Only option for me at my workplace is either coffee (undrinkably bitter) or expired tea (tastes like rot). Did not have enough time yesterday to make myself tea for the next day and the shop where I buy energy drinks is closed. I extremely drownsy and my head hurts.
EDIT: Coffee is undrinkable to me, quality or not. The bitterness will just overpower everything.
You are likely experiencing drowsiness & headaches because you’re not getting enough sleep. Happens to me too when I get less than 7 hours of sleep.
Caffeine consumption also contributes to poor sleep.
Heroin
Buy a pack of Mio energy?
Buy some tea bags?
Caffeine pills also exist. Just be careful to not use too much of it
Make your own coffee or try caffeine pills. I had to cut back on coffee for a bit due to some stomach issues and the pills work just fine.
Bring your own stash and kettle!
Others have given some simple suggestions that you should try first, but if this is a recurring issue, you could consider seeking an opinion from a doctor. If you have some untreated, underlying condition holding you back, no amount of healthy living or caffeine is going to improve things in the long run.
For example, it’s possible to develop allergies late in life, which could lead to grogginess and headaches.
I’m backing this one, but if you can rule out a medical angle then I want to mention yerba mate. Brew with a little honey, add ice, and it’s basically coffee-strength Arizona Ice Tea for less than half the price
Wean yourself off the caffeine addiction.
Easier than you think, just a week or two of minor side effects, headache being the worse. Tylenol helps.
Your energy starts rebounding after only a few days, within a month or two, you feel a sustained, normal amount of energy through your day that doesn’t suddenly spike and drop.
And then after a few months you forget why you stopped, and start drinking that amazing coffee again <-- I am here
Not a fan of coffee, but I’m very careful about the amount of caffeine I take. This gives me fewer negative effects, lower tolerance, and a better kick if I’m feeling drowsy and turn to caffeine to solve that problem.
A proper amount of sleep is the better way, but I have a really hard time falling asleep before 9 and need to wake up at 5.
Two options.
Chocolate covered espresso beans. Taste like M&M’s
Manhattan Special Espresso Soda. Diet option is available.
Manhattan Special Espresso Soda. Diet option is available.
They want my name and email, and someone will get back to me to find a retailer? Hard pass.
Steal away for a quick nap and/or do some light exercise
Find caffeine pills. No-Doz is a popular one, but the dosage slis so high you should only have one in a day.
Time release 100mg pills are your friend, if you don’t take too many.
50mg pills are hard to find, but better replace a cup of coffee.
100mg pills that are not slow release or time release hit hard and crash hard, but spread them several hours apart and cut them off at noon, and it will absolutely get you through a sleepy day.
No-Doz is 200mg a pill.
I’m probably a terrible metric because I work nights and probably have a skewed view/high tolerance, but that doesn’t seem like a concerning amount.
Bring your own tea into the workplace?
Tea bags are fine, but I recently discovered tea resin. It’s basically a small block of concentrated tea that you dissolve into hot water. Not quite as good as fresh leaves, but more portable (dozens of servings fit in a tin the size of a USB stick) and very resilient against going bad.
I have a small selection of resins on emergency stash in my work bag, in case the coffee machine at the office is broken.
Murder
I went caffeine free a while ago. The first 7 days were terrible, after 7 days you normalize and are fine.
