6 ms·

I would recommend dropping the Red Bull. Switch to coffee, if you like that. Even an iced can coffee would be healthier. I used to drink it daily and it destro

I would recommend dropping the Red Bull. Switch to coffee, if you like that. Even an iced can coffee would be healthier. I used to drink it daily and it destroyed my body. Also, Red Bull is quite expensive!

voodootrucker 6y ago
Yes, maybe this is just me, but every time I have an extended work from home period, depression follows after a few months. I was working around this once by drinking red bull, which I found lifted my emotions temporarily, but after it wore off in 4 hours I crashed way harder into despair. This effect built up over time and fortunately I noticed it and stopped using it routinely. YMMV - just a friendly warning of how it affected me.
- verganileonardo 6y ago
  Yes! And the worst case scenarios happened when my body was tired and wanted to stop, but my brain was high on Red Bull and didn't let me fall sleep.
- bobthepanda 6y ago
  If you generally use anything as a crutch it will start wearing off and you will build up a tolerance unless you start enjoying it for the sake of enjoying it and nothing more. This can apply to pretty much any substance or routine. Right now for me it's video games :(
rcarmo 6y ago
I switched back from coffee to tea. Partly because we have "real coffee" here in Portugal (expresso, a cultural import from the Italians via the Cimbalino series of coffee shop hardware, IIRC), partly because a long mug is better suited to winter, and partly because I am back working 90% with British folk, to the extent where we can compare blends... But, overall, it suits me better. Takes longer to drink, does not mess with my stomach in the mornings, and smells great. (Mind you, we do not consider American-style coffee to be "coffee" in the strictest sense of the word, because it's too processed/diluted/mixed).
- nocman 6y ago
  > (Mind you, we do not consider American-style coffee to be "coffee" in the strictest sense of the word, because it's too processed/diluted/mixed). Out of curiosity, what exactly do you mean by "American-style coffee"? Are you referring to something you would get at Starbucks, or are you referring to the quality of the coffee beans used to make it?
  - bmn__ 6y ago
    American coffee is diluted whereas in most other places I know it's not.
  - foolmeonce 6y ago
    The US coffee tradition is both not very strong and made without pressure (drip/filter.) Most places use espresso level pressure even on larger weaker coffees. The stovetop moka is still typical for occasional coffee drinkers and is lower pressure, but still made stronger than drip coffee. If you add an equal quantity of hot water to an espresso that is the European cafe attempt at emulating an American coffee, but it still has different taste because of the pressure. I don't think Europe is as obsessed with aribica beans, robusta is common and actually quite good. In drip coffee, arabica is really the only thing drinkable or the closest to drinkable depending on your perspective.
  - legerdemain 6y ago
    American-style "coffee" is harshly roasted at high temperatures and then ground to a powder in a destructive processing machine. Finally, it is diluted with water and even mixed with sugar to make it more palatable. Europeans prefer to chew on a few green coffee beans throughout the day as a long-lasting source of clean, non-jittery, all-natural energy.
- boc 6y ago
  It's worth noting that "American" styles like v60 pour-overs, chemex, and cold brew iced coffee often have more caffeine per typical serving than traditional espresso drinks.
- 6y ago
drakudo 6y ago
I would recommend dropping coffee for tea. Switch to tea... (sorry for mocking ;) ). Honestly, while real bean coffee includes caffeine, which energizes you for 30 minutes, it also includes theobromine, which would put you to sleep after 30 minutes; tea (black tea and earl gray) has caffeine only. Instant coffee with milk (like Nescafe decaf) is a good beverage to drink before the bed time, since it contains theobromine only
mrburton 6y ago
You might want to kill me after I say this, certainly people on HN want to kill me just for fun ;), but I also drink coffee. I only drink sugar free Red Bull. What's strange is I can stop for months without any withdraw from caffeine. I often go from drinking Red Bull + Coffee for a few months to just water for multiple months. Once I finish this case, I think it's time to go back to water and coffee for 6 months. :)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

voodootrucker 6y ago

Yes, maybe this is just me, but every time I have an extended work from home period, depression follows after a few months. I was working around this once by drinking red bull, which I found lifted my emotions temporarily, but after it wore off in 4 hours I crashed way harder into despair. This effect built up over time and fortunately I noticed it and stopped using it routinely. YMMV - just a friendly warning of how it affected me.

verganileonardo 6y ago
Yes! And the worst case scenarios happened when my body was tired and wanted to stop, but my brain was high on Red Bull and didn't let me fall sleep.
bobthepanda 6y ago
If you generally use anything as a crutch it will start wearing off and you will build up a tolerance unless you start enjoying it for the sake of enjoying it and nothing more. This can apply to pretty much any substance or routine. Right now for me it's video games :(

rcarmo 6y ago

I switched back from coffee to tea. Partly because we have "real coffee" here in Portugal (expresso, a cultural import from the Italians via the Cimbalino series of coffee shop hardware, IIRC), partly because a long mug is better suited to winter, and partly because I am back working 90% with British folk, to the extent where we can compare blends... But, overall, it suits me better. Takes longer to drink, does not mess with my stomach in the mornings, and smells great. (Mind you, we do not consider American-style coffee to be "coffee" in the strictest sense of the word, because it's too processed/diluted/mixed).

nocman 6y ago
> (Mind you, we do not consider American-style coffee to be "coffee" in the strictest sense of the word, because it's too processed/diluted/mixed). Out of curiosity, what exactly do you mean by "American-style coffee"? Are you referring to something you would get at Starbucks, or are you referring to the quality of the coffee beans used to make it?
- bmn__ 6y ago
  American coffee is diluted whereas in most other places I know it's not.
- foolmeonce 6y ago
  The US coffee tradition is both not very strong and made without pressure (drip/filter.) Most places use espresso level pressure even on larger weaker coffees. The stovetop moka is still typical for occasional coffee drinkers and is lower pressure, but still made stronger than drip coffee. If you add an equal quantity of hot water to an espresso that is the European cafe attempt at emulating an American coffee, but it still has different taste because of the pressure. I don't think Europe is as obsessed with aribica beans, robusta is common and actually quite good. In drip coffee, arabica is really the only thing drinkable or the closest to drinkable depending on your perspective.
- legerdemain 6y ago
  American-style "coffee" is harshly roasted at high temperatures and then ground to a powder in a destructive processing machine. Finally, it is diluted with water and even mixed with sugar to make it more palatable. Europeans prefer to chew on a few green coffee beans throughout the day as a long-lasting source of clean, non-jittery, all-natural energy.
boc 6y ago
It's worth noting that "American" styles like v60 pour-overs, chemex, and cold brew iced coffee often have more caffeine per typical serving than traditional espresso drinks.
6y ago

drakudo 6y ago

I would recommend dropping coffee for tea. Switch to tea... (sorry for mocking ;) ). Honestly, while real bean coffee includes caffeine, which energizes you for 30 minutes, it also includes theobromine, which would put you to sleep after 30 minutes; tea (black tea and earl gray) has caffeine only. Instant coffee with milk (like Nescafe decaf) is a good beverage to drink before the bed time, since it contains theobromine only

mrburton 6y ago

You might want to kill me after I say this, certainly people on HN want to kill me just for fun ;), but I also drink coffee. I only drink sugar free Red Bull. What's strange is I can stop for months without any withdraw from caffeine. I often go from drinking Red Bull + Coffee for a few months to just water for multiple months. Once I finish this case, I think it's time to go back to water and coffee for 6 months. :)

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]