Note to Self

[jducoeur]

While those new Dunkin' Donuts Iced Mocha Lattes are basically candy, they contain enough espresso in them to leave me bouncing back and forth between ceiling and floor. It's remarkable how much my typing speed goes up (and accuracy goes down) when I'm quite this wired. Three hours later, I'm still jangling...

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

yeah, sugar + caffeine always seems to make me absorb the caffeine better (and the sugar better) than either alone...

[dglenn.livejournal.com]

And is this a good thing or a bad thing or both?

Seriously. I really need to get around to writing an entry about caffeine and my questions about it in my journal soon. You see, when I was younger, caffeine had no effect on me. Later it turned into a soporific so I started avoiding it (though oddly enough, I can have caffeine with pizza and not notice much effect). Now I keep it around for migraines, but expect it to make me feel drowsy when I do use it ... and if I don't have a headache to start with, taking caffeine sometimes gives me a headache. I've only noticed the stimulant effect once, when I used an unusual delivery mechanism, and that was more of an abstract, "Gee, my eyes feel a little wider and my peripheral vision sharpened a bit, and my heart sped up. Interesting. But I'm still tired."

So I really don't quite grok the normal caffeine experience.

The times I've felt "jangling" that I can recall have been in hospital emergency rooms taking Albuterol on a nebulizer. (Rather higher dose than the pocket inhaler.) And that was seriously unpleasant! My nervous system was stimulated all right -- I felt electrified, and I felt like I was going to cry.

So if you're willing to tackle the writing exercise, please explain to me this drug, caffeine. (Or wait until I get around to posting this question in my own journal ... either way works for me.)

[jducoeur]

Interesting. I know that it's a depressant for some people, but I've never grokked that -- it's a fairly intense stimulant for me.

Is this good or bad? Depends on circumstances. If I'm well-rested, I avoid it -- I don't need the stimulant, nor the calories. If I'm slightly short on sleep (often the case), a modest amount of caffeine will wake me up for a while (and lunch usually tides me through the rest); that's actually fairly nice. If I'm genuinely overtired, and need to be productive, I'll do a mega-blast of caffeine: it really isn't a pleasant feeling, but gets the job done.

Mind, even when I'm jangling, it doesn't bother me as much as it seems to do you. Then again, there are probably degrees of jangling, and it sounds like you got hit by something rather more powerful than this.

Most Dunkin' Donuts drinks fall into the "modest amount" zone, and are well-suited to an ordinary workday. As it turns out, the latte packs quite a lot more punch. I was only a little tired this morning, so I didn't need to spend the day jangling; that's a shade annoying.

Of course, I'm also nearly at the end of the new Harry Potter book (where "nearly at the end" translates to "only two hours left"). That's got me rather horrifically keyed up as well...

[its-just-me.livejournal.com]

Are they better than a Starbucks Brownie Mochacchino?

[jducoeur]

Hmm. No. It's not quite as intense, ounce for ounce, and it certainly isn't as tasty. But Dunkin' Donuts is on my way to work, and the nearest Starbucks is about 25 minutes out of my way...

Hack you head

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

I remember being passed an article, though I can't remember if it was from 2600 or Wired, called something like "Hacking your Head" and it basically talked about some of the best ways to keep yourself going.

Caffeine+sugar is a requirement. Caffeine lubricates nerve endings, but doesn't provide instant energy. The combination helps. A good way to absorb more of both is to hit yourself with citrus before hand, especially grapefruit juice. For bonus points try nicotine in the form of the patch or nicorette gum. Mellow out the buzzing and shaking with Kava Kava. (Please not: for education only. Not a recommendation)

[galaneia.livejournal.com]

Having gotten the hot version last week before the staff knew what they were doing, I was a tad sceptical. They left out the chocolate, so what I had was not at all sweet and rather strong. The only thing the made it drinkable was the addition of choclate milk (which I left a bottle of in the fridge at work, fortunately).

This morning I acquired the iced version, and aside from being slightly stunned that they are required> to ask if I want sugar in it(I thought last time it was simply 'cause the didn't know what they were doing) it was pretty good. Certainly made my very interesting morning a little better.