# No Caffeine



## Student_Sufferer! (Jun 12, 2009)

Hey there,I'm about to start full time work and I need to stay alert for the long hours. My problem is that I can't have caffeine or fizzy drinks, does anyone know any natural products that will help me not give in to tiredness?!Thanks!


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## ClaireGuest17 (Aug 7, 2011)

*Hey,The only solution I can offer you is maybe go for a run before college and make sure that you are eating and drinking throughout the day to help you stay more alert. Sorry I can't be more help







*


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Can you have dacaf coffee? I know its kind of defeating the object of coffee- but it might give you the feeling of drinking proper coffee?Nikki


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## Student_Sufferer! (Jun 12, 2009)

Nikki said:


> Can you have dacaf coffee? I know its kind of defeating the object of coffee- but it might give you the feeling of drinking proper coffee?Nikki


Hey, thanks for the reply.I've never tried it, i'm a bit worried about having it and then my IBS messing up at work. I'm too busy to be dealing with it at work!


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## JessicainLondon (Sep 27, 2011)

I know your post is a couple of weeks old, but wanted to add an article I was reading yesterday - http://www.livestrong.com/article/414621-does-decaffeinated-coffee-cause-bloating/I was feeling awful after drinking decaf coffee (only Starbucks, for some reason), and I think it might be down to the enzymes that still exist in it once decaffeinated. It was taking me from constipated to urgent, liquid diarrhoea. I know (non-IBS) people who swear by a cup of caffeinated coffee first thing to get themselves moving down there. Well, I'm now noticing that same effect with decaf. That said, I am in a flare at the moment, so my tummy is more sensitive than usual. Before I was in this flare, I was drinking decaf coffee without an issue...Like anything, it might be worth drinking some on a weekend, or a day when you don't have to leave the house. That way you'll know whether your body can handle it or not, rather than finding out while at work. Also bear in mind that your first few weeks in the new job will be stressful, so introducing new things may not be the best idea. Your body will be more resilient to the long hours than you think - I was worried when I started working full-time. It's far easier to stay awake in an office / at work than at home (and I now work from home and don't drink caffeine, so trust me I speak from experience!







). You'll be amazed at how your body will adapt itself to the hours, once you start. Also, try to get out at lunchtime - if not for a run / longish walk, at least for some fresh air. Other random ways I manage tiredness now I'm decaffeinated... Clothes - dress in layers, so you can keep your body at the right temperature (not too hot or too cold)Windows - if you have them near your desk, open them for a good flow of fresh air into your officeStretch - when you start to feel tired, head to the bathrooms and have a really good stretch of your arms / neck / shouldersMusic - this isn't one I'm keen on, but lots of the people where I worked who were traders / fund managers used to have their iPods on constantly, and the music helped to keep them focussed - I must admit, I prefer silence. Hope some of these ideas help, and that you're settling in well to your new job!!J


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## Infinite (Oct 5, 2011)

Hey, I find that its not the caffeine alone that triggers my IBS, its the acidity of the drink. Most sodas are really acidic, but coffee is worse. Some things that I have used with little to no problems are 5hr energy(try a third of the bottle at first), Mountain Dew (believe it or not it has less carbonation and one fewer types of acid in it!), Vitamin water energy (be careful with this one, all those vitamins on an empty stomach can cause problems). Basically anything that has a low acid content should be ok. Hope this helps!


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## outdoors geek (Nov 23, 2008)

Hey SS,I also cannot drink anything with caffeine in it, so unlike the majority of the population I cannot use energy drinks or coffee to keep me going, which kind of sucks. Congrats on your job! I'm not sure the exact details of your working arrangement, but for me, I started a job where I had to get up a lot earlier than I'm used to. The first few days were awful. I'd have a coldish shower (not cold, but not the really hot 'I could stay in here forever shower') drink tea (non caffeinated obviously) or a fruit smoothie in the morning so the warmth of the tea or sugar in the smoothie would kind of wake me up. For the first few days I had someone drive me to work since I didn't think I was fully awake enough to concentrate on driving. (Plus if you are sleeping in the car, you can't stress about having an IBS attack on the way there). Once I got into the swing of things, it became easier. I'd get physically exhausted at work, so then I'd sleep more and wake up less tired. The only thing was I had shiftwork, so I'd have early morning, late night, early morning... which was really hard for the IBS, since my body couldn't figure out what was going on. I avoided eating a lot in the morning, since big meals make me want to sleep unless I'm really hungry, and then I'd 'pig out' at lunch once I was awake and really hungry. While 16 hour shifts sounded awful at first to me, I was really busy at work, so it was easy for me to 'forget' about being tired since the adrenaline kicked in. Hope you find a solution that works for you, keep us posted!


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## Student_Sufferer! (Jun 12, 2009)

Hey everyone, thank you so much for all your replies! I have been so busy that I haven't had time to drop in on this forum!Just to give you all an update, I'm finding working life great. I've had a couple of times where my IBS has played up whilst at work but usually that has been my own fault! I just snuck into the disabled toilets and did my business.I haven't yet tried any of the suggestions here, been so worried about having a bad reaction! But my IBS hasn't stopped me from doing anything at work so far


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