the day of a rifle match for STC. 1 1/2 " target at 90 yards off hand. with Leupold target dot I can not see the diferenc in my heart beat. I think I am closer to dependent on the caffine. If I do with out the coffey at all I mite as well drop the rounds in the dirt.

For just hand gun matches,?, I have not put coffey in my Camel Back , , yet. :blink:

Edited by AlamoShooter
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I've read a couple of articles on Olymmpic atheletes and caffine. In both cases they basically came out and said that there are pluses and minuses to having coffee before competing, but in the end it doesn't seem to make much difference if you do or don't have that cup 'o coffee in the morning or before your event. The only real important consideration is whether or not you are a coffee drinker...if you are, go ahead and have one or two cups, but thats it. Moderation is the key, do NOT skip your morning coffee however, the lack of caffine WILL have an effect. If you are not a coffee drinker, do not have one before an event thinking it will help, it will not help, but rather be destructive to your ability.

Basically if you do, don't quit, just moderate, if you don't, don't it won't help

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