Who Stole My Head? (or Your Brain Without the Usual Caffeine)

Yesterday I had a list of things to do on Saturday.  I watched a few episodes of Justified on Netflix, then changed into some errand wear until I noticed an ache begin at the back of my neck.  I noticed it enough to lay down and hoped it would pass.  The neck ache then turned into a full-blown headache.  I simply slept on the couch, then moved my sleeping to my bed.  It’s a new thing for me, but not a new one for people with migraines.  At first I thought the ache came from watching the show on my laptop, but I narrowed it down to caffeine withdrawal finally making itself known to me.

Yes, I cut down on my caffeine.

I admit to having high-strung tendencies and caffeine down not help.  I like my morning coffee and my break time brew at work.  (I drink Tim Horton’s and I like it.  Enough said.)  I switched to decaf then worked on getting off Diet Coke.  To ease myself off I switched to Caffeine-free Diet Coke.  No wonder my head felt like exploding yesterday.  However, the hours of sleeping made my head feel better and energized me.

It looks like I am on to something.

The Diet Coke habit will be hard to break.  I liken it to smoking, especially after watching people valiantly attempting to quit.  It’s comforting from grabbing a cold can to pour with my meals to buying a dozen at the store.  Now I know it’s time for it to go and my fear about withdrawal went with my headache.  It sounds pretty innocuous until one is flat on a couch, the head and neck area feeling squeezed as if in a vice.

While yesterday proved inconvenient, I don’t know if I want to classify it as a disorder according to the DSM-IV.  I have to really down some serious caffeinated drinks like Red Bulls or Mountain Dew to qualify as a debilitating condition.  One of the other symptoms is lethargy, but right now I itch to get myself out the door.