Are There Benefits of Quitting Coffee? We Asked Nutrition Experts

Coffee is more than a beverage: it gives us a boost of energy in the morning, an excuse to take a break at work, and something non-alcoholic to drink while socializing. It’s also popular: Nearly three-quarters of Americans—an estimated 73 percent—drink coffee on a daily basis, according to a 2024 market survey. 

But as much as we love coffee, it doesn’t always love us back. While some people can knock back a few cups a day without a problem, drinking coffee can cause others to experience heightened anxiety, heartburn, or sleep disturbances, among other symptoms. 

For this reason—or simply because they no longer want to be so dependent on caffeine—some people may opt to give up their morning java. Is this something the rest of us should consider? We asked nutrition experts about the benefits of quitting coffee. Here’s what they had to say.

Health Effects of Coffee Consumption

Before getting into the potential benefits of quitting coffee, let’s get a few things straight. While in most cases, the beverage—made from the roasted and ground seeds (better known as “beans”) of the coffee plant—does contain caffeine, it also contains other plant chemicals, as well as nutrients like vitamin B and magnesium.

“The coffee bean is rich in several polyphenols and antioxidants,” says Lina Begdache PhD, RDN, associate professor in the health and wellness studies department at Binghamton University. “Polyphenols can improve our health at the molecular level, and antioxidants turn off oxidation that typically eats up our healthy tissue.”

In other words, while there are valid reasons why some people may want to consider quitting or cutting back on coffee (which we’ll get to in a minute), we shouldn’t overlook the beloved beverage’s health benefits. 

What coffee can do for you

Sure, your morning cup of java might taste delicious, but there’s a good chance that’s not the main draw. “First and foremost, [the caffeine in coffee] can boost your energy levels,” says Laura Purdy, MD, a Miami-based family medicine physician with expertise in nutrition. “It’s a stimulant that can help fight fatigue and exhaustion, as well as a mood booster which may help with depression.” Plus, as Shoshana Ungerleider, MD, a San Francisco-based internal medicine physician with expertise in nutrition points out, coffee can also enhance brain function—increasing alertness, concentration, and athletic performance.

Remember those antioxidants in coffee we mentioned before? According to a 2020 review of the existing research on coffee, caffeine, and health published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the antioxidants found in coffee may reduce inflammation, and potentially offer some protection against heart disease and some types of cancer. Additionally, the findings of a 2021 population-based community cohort study of more than 300,000 participants published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggest that coffee drinkers may have a lower risk of atrial fibrillation than nondrinkers—which some researchers attribute to the beverage’s anti-inflammatory properties.

The potential downsides of drinking coffee

While some people can drink coffee in moderation without issue, those who are more sensitive to caffeine may end up dealing with a number of side effects—even if they’ve only consumed a small amount, Purdy notes. 

Sensitivity or not, when someone has consumed more caffeine than their body can handle, it tends to affect their sleep quality. “This would result in fatigue,” Purdy explains. “You need a good sleep cycle and full night’s rest in order for your body to reset and be ready for the next wake period.” 

Because the caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, drinking several cups a day may heighten your stress response, and potentially lead to increased anxiety, Begdache notes. It may also cause some people to experience increased heart rate or blood pressure, Ungerleider points out.

On top of everything else, drinking coffee isn’t always gentle on our digestive tract. “Cаffeine can stimulate gastric acid secretion and exacerbate symptoms оf асid reflux аnd irritable bowel syndrome,” says Barbara Kovalenko, RDN and nutrition consultant at Lasta.

So, who might want to consider quitting or cutting down on coffee? According to Kovalenko, people experiencing any of these negative side effects should probably give it some thought. “Peоple with аnxiety, sleeр disturbanсes, gastrointestinal (GI) issues, оr сertаin heаrt соnditiоns mаy also benefit frоm reduсing оr eliminаting coffee intake,” she says. Finally, pregnаnt people, those who breastfeed, аnd people with сertаin mediсаl соnditiоns shоuld аlsо consider giving up оr limiting coffee because of its potential аdverse effects.

Health Benefits of Quitting Coffee 

According to the nutrition experts we interviewed, here are a few examples of the potential benefits of breaking up with coffee:

Improved sleep quality

Since drinking coffee can be disruptive to your sleep cycle, decreasing or eliminating your daily caffeine intake can help turn things around. “The caffeine found in coffee blocks adenosine receptors, and adenosine promotes sleep,” says Edwina Clark, RD, a registered dietitian practicing in San Francisco. “Therefore, cutting out caffeine can help improve sleep for some.”

Decreased anxiety

The same instant boost of energy we rely on caffeine to provide us with can also cause some people to experience a spike in anxiety, Purdy notes. “Anxiety can come with a load of health issues, from poor heart health, to high blood pressure, to improper sleep cycles,” she explains. By avoiding the caffeine in coffee, we can also avoid, or at least reduce, our levels of anxiety.

More consistent energy levels

Quitting coffee can result in fewer fluctuations in the amount of energy you have throughout the day, Ungerleider points out. “When you stop drinking coffee, the body's dependence on caffeine diminishes, leading to more consistent energy levels without the crashes associated with caffeine withdrawal,” she explains. Also, because the lack of caffeine may lead to improved sleep quality, it improves your chances of waking up feeling refreshed.

Improved digestive health

If your stomach and digestive system aren’t the same after drinking coffee, giving it up can help things get back to normal. This is because “caffeine can irritate the stomach lining and increase acid production, leading to symptoms in susceptible individuals,” Ungerleider explains.

Helpful Tips for Quitting Coffee Successfully

Even with all the benefits of quitting coffee, giving up caffeine is easier said than done, especially if it has been a daily habit of yours for a long time. Here are some expert tips for curbing your coffee consumption:

Listen to your body

Because drinking coffee is such a normal part of everyday life, it can be easy to forget that caffeine is a drug—the most consumed psychoactive drug in the world, no less. And, like some of the other substances that affect our nervous system, such as antidepressants and other psychiatric medications, our body doesn’t respond well to quitting caffeine completely and suddenly. Instead, each of the experts we interviewed stressed the importance of tapering off coffee gradually. “Taking it slow and listening to your body is most important,” Purdy says. 

Take it one day at a time

In order to avoid experiencing the unpleasant effects of withdrawal, Begdache recommends weaning yourself off coffee over the course of a few days. “Quitting cold turkey will lead to withdrawal symptoms ranging from headache, fatigue, decreased energy and alertness, to drowsiness, depressed mood, and difficulty concentrating,” she says.

If you want to taper off coffee but aren’t sure where to start, Kovalenko has a few suggestions:

• Start by reducing the аmоunt оf coffee yоu drink each day (e.g., from two cups to one сuр)
• Drink coffee less frequently (e.g., hаving coffee every оther dаy)
• Decrease the саffeine соntent in each serving of coffee you drink (e.g., gradually cutting your regular coffee with an increasing amount of decaf)

Try tea

Don’t forget that coffee is not the only caffeinated beverage in town. “If you want to quit coffee, but can’t live without caffeine, try swapping your coffee for caffeinated teas, such as black tea, green tea, or matcha,” Clark says. “Caffeinated teas typically provide far less caffeine than coffee, but it may be enough to avoid a caffeine withdrawal headache.”

Replace the ritual

If you typically operate on autopilot in the mornings, you may find yourself reaching for your favorite mug—and maybe even pouring yourself a cup of coffee—without thinking twice about it. This can be especially challenging if you usually take a few minutes for yourself while drinking your morning coffee, before tackling the rest of the day. 

One possible solution is continuing your routine with something other than caffeinated coffee in your mug. “Coffee alternatives like herbal teas or decaffeinated coffee can satisfy the ritual of drinking a warm beverage without the caffeine,” Ungerleider says.